International Journal for the Scholarship of Technology Enhanced Learning Volume 1 Issue 2 2017 Pages 91-110 Mobile Learning and its Effects on Academic Achievement and Student Motivation in Middle Grades Students Hannah B. Miller, University of North Georgia Joshua A. Cuevas, Associate Professor of Education, University of North Georgia Abstract This experimental research investigates the academic achievement and motivation of 104 sixth grade social studies students when incorporating mobile devices into the classroom. Specifically, this study was designed to test the use of mobile devices as a more effective approach to student learning than using paper materials. In addition, the current study specifically examined changes in students’ perceptions of learning, interest in learning and academic motivation when incorporating mobile devices into classroom instruction. The findings show that motivation can be enhanced when incorporating mobile devices. Yet, the current study found no effect of mobile learning on higher academic achievement in this sample. This study sheds light on the importance of mobile devices in the classroom. The findings encourage the use of mobile devices due to their effect on motivation, which may offer an interactive classroom environment where students feel enthusiastic and eager to learn. Keywords: Mobile Learning, Mobile Devices, Engagement, Academic Achievement, Interest, Perception of Learning, Academic Motivation. Introduction In recent years, cell phones and other mobile devices have at times been banned in public school classrooms due to the potential disruptions that could arise. Many believed mobile devices to be a problem because of potential student abuse, such as cheating, texting, and sexting. However, as educators began to see the need for students to be able to communicate with parents in certain situations and the potential instructional benefits, students in many cases were eventually able to carry mobile devices into the classroom. Some school districts have gone even further and now regularly allow students to use personal technology in the classroom, while others hold firm to their technology bans. The question that plagues many districts is whether or not mobile devices belong in the classroom and whether or not their use can contribute to students’ learning. A number of studies have been conducted on the use of mobile devices in the classroom. Some studies have found that mobile devices, when used appropriately, may impact students’ academic achievement, as well as students’ dispositions towards learning (Huang, Lin & Cheng, 2010; Lu, 2008; Thomas & Orthober, 2011). Such findings, along with the proliferation of educational technology tools and platforms over the last two decades, have led to the integration of a variety of forms of technology in the classroom and new instructional strategies. Yet other findings suggest mobile devices either have no long term effect on academic achievement or that they hinder learning (Froese et al., 2012; Lu, 2008; Sung & Mayer, 2010). Additional research is needed to better understand the effects of mobile learning on academic achievement and student motivation.