United Kingdom

UNIVERSITY OF BATH
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Ezat Amirbakzadeh Kalati

MA TESOL 2013
eak23@bath.ac.uk

Research Method in Education

Mobile Assisted Language Learning:

A Research Design for Studying the Iranian Undergraduate Students’ Opinion about Using
Mobile Devices on English Vocabulary Learning

Abstract
Technology is an important part of the most teachers and students’ lives today. Furthermore,
technology has changed teaching and learning languages. Web Assisted Language Learning
(WALL), Technology-enhanced Language Learning (TELL), Computer Assisted Language
Learning (CALL) and Mobile Assisted Language Learning ( MALL) play crucial roles in this
field. Mobile devices such as tablet computers, mobile Phones, MP3 and MP4 players and
personal digital assistant that we can carry in our pockets can connect us to a variety of
information sources whenever and wherever we go. There is considerable interest in employing
these devices in the teaching and learning context. This paper explores MALL and the influence
of mobile devices on both learning English and English vocabulary. The study investigates
whether Iranian undergraduate students agree to use mobile devices to learn English in general
and English vocabulary in particular. To achieve the result, 36 male and female undergraduate
students were selected and mixed method research was conducted. In this case study design,
qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Having analysed the data, the result showed
72% of the students preferred to learn English using mobile devices. Moreover, 64% of the
students wanted to use vocabulary learning software for mobile devices to add to their word
bank. In whole the results showed students’ positive opinion towards MALL.

Keywords: Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL); mobile devices; learning English;
English vocabulary.

Introduction

Learning a new language can be one of the essential interests that people are engaged in.
Moreover, some of them need to learn an additional language for special purposes. Therefore,
those who are responsible for teaching and learning languages try to explore more effective ways
to facilitate it. Nowadays technology plays vital roles in teaching and learning languages. Some

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books, journals, and articles have been written about Web Assisted Language Learning (WALL),
Technology-enhanced Language Learning (TELL), Computer Assisted Language Learning
(CALL) and Mobile Assisted Language Learning ( MALL) discussing these new trends. As
technology is growing rapidly, it is expected that mobile devices, which their two main
characteristics are portability and connectivity, become accessible for most people in more
countries. Recently, people usually use mobile phones, MP3 and MP4 players and tablet
computers for different purposes (Mosavi Miangah and Nezarat, 2012). Hence these devices can
enter the language learning field to make learning more effective and enjoyable. The focus of
this study is on Mobile Assisted Language Learning. MALL has become a significant technique
in the new millennium that CALL created in the 1990s. Mobile devices such as mobile phones,
MP3 or MP4 players and any personal digital assistants can help the learners as well as the
teachers to facilitate teaching and learning.

Context

Using Computers in language learning has become common. Students use e-dictionaries,
visual vocabulary, grammar software, and e-books almost every day and enjoy the facilities.
They can practice their language lessons through their personal computers. Teachers keep in
touch with the students through moodle. In addition, learning through mobile devices may let the
learners take more advantages of their time wherever they are. Therefore MALL can reduce the
time and place barriers in language learning (Mosavi Miangah and Nezarat, 2012).

Technology can be an essential part of education and make it developed. Computers, the
Internet, various software, and even mobile phones are inseparable part of today’s classroom.
Both teachers and learners will enjoy the role of modern technology. CALL, WALL, and other
new trends have effective influences in second or foreign language learning because they can be
highly innovative in this field. From the beginning of the 21st century, educators have tried to
bring technology into the classroom. There have been seminars and conferences on CALL which
have affected English language teaching and learning (Chapelle, 2003). At first, using
technology in English Language Teaching (ELT) was rejected. However, its significant benefits
were gradually revealed. The role of technology in ELT has been developed. Moreover,
nowadays there is a variety of online courses and distance learning in most universities around
the world (ibid).

