PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF WHATSAPP VOICE MESSAGING: INVESTIGATING EFL STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES

Merve Oksuz-Zerey

Abstract


Rapid emergence of wireless technologies and ownership of mobile devices have changed many aspects of peoples’ lives. These mobile technologies have been integrated into language learning and teaching as well. Successful and effective use of these technologies in language learning, however, depends on the incorporation of pedagogical principles guided by theories of second language acquisition (SLA). Accordingly, informed by the interaction hypothesis (Gass & Mackey, 2015), this study employed a messaging application, WhatsApp, to help language learners improve their communication skills. Nine A1 level EFL students used WhatsApp voice messaging with their peers outside the classes to accomplish the tasks assigned to them for four weeks in the spring semester of 2018. Later, their experiences were investigated by means of written surveys. Content analysis of the data demonstrated that all the students who took part in the study benefitted from the WhatsApp voice messaging practice and perceived numerous benefits. These included speaking and pronunciation development, an opportunity for language practice, review of previous learning, overcoming shyness, and awareness and correction of errors. The findings were discussed in the light of the existing literature and certain implications arose for both language learners and teachers.

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


WhatsApp voice messaging, mobile assisted language learning, oral interaction, out-of-class learning

Full Text:

PDF

References


Ahn, T. Y., & Lee, S. M. (2016). User experience of a mobile speaking application with automatic speech recognition for EFL learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(4), 778-786.

Andujar, A. (2016). Benefits of mobile instant messaging to develop ESL writing. System, 62, 63-76.

Andújar-Vaca, A. & Cruz-Martínez, M. S. (2017). Mobile instant messaging: WhatsApp and its potential to develop oral skills. Communicar, 50(25), 43-52.

Akkara, S., Anumula, V., & Mallampalli, M. (2020). Impact of WhatsApp interaction on improving L2 speaking skills. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 15(3), 250-259.

Arashnia, M., & Shahrokhi, M. (2016). Mobile assisted language learning: English pronunciation among Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 3(4), 149-162.

Azar, A. S., & Nasiri, H. (2014). Learners’ attitudes toward the effectiveness of mobile assisted language learning (MALL) in L2 listening comprehension. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 1836-1843.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. UK: Routledge.

Comas-Quinn, A., Mardomingo, R., & Valentine, C. (2009). Mobile blogs in language learning: Making the most of informal and situated learning opportunities. ReCALL, 21(1), 96-112. doi:10.1017/S0958344009000032

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.

Croker, R. A. (2009). An introduction to qualitative research. In J. Heigham & R. A. Croker (Eds.), Qualitative research in applied linguistics: A practical introduction (pp. 3-24). Palgrave Macmillan.

Demouy, V. & Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2010). On the spot: Using mobile devices for listening and speaking practice on a French language programme. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance, and e-Learning, 25(3), 217-232.

Digital Around the World (2020). Retrieved from https://datareportal.com/global-digital-overview#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20mobile%20phone,in%20the%20past%2012%20months.

Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Dörnyei, Z. & Taguchi, T. (2010). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.

Gass, S. (1997). Input, interaction and the second language learner. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Gass, S. M., Behney, J., & Plonsky, L. (2013). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. New York: Routledge.

Gass, S. M. & Mackey, A. (2015). Input, interaction, and output in second language acquisition. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories of second language acquisition: An introduction (pp. 180-206). London: Routledge.

Hamad, M. M. (2017). Using WhatsApp to Enhance Students' Learning of English Language “Experience to Share". Higher Education Studies, 7(4), 74-87.

Han, T., & Keskin, F. (2016). Using a mobile application (WhatsApp) to reduce EFL speaking anxiety. Gist: Education and Learning Research Journal, 12, 29-50.

Jolliet, Y. (2007). M-Learning: A pedagogical and technological model for language learning on mobile phones. In J. Fong & F. L. Wang (Eds.), Blended learning (pp. 327–339). Pearson.

Krashen, S. (1985). The input hypothesis: Issues and implications. New York: Longman.

Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2006). Mobile language learning now and in the future. In P. Svensson (Ed.), Från vision till praktik: Språkutbildning och Iånformationsteknik [From vision to practice: Language learning and IT] (pp. 295–310). Sweden: Swedish Net University (Nätuniversitetet).

Kukulska-Hulme, A. & Shield, L. (2008). An overview of mobile assisted language learning: From content delivery to supported collaboration and interaction. ReCALL, 20(3), 271-289.

Kukulska-Hulme, A. & Viberg, O. (2018). Mobile collaborative language learning: State of the art. British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(2), 207–218.

Lai, A. (2016). Mobile immersion: An experiment using mobile instant messenger to support second-language learning. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(2), 277-290.

Long, M. H. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. Ritchie & T. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413-468). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Minalla, A. A. (2018). The effect of WhatsApp chat group in enhancing EFL learners' verbal interaction outside classroom contexts. English Language Teaching, 11(3), 1-7.

Richards, J. C. & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Saran, M., Seferoglu, G., & Cagiltay, K. (2009). Mobile assisted language learning: English pronunciation at learners' fingertips. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (EJER), 34, 97-114.

Shamsi, A. F., Altaha, S., & Gilanlioglu, I. (2019). The Role of M-Learning in decreasing speaking anxiety for EFL learners. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation (IJLLT), 2(1), 276-282.

Shi, Z., Luo, G., & He, L. (2017). Mobile-assisted language learning using WeChat instant messaging. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 12(02), 16-267

Swain, M. (1985). Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development. In S. Gass & C. Madden (Eds.), Input in second language acquisition (pp. 235-253). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Statista (2019). Number of smartphone users worldwide from 2016 to 2021. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/

Tai, Y. (2012). Contextualizing a MALL: Practice design and evaluation. Educational Technology & Society, 15(2), 220-230.

Xu, Q., Dong, X., & Jiang, L. (2017). EFL learners' perceptions of mobile‐assisted feedback on oral production. TESOL Quarterly, 51(2), 408-417.

Xu, Q. & Peng, H. (2017). Investigating mobile-assisted oral feedback in teaching Chinese as a second language, Computer Assisted Language Learning, 30(3-4), 173-182, DOI: 10.1080/09588221.2017.1297836

Williams, M. & Burden, R. L. (1997). Psychology for language teachers: A social constructivist approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v6i3.3635

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright © 2015 - 2023. European Journal of English Language Teaching (ISSN 2501-7136) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms.

All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).