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Although Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) is a massive communication phenomenon and its educational use can be seen as a genuine form of mobile learning, it has been studied to a limited extent to date. The present study examined the use of MIM to engage young professionals in mobile learning communities during their school-to-work transition. This transition is one of the most central but also challenging developmental phases marked by the experience of knowledge gaps and a lack of belonging. To assess knowledge and socio-professional learning effects associated with the use of MIM, this study adopted a quasi-experimental, survey-based approach with an intervention and control condition (n = 114) in the setting of an international research project. In the intervention condition, newly graduated nurses from Nigeria participated in WhatsApp groups in which moderators shared knowledge and stimulated professional discussions over a period of 6 months. Data were collected via online surveys and knowledge tests. The findings show that participants in the moderated WhatsApp groups had significantly higher knowledge and exhibited fewer feelings of professional isolation compared with the control group, which was not subject of any treatment. The effects were even more pronounced when controlling for active contributions (writing vs reading messages), which also amounted to significantly higher levels of professional identification. In addition, across intervention and control groups, the self-reported general active use of WhatsApp (outside of the intervention) was positively associated with the measures of professional social capital maintained with school connections, professional identity, (lower) professional isolation, job satisfaction, and the perceived transfer of school knowledge to work practice. Whereas knowledge and socio-professional effects can be triggered through moderated WhatsApp interventions yet the general (and thus informal) use of WhatsApp is associated with socio-professional connectedness. The findings are of particular relevance in the developing context under investigation, which is marked by a lack of alternative support structures.

This study investigated the use of instant messaging in the school-to-work transition, a crucial stage of learning and development. Newly graduated health professionals (n = 235) participated either in WhatsApp groups in which moderators shared knowledge and facilitated professional discussions or in the control group. The results show that participants in the WhatsApp groups had markedly higher levels of knowledge, greater resilience as well as lower levels of professional isolation– in comparison with the control group. They also reported less stress when searching for a new job. These findings are affirmed by the qualitative analysis of open survey questions: knowledge acquisition emerged as the main benefit followed by connectedness and professional informational benefits. A further interesting result is that the general, day-to-day use of WhatsApp outside of the intervention was linked to higher levels of resilience. Another finding is that although the actual (measured) and self-reported frequency of participation in the WhatsApp groups correlated highly, these measures did not predict the outcome variables in the regression analysis. This observation questions the frequency of participation as a proxy for the success of engagement.

Two patient education methods, Information Media (IM) and Social Network (SN), were compared to determine their relative effectiveness on recruitment and subsequent compliance behavior of people infected with onchocerciasis in respect of appointment keeping and ivermectin consumption in existing primary health care facilities in six communities in southwestern Nigeria. Two communities each were randomly assigned to the IM intervention group, two to the SN group, and two served as controls. A total of 1265 persons out of an estimated target population of 5033 infected individuals were enrolled in the study. Coverage rates were higher in the intervention communities (30.3% for SN and 29.9% for IM) than control (7.3%), but the differences between intervention groups was not significant. A drop-off was seen in attendance at the second round of ivermectin distribution. Nearly equal proportions of the intervention groups returned (43.3% for SN and 47.4% for IM), while few control patients came back for their second dose (12.3%). Factors responsible for the low turnout were thought to include the content of educational messages, mobility of community members and limited time available to collect the drugs. Cost considerations led to recommendations to maintain facility based distribution and the SN approach, with greater emphasis on mobilization to increase coverage and compliance.