Recent studies on the use of technology in second or foreign language learning reveal the
efficacy of mobile devices in language learning. Research has exploited MALL in different field
of language learning such as pronunciation (Ducate and Lomicka, 2009 cited in Tai and Ting,
2011), English listening skill (Edirisigha et al. 2007 cited in Tai and Ting 2011), writing
proficiency (Morita, 2003 cited in Tai and Ting, 2011), reading comprehension (Chen and Hsu,

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2008 cited in Tai and Ting, 2011) and vocabulary (Chen and Chung, 2008; Levy and Kennedy,
2005; Lu, 2008 cited in Tai and Ting, 2011). According to some of the studies, mobile phones
play a beneficial role in learning vocabulary and idioms. English vocabulary lessons are sent to
the learners’ mobile phones using short text messages. As mobile phones are ubiquitous, learners
are ready to read the messages and therefore the result will be noticeable (Baleghizadeh and
Oladrostam, 2010).

Vocabulary learning is usually delivered in a strictly conventional ways, such as providing

abstract definitions and sentences stripped off the context of use (Jiang, 2000) and learners try
hard to learn them. As technology is developing day by day, it affects the lifestyle, doing a
variety of activities and self study. There are different sites which are designed to help people to
learn languages in their spare time. There are learning system and mobile language lab that let
people study, practice and review any languages, anytime and anywhere (Kolb, 2008). A large
number of applications are provided to help those who are interested in learning.

In this study I will investigate to what extent Iranian undergraduate students agree to use mobile
technology in learning vocabulary. In the upcoming study I will then find to what extent using
mobile technology can facilitate language learning and if it faces any issues. This small-scale
case study will be conducted in a state university setting in Iran which is located in Mashhad.
Participants will be 36 Graphic Design students in their third year of studying, their ages ranged
from 21 to 28 years old, all of whom are native speaker of the Persian language and English is
their foreign language.

Literature Review

Mobile learning is experiencing rapid development. Early generations of mobile learning

projects tended to propose formally-designed activities, carefully crafted by educators and
technologists, and using emerging technologies that were not yet widely accessible or well
understood (Kukulska-Hulme, Traxler & Pettit, 2007). Handheld devices such as mobile phones
and tablet computers with internet capability and electronic dictionaries, MP3 and MP4 players
without internet access are available as learning devices anytime, anywhere (Kukulska-Hulme
and Shield, 2008). Although mobile phones are the most frequently used devices among the
other mobile devices (Pecherzewska and Knot, 2007 cited in Kondo et al. 2012).

An integral part of English language learning is learning English vocabulary. If learners expect
to understand the language, they should learn more vocabulary and use them in their speaking.
However, the classroom hour limitation causes less opportunity for the learners to converse.
Therefore both teachers and learners face problems (Alemi, Anani Sarab, Lari, 2012). On one
hand, teachers have no enough time to teach all necessary vocabulary and on the other hand,

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learners may have difficulties to follow the language learning process. That is why researchers
try to investigate to explore innovative ways of learning different language skills as well as
vocabulary to help both teachers and learners (ibid).

Alemi, Anani Sarab, and Lari (2012) have conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of
SMS (short message system) on Iranian university students’ vocabulary learning and retention.
They chose forty five university freshman students with an upper intermediate level of English,
twenty eight students as the experimental group and seventeen students as the control group. The
experimental group were taught 320 headwords using the Academic Word List (Coxhead, 2000)
through SMS during 16 weeks and the control group were taught the same word list using
dictionary during the same period of time. After employing post-test for both groups, there was
not any important difference between the results of both groups. However, the delayed post-test
showed significant effect of SMS on vocabulary retention compared to using a dictionary. In
fact, experimental group outperformed the control group.

Stockwell (2007) prefers mobile phones to computers in learning a language. He states that
mobile phones are more sophisticated and convenient in learning the language vocabulary.
Nowadays with the existing technology, the number of the students who own mobile phones,
MP3 and MP4 players is increasing rapidly. Therefore, teachers can take advantage of it and try
to make use of students’ preferred choices of technology in their curriculum and syllabus. In
addition, MALL will help the students to be more autonomous. Different types of CALL-based
vocabulary learning application such as a multimedia package with vocabulary, written text with
electronic glosses, and dedicated vocabulary programs (Ma and Kelly 2006 cited in Stockwell,
2007) have been provided to the learners. Therefore they can acquire as more vocabulary as
possible to improve their language learning.

