Mobile instant messaging application habits among university students

Abstract

With the rising influence of technology, students have become heavy users of instant messaging applications. It makes one wonder about students' motivations in using these applications and their usage habits. The aims of this study were to analyze the messaging activities of university students in blended classroom groups, to investigate the effect of these applications on learning processes, and to understand why student usage is so heavy. The research design was based on a mixed model strategy. Quantitative data were retrieved from a blended classroom group. In the second stage of the research, opinions of participants in the message group and advisors of the participants in their relevant classrooms were included in the research via a semi-structured interview form. Findings of the study revealed that, in a blended classroom group, university students most heavily messaged during the first months of the fall term, but the frequency decreased over time. Furthermore, it became evident that, as time passed, students preferred to conduct messaging in smaller groups. An implication of this research is that any information that a student wants to know about could be shared at specific time periods when students were more active in the blended classroom groups.