Influence of Mobile Learning Discourse on Human Agency: A Critical Discourse Analysis Perspective

One of the challenges facing higher education (HE) in South Africa is to increase the number of science and engineering graduates. At the core of these disciplines is mathematics. Thus, the problem is that poorly prepared students find it difficult to succeed in university mathematics. This paper argues that the use of mobile phones has potential to enhance student engagement with mathematics learning resources. The study involved forty-nine first year students who had previously failed mathematics and therefore suffered from low self-esteem. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is used to understand ways of empowering students and uncover the inter-relationship between text, interactions, and context. The paper concludes that the use of anonymous Short Message Services (SMS) fostered student engagement with mathematics and may have contributed to student's improved academic performance.