However, Stockwell (2007) decided to conduct a small-scale study to investigate the use of a
prototype mobile-based intelligent vocabulary tutor system to identify whether the learners
prefer to use mobile phones or computers to learn vocabulary. He chose eleven advanced EFL
university students in Japan and selected 612 vocabulary items from their textbooks. The
students were suggested using intelligent vocabulary tutor system either through their mobile
phones or their computers. They were doing vocabulary tasks during 13 weeks and the results
were recorded. After collecting and analysing the data, Stockwell (2007) understood that the
learners mostly preferred to use computers rather than mobile phones due to some reasons. They
complained about the small screen on mobile phones, the high charge and the interference of the
private usage of mobile phones. Although some learners were interested in using mobile phones
and considered their learning through having fun. Moreover, if the cost of mobile phones
decreased and their screens became bigger, more learners would prefer mobile phones to
computers.

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Kolb (2008) prefers students to use their preferred tools to improve learning both inside and
outside of the classroom. She believes there are various types of mini lessons and resources
which can be easily used throughout mobile devices to learn English effectively and enjoyably.
While Kolb (2008) wants to bring mobile phones to the learning and teaching environment, some
educators consider them as enemies in the classroom. Although she believes mobile phones are
a powerful technology in the hands of students.

Kolb (2012) has conducted some case studies to investigate if mobile phones are powerful
classroom tools to help both teachers and learners. At first learners became excited and attracted
by being able to use their mobile phones in the classroom, and consequently they defined mobile
phones as very convenient tools in their hands. In addition, students started to create their
innovative ways in using mobile phones for projects. They were also more motivated in doing
their homework because they enjoyed using the technology they love within their studying and
learning.

Kolb (2012) believes mobile phones can help students learn more effectively with joy. She states
that mobile phones are the toys can be converted to tools in learning (Kolb, 2008). Recently the
attention has been focused on welcoming digital technology into the classroom. They explore
using mobile phones as data collection tools that enable people to record audio, use them as
digital cameras and camcorders. Classroom projects are developed with the capability of the
features of mobile phones on playing roles in learning (ibid). It is stated that mobile phones can
be used as a multi-tool in the classroom.

Traditional schooling tends to be teacher-centred and separated from students’ needs and
preferences while innovative schooling emphasizes the authentic contexts within the use of up-
to-date technology in a learner-centred classroom. Furthermore, using technology in teaching
and learning environment will lead the learners into being more motivated, imaginative and
creative (Wong and Looi, 2010).

MALL has been developed at universities of some countries such as The United Kingdom, The
United States of America and Japan because almost all university students have mobile phones
and use them as learning devices (Kondo et al., 2012). According to Attewell (2005) learning
material is developed for particular platforms in order learners can easily access it in different
sites. This is because educators want to improve mobile learning. Hajim (2012) states that using
mobile devices help students to have easy access to the information they need. Therefore, these
devices act as supportive educational tools which can improve student performance in the
classroom. Moreover, mobile learning helps the students to personalize their learning and they
can learn in their own way. However, some students cannot afford to buy mobile devices owing
to the high cost that is a significant mobile devices’ disadvantage. He adds that the battery life
can be another disadvantage. On the other hand, some mobile devices such as smart phones and

5
tablet computers are considered great tools for learning, although budget still plays a great role as
a disadvantage. Trying to reduce the disadvantages, mobile devices can be welcomed into the
classroom.

Research Questions

a. Can Iranian students use mobile devices to facilitate and support their English language
acquisition?
b. To what extent do Iranian undergraduate students agree to use mobile technology to learn
English vocabulary?

I would like to know if undergraduate university students in Iran, my country, are eager to use
mobile technology to acquire English language or not. As teaching and learning English
language is a fundamental issue in Iran, therefore I have posed the inquiry to investigate, collect
data, analyse the collected data to find the answer to the questions in order to help the students to
learn faster and easier. Moreover, this will help the teachers to teach more effectively.

