Students’ perceptions towards mobile learning in an English as a foreign language class

Abstract

Emerging mobile pedagogy for English as a foreign language teaching makes portable devices a potentially beneficial tool for learning a foreign language. However, to date, there has been relatively little research on learning the relationships between Mobile-Assisted Language Learning and university students’ perceptions of this innovative teaching approach. In this paper, some of the existing research on the topic of mobile learning is reviewed to connect language learning, educational technology, and perceptions of learners towards the use of mobile technology to support language learning. The 1st-year students in the Germanic Philology Department at Sumy State University, Ukraine, were first exposed to a MALL experience, and then asked to express their thoughts on the incorporation of mobile devices into the language classroom. Research findings revealed overall positive attitudes and perceptions amongst the students surveyed. However, some technical and digital literacy challenges emerged during the intervention. Despite some constraints, the university students majoring in English indicated their readiness for mobile-assisted learning. The learning/teaching materials elaborated for the study might be useful for practitioners and researchers in the field of mobile pedagogy for EFL teaching.