With the rising popularity of mobile learning, informal learning is widely used by learners for a range of topics. Unlike traditional learning in classrooms, informal learning provides learners with more flexible learning environments and more freedom to learn without the restrictions of distance and time. Mobile learning applications (APPs) are a highly popular type of informal learning tool, including Coursera, edX, Udemy, and Khan Academy. Due to their informal nature, little is known about learners’ experience with these popular learning APPs. However, the APP stores themselves (e.g., Google Play Store, Apple APP Store) contain a trove of unanalyzed information on users’ experience in their user review sections.

To understand differences in users’ learning experience amongst these APPs, we used 3,967 users' APP reviews (text-based) and ratings (numerical scores/5) as data from Google Play to:
1) compare user rating scores among the APPs,
2) compare the emotional tone (negative, neutral, positive) of the text-based user reviews among the APPs and
3) detail the relationship between the emotional tone of user reviews and their user rating scores.

Results indicate significant differences in user ratings among APPs ( p < .001, n2p = .09), with Coursera and edX as the highest rated. Following text analysis, a main effect of emotional tone (p < .001, n2p = .22) indicates that all user reviews contain more neutral than positive tones (d = .75), and fewer negative tones (d = -2.3). An APP x Tone interaction indicates that Coursera and edX have more positive tones than the next highest APP (d = 0.43), suggesting user ratings relate to tone. Indeed, emotional tone accounts for 36.7% of the variance in user rating scores. Thus, APP reviews are a meaningful source of data that can contribute to the improvement of user learning experience in informal learning APPs.

Keywords: Mobile learning, Informal learning, Text mining, Learning experience, e-learning.