Research Strategy

To conduct a research, some important criteria should be concerned such as justification,

signification and applicability. If the criteria met, an appropriate strategy ought to be designed.
This step plays crucial role in the whole study. Designing a framework for a proposal is essential
for achieving acceptable results (Creswell, 2002). I have chosen a mixed method research design
because it can be more successful to conduct both quantitative and qualitative methods, in
combination, to provide a better understanding of the research problem. In a teaching and
learning setting, employing quantitative method cannot be appropriate because the researcher
needs both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate logical results. It is obvious that
subjective human feelings and notions are difficult and sometimes impossible to quantify,
therefore the qualitative method is necessary to collect relevant data (Walliman, 2001). Mixed
method strategies provide special opportunities to collect multiple sources of high quality data.
Moreover, mixed method strategies are valuable tools for conducting humanistic research and
counterbalancing the weaknesses of other methods (Axinn and Pearce, 2006).

In this study, collecting quantitative data cannot lead to appropriate answers to the inquiry,
therefore qualitative data are needed to obtain more acceptable results which would implement
the teaching and learning environment. Moreover, both quantitative and qualitative data are
needed to support the whole procedure and the findings. There are different types of mixed
method design and the exploratory sequential design (Creswell, 2012) has been chosen for this

6
study. In this type of mixed method design, qualitative data collection can become a means for
developing quantitative instruments. Moreover, the qualitative data support the quantitative data
in the whole study. The number of the participats differ in qualitative and quantitative data
collection procedures. In exploratory sequential design, such as my small-scale case study, some
cases have been interviewed and the qualitative data have been collected and then the
questionnaire has been administered in order to collect the quantitative data (ibid).

Research design

The purpose of this study is to identify to what percentage Iranian undergraduate students agree
to use mobile devices in learning English and whether they can use these devices to facilitate and
support English language learning. I have intended to come up with the results for improving
teaching and learning English in my country. This is an exploratory case study as was conducted
in a university setting in Iran. A classroom was chosen at random. There were 36 male and
female undergraduate students in the fifth semester who studying Art. The small-scale case
study was an appropriate design for this study. Best and Kahn (2006) state that studying a social
group such as a classroom community in a university setting is a good example of a case study.
The case study investigates and analyses the interactions between the factors that explains the
existing status. When a researcher aims to view social reality, the suitable way of organizing
social data is to employ a case study, therefore, a social case as a whole can be examined (ibid).
In a case study the case or cases selection ought to be done carefully so that the researcher will
be able to generalize the result to other cases who have the same theoretical condition (Yin 1998
cited in Best and Kahn, 2006).

Creswell (2006) declares that in a case study, the first step is to determine if it is an appropriate
design to the research problem. Then, the cases have to be defined and the next step is to choose
the reliable kind of data collection procedure and accurate method of data analysis. In the final,
the results have to be reported clearly. Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2007) state that a case
study can develop a theory from a case or cases that can help the researcher to recognize other
similar cases to improve the situation. This is an example of a cause an effect situation as in the
present study that investigate the effects of using mobile devices in English language learning
and if it causes any improvement in vocabulary learning. Moreover, Oxford (2011) suggests
conducting case studies in investigating teaching and learning issues. She adds in a case study
the focus can be on a case or the issue which has made by the case.

A case study tries to describe a particular situation and provides a comprehensive understanding
of the participants in that situation. This gives the opportunity of defining the case or cases in the
real-life context ( Robson, 2002 cited in Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2007). However, Woodside
(2010) believes case study research is an inquiry that focuses on describing, understanding,

7
predicting and controlling the individual. He assumes the data collection method in a case study
is not restricted to one method and both quantitative and qualitative methods can be used in the
same study. Case study is an appropriate design for a number of research objectives such as
description, explanation, prediction, exploration. In each of them a series of specific questions
can be answered (ibid). For example, an exploratory case study is the attempt to answer what,
who, where, when and how questions. There are some advantages and disadvantages in case
studies. Case study data are strong in reality although they are hard to organize. The case study
results are understandable by majority. Case studies can be conducted even by a single
researcher. They are easy to be interpreted. However, case studies are more subjective than
objective and their results may not involve other cases (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2007). In
this study:
Objective: identify the Iranian undergraduate students’ interests in the MALL
Method: mixed methods
Design: small-scale case study
Participants: 36 undergraduate male and female Iranian students
Instruments: interview, questionnaire
Data analysis method: content analysis, exploratory data analysis

Method of data collection

Choosing an appropriate method of data collection plays a crucial role in finding reliable answers
to the research question. For this reason, mixed method strategies were employed because both
quantitative and qualitative data would provide better understanding of the study (Creswell,
2012). In this small-scale case study, mixed method strategies were conducted to collect data.

