Abstract
Orientation: This research makes a significant theoretical contribution through its novel application of Bloom’s taxonomy as an analytical framework for mining qualitative interview data.
Research purpose: To evaluate students’ progression through the taxonomy tiers in sales education following mobile application implementation as a teaching intervention.
Motivation for the study: This study addresses the critical knowledge gap regarding mobile technology’s impact on cognitive development in practical sales education, providing essential empirical evidence for optimising educational m-learning investments.
Research design, approach and methods: The study employed a single case study design and used a hybrid thematic analysis using deductive and inductive coding on 10 interview transcripts.
Main findings: The main finding indicate that the students progressed from tier one through to tier six and even implemented the practical sales m-learning in their work environment.
Practical/managerial implications: Several managerial suggestions are made but importantly is that students demonstrate preference for independent learning approaches over traditional instructor-dependent models. Mobile applications should include comprehensive self-tracking capabilities that enables students to monitor their own progress and assess skill development.
Contribution/value add: Given that mobile applications represent a relatively recent development in higher education, this study demonstrates that lecturers and mobile application developers should systematically incorporate Bloom’s cognitive tiers into their design considerations.
Keywords: Bloom’s taxonomy; mobile applications; m-learning; single case study design; hybrid thematic analysis.