Students from marginalized backgrounds face significant challenges in learning programming due to limited access to computing resources, unstable internet connectivity, and inadequate practice opportunities. This study investigates these challenges and proposes myAda, an adaptive mobile learning application designed to support programming education for underserved students. Through surveys and focus group discussions with students and faculty from public universities in rural areas, key barriers were identified, including insufficient hands-on practice, pacing difficulties in traditional classes, and a lack of interactive learning materials. To address these issues, myAda aims to incorporate offline access, adaptive learning pathways, and interactive activities tailored to students’ needs. The app’s scaffolding mechanism adjusts content based on student’s diagnostic assessment result and performance in exercises. It also provides targeted prompts, guiding students to review relevant lessons when they encounter difficulties in an activity and encouraging them to progress to the next topic when they demonstrate proficiency. Initial feedback highlights the students’ and teachers’ appreciation to offline capability and content structure as well as the adaptive approach in topic and activity presentation. For the next iteration, they suggested the need for step-by-step hints, more coding and debugging activities, and gamified elements to enhance engagement and retention. Findings suggest that mobile-based learning can bridge the digital divide, enabling students to practice programming beyond traditional classroom settings.