In order to collect qualitative data, semi-structured interview was carried out, because this is
more flexible for the researcher regarding the issue (Axinn and Pearce, 2006). Six students were
chosen at random among thirty six participants. The interview with each interviewee lasted for
25 minutes and recorded through audio recording device. The interview contained questions
about their age, the length of their English language learning in general and English vocabulary
learning in particular. There were also questions about the way they learned new vocabulary and
their opinion about using mobile devices in learning English vocabulary. After finishing, all
recorded interviews were transcribed for analysis. Key issues emerging across the participants
were amalgamated (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2007).

A 20-item questionnaire (Tai & Ting, 2011, Kondo et al. 2012) was administered (Appendix 1)
on paper in the classroom and thirty six participants answered the items using 5-point Likert-
Scale ranged from 1 (strongly agree) through 5 (strongly disagree). The questionnaire contained
items about learning English vocabulary through mobile devices, if the devices would be

8
beneficial and if the learners were interested in using them. Moreover, the purpose of
administering the questionnaire was to measure to what extent the learners were eager to use the
devices in learning English vocabulary. The participants answered the 20-item questionnaire in
35 minutes. The quantitative data were collected for analysis

Method of data analysis and findings

In this small-scale case study, the quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The recorded
interviews were transcribed, summarized, and broken into units. The data were then coded,
categorized and the frequency of the codes were counted. The data were analysed using content
analysis (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2007:475). The results indicated Iranian undergraduate
students intended to learn English and therefore they were eager to find a new way of learning to
facilitate and support their English learning. They preferred to use mobile devices to learn more
English. However, they were not sure if using mobile devices in classroom were permitted or
not.

The quantitative data were analysed according to exploratory data analysis (ibid). The results
showed 44% of the students thaught they could learn English well while 42% disagreed and 14%
had no ideas (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The Percentage of the Students' Opinion about

Being Able to English Well.
30

25

20

15

10

0
Neither
Strongly Strongly
Agree agree nor Disagree
agree disagree
disagree
Figure 1: The Percentage of the
Students' Opinion about Being 22 22 14 28 14
Able to English Well.

Furthermore, 83% of the students agreed that learning English may be important to their goals
(Figure 2).

9
 Figure 2: The Percentage of the Students' Opinion about
the Importance of Learning English to Their Goals.
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Neither
Strongly Strongly
Agree agree nor Disagree
agree disagree
disagree
Figure 2: The Percentage of the
Students' Opinion about the
44 39 6 8 3
Importance of Learning English to
Their Goals.

While 72% of the students stated that they preferred to use mobile devices such as mobile
phones, MP3 and MP4 players to learn English, 14% disagreed and 14% had no ideas (Figure 3).

Figure 3: The Percentage of Students' Opinion on Using

Mobile Devices in Learning English
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Strongly Neither agree Strongly
Agree Disagree
agree nor disagree disagree
Figure 3: The Percentage of
Students' Opinion on Using
14 58 14 11 3
Mobile Devices in Learning
English

10
The students were asked whether using mobile devices were forbidden in the classroom. 72%
stated that it was forbidden. However, 10% said that it was not forbidden and 17% had no ideas
(Figure 4).

Figure 4: The percentage of Students' Opinion about

Using Mobile Devices are forbidden in Classroom.
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Neither
Strongly Strongly
Agree agree nor Disagree
agree disagree
disagree
Figure 4: The percentage of
Students' Opinion about Using
30 42 17 4 6
Mobile Devices are forbidden in
Classroom.

The following question sought to establish the extent to which students agreed to learn
vocabulary would help them to improve their English language. The result showed that 74% of
the students agreed but 20% did not. In addition, 81% of the students believed that vocabulary
learning software on mobile would help them to learn more. 64% of the students declared that
using vocabulary learning software for