The impact of Information and Communications Technology on education
Throughout the 21st century, the educational process has been transformed by technological development and the digital revolution. The impact of Information and Communications Technology on education has been proven in various studies over the last few years. It is no question that ICT can make learning more interesting, motivating, and meaningful while preparing students for their careers in a rapidly digitalizing world (Gharehblagh, & Nasri, 2020). At present, technology in language classrooms is contributing to the improvement of speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills (Zurita & Nussbaum, 2004). It enhances the efficiency of the educational process. Overall, while specifically aiding in finding innovative applications for the skills learned.
With scientific development as rapid as in the modern-day, digital innovations become outdated almost immediately after becoming widespread. Mobile Learning strategy is one of the recent trends among the ways in which digital innovations might be utilized in education (Chang, & Hwang, 2019). Currently, it provides educators with ways to enable learning and enhance voluntary practice within and outside of the school setting (Martin & Ertzberger, 2013). When applied specifically to languages, Mobile Learning transforms into Mobile-Assisted Language Learning, further referred to as MALL. Nalliveettil & Alenazi (2016) state that MALL is a new phase in approaching a foreign language and has opened new opportunities for language teachers. Among these opportunities are the use of handheld technology and the implementation of students-focused teaching practices.
Since being assigned its pandemic status, Covid-19 fundamentally and drastically transformed the usual way of life. Countries across the world were affected by the Covid-19 virus in multiple ways and across different sectors. The pandemic’s impact on the UAE education sector is one of the most evident since schools have been shut down internationally. To maintain the semblance of normalcy and find a safe alternative, the UAE Ministry of Education has opted for online education. This was the first-time online learning was widely implemented in the UAE K-12 schools on a mandatory basis. Currently, school-issued laptops, tablets, and other gadgets are being used to fulfill online learning purposes. Mobile phones have become one of the most widely utilized tools for teachers in all areas.
Consecutively, barriers might transpire in the areas of technological fluency and skills in dealing with apps. When it comes to learners, the technological aspect of MALL implementation and insights into mobile learning have been widely discussed (Alkhudair, 2020). Furthermore, other published research has touched upon the usage of MALL from UAE instructors’ perspectives at the university level (Khan, 2018). This study attempts to contribute to existing research by examining UAE EFL teachers’ attitudes, perceptions of proficiency, and challenges of utilizing MALL.
Literature Review
Definition of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL)
The term computer-assisted language learning later referred to as CALL, is the first concept that comes to mind when discussing the digitalization of language learning. MALL is considered a subset of CALL that has recently become a new phase in second and foreign language learning (Taj, Sulan, Sipra, & Ahmad, 2016). Jarvis and Achilleos (2013) state that CALL-associated skills should be continuously updated in order to keep up with the rapidly developing field. Thus, the most recent models of mobile phones are much more suitable for utilization in the educational and linguistic fields. The definition of MALL, as Rahimi and Miri (2014) specified, concerns a technology-supported approach to language learning. MALL can additionally be implemented by providing further assistance with direct communication through the recent technological advancements.
Benefits and drawbacks
When it comes to associated benefits, the latest technological opportunities are generally unsurpassed in any field. Mobile technology is seen as a technique that provides students with many substantial advantages, namely flexibility, portability, low cost, portable size, and user-friendliness (Miangah & Nezarat, 2012). It grants the learners the opportunity to partake in class no matter where they are. It can also be easily carried and taken to different places due to its small size and weight (Miangah & Nezarat, 2012). Thus it is fair to say that mobile technology is very non-restrictive and accommodating to personal circumstances.
Moreover, many research projects started to investigate the benefits of MALL in learning the language (Al-Jarrah, Talafhah, & Al-Jarrah, 2019, Chen, Chen, & An, 2020, Gharehblagh, & Nasri, 2020). They highlighted that Mobile could be used successfully for language learning purposes and improve students’ basic language skills, including listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Krivoruchko, Raissova, Makarikhina, Yergazinova, & Kazhmuratova (2015) indicates that using MALL enhances students’ motivation, engagement, and participation in language learning. Moreover, Kukulska‐Hulme & Viberg, 2018) found that MALL helps to increase communication and collaboration between students, which has pedagogical benefits, as collaboration can allow the teacher to interact with all students simultaneously with the use of MALL, which may result in a more manageable and efficient teaching.
Despite the potential benefits, Mobile learning is not without its drawbacks. The most cited shortcoming is often ascribed to the small screen size, a limited presentation of graphics, and untrusted data storage system, which are considered obstacles to adopting MALL as an educational approach (Bachore,2015). Additionally, Chartrand(2016)highlighted that considering the dependence on the Internet is a problematic characteristic for some EFL learners. Since the Internet might suffer from unstableness connection or not always provide very high transmission capacity, some students could end up with less knowledge and understanding of the subject. Also, Chartrand (2016) stated that using Mobile devices in the classroom could cause distractions and interruptions. Students can become distracted by doing other irrelevant activities.
EFL Teacher’s Attitudes and Perceptions Toward MALL
The positive perceptions and attitudes representations are the most powerful incentives for adopting MALL. Many studies have been conducted around the world attempting to measure the teachers’ attitude toward the implementation of mobile technology in their classes. An example of this would be Nariyati, Sudirman, & Pratiwi’s (2020) study, which committed to investigating EFL pre-service teachers’ perception of the utilization of MALL. The participants admitted that the use of the technology could enrich the learning process, making it more accessible for everyone. Due to this positive perception, the participants of the study admitted to preferring to use MALL in the classroom. In his paper Nuraeni (2021) furthermore reinforced that the majority of teachers had a positive attitude toward the usage of MALL in their English classroom activities. They believed MALL to be a good learning strategy that would support their teaching process and perceived the technology as an overall beneficial tool.
Nevertheless, other sources reveal more contradictory reactions to the MALL technology in language learning. Oz (2015) established the existence of significant differences among the EFL Turkish teachers in terms of their perceptions and attitude toward using MALL in the EFL classrooms. The research revealed women to be, on average more inclined towards mobile learning in perception and attitude. Additionally, as supported by Baek, Zhang, & Yun (2017), it was evident that female teachers were more positive than male teachers in their attitudes regarding MALL. More experienced educators with over 15 years of experience showcased greater acceptance of mobile learning in comparison with their less experienced colleagues. In contrast, Dehkordi (2018) did not establish any significant differences in views between male and female students. Both reacted positively toward the use of technology-based learning like MALL in the EFL learning process.
To apply MALL to the teaching in EFL classrooms, it is important to understand teachers’ perspectives on their proficiency and efficacy in developing MALL activities for EFL learning. According to Albert Bandura (1997), the term self-efficacy refers to people’s beliefs in their capabilities and possessing the required skills to do their tasks. Thus, teachers with high efficacy use instructional strategies that motivate students to learn and be able to overcome the obstacles they encounter (Bandura, 1997). Khan (2018) found that while most instructors are aware of the availability of MALL application software, many lack the knowledge and skills to develop and implement MALL activities.
However, which is also worth considering, several stated that in their opinion, mobile phones could not support EFL learning. Many EFL teachers referred to the learners’ inefficiency in using mobile phones for academic purposes, with the small screen of the phone and the internet connectivity providing the key challenges in MALL integration. Dashtestani R. (2013) found that EFL teachers reported a lack of software skills yet again. These findings suggest that the presence of a couple of perceived challenges might be the reason for the nonuse of mobile phones for EFL learning. The challenges include the use of the mobile phone for non-academic purposes, students’ lack of familiarity with specific programs, and various Internet issues.
As the review of the studies suggests, very little has been confidently established from UAE teachers’ perspectives on the utilization of Mobile assisted language learning in the context of EFL. Such lack of information could be explained by the recency of the spike in the digitalization of education caused by Covid-19. This study attempts to examine the EFL teacher’s attitudes, proficiency perceptions, and stanzas on challenges associated with using MALL that might impact its adoption in education.
References
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