MAPPING THE IMPACT OF MOBILE LEARNING AND SMART APPS CREATOR–BASED AUTHORING TOOLS IN VOCATIONAL FASHION DESIGN EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This study examines research trends, implementation approaches, and learning impacts of mobile learning and Smart Apps Creator–based authoring tools in vocational fashion design education through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). Literature searches were conducted across national and international academic databases, resulting in 24 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2024 that met the inclusion criteria. The review was guided by research questions addressing (1) trends in mobile learning research within vocational education, (2) forms of mobile learning implementation using no-code authoring tools, including Smart Apps Creator, and (3) their reported impacts on student learning outcomes. The findings reveal a steady increase in mobile learning research in vocational education over the past decade, with most studies emphasizing interactive multimedia, mobile applications, and visual-based digital learning media. Smart Apps Creator and similar no-code authoring tools are commonly positioned as practical solutions for developing flexible and interactive learning media, particularly suited to the visual and procedural nature of fashion design education. Across the reviewed studies, mobile learning implementations are consistently associated with positive effects on student engagement, learning motivation, visual understanding, practical skill development, and self-regulated learning. Nevertheless, this review also indicates that empirical studies explicitly focusing on Smart Apps Creator within vocational fashion design contexts remain limited and are generally conducted on a small scale. Future large-scale empirical research is therefore needed to strengthen the evidence base regarding the effectiveness of Smart Apps Creator–based mobile learning and to support its informed implementation in vocational fashion design education.