Investigating the impact of mobile blended learning on history students’ academic achievement

History teaching and learning can be improved through pedagogically innovative practices. In the face of technological advancement, this study examined the effectiveness of mobile blended learning on the academic performance of senior high school history students. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research approach using a pretest-posttest nonequivalent groups design. The study employed a teacher-made test to gather data from two intact senior high school final-year history classes in Central Region, Ghana. The two classes were grouped into control and experimental groups. The control group participants were taught using conventional instruction, while the experimental group participants were taught using mobile blended learning through WhatsApp Messenger and adapted YouTube videos. The study revealed that mobile blended learning had a significant effect on the academic performance of history students. The findings also demonstrated a gender gap in the academic performance of history students when taught through mobile blended learning, with female students outperforming their male counterparts. The study contributes new insights for pedagogical innovation in history teaching and learning in the under-researched context of Ghana. It further makes links between mobile blended learning and historical knowledge in Ghanaian schools and offers views on equitable access to and use of technologies in schools. The study implies that there should be a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to history teaching and learning, incorporating mobile blended learning, addressing gender disparities regarding mobile blended learning use, and ensuring equitable access and learning outcomes. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.