Authors : Nurul Ain Chua Abdullah, Azza Jauhar Ahmad Tajuddin and Goh Ying Soon
Abstract: The advance affordance technology of smartphone is giving an impact on how learning takes place in many disciplines and contexts including language learning. Instructors and learners can easily access the materials anytime, anywhere any places and at their own convenient pace. Today, smartphones the newest mobile inventions have the great capability to become important devices not only in language learning in general but particularly in Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL). Smartphone applications engage users in activities either in the class or out of the formal class. This generates the potential for significant change in teaching and learning practices. This preliminary study aims to explore student’s perceptions on the impact of smartphone applications in learning Mandarin. The research focus was on how the students use the smartphone applications and their views on language performance, task accomplishment, student’s learning process and satisfaction of the usage. A survey with 79 degree students considered as Mandarin learners was conducted. The type of smartphone applications use was clearly identified in 2 based which are dictionary based and teaching and learning based. Based on descriptive statistics all the participants concurred that smartphone applications enhance their language performance; help them in completing task easily and quickly and lastly assisting them in their study. The result found the students were interesting, satisfied and willing to continue using smartphones in their study. There was no significant different between gender and courses attended on the issues mentioned. The result suggests that smartphones are ideal tools for MALL.
Nurul Ain Chua Abdullah, Azza Jauhar Ahmad Tajuddin and Goh Ying Soon, 2017. Undergraduate’s Perceptions on Smartphone Applications in Learning Mandarin. The Social Sciences, 12: 1687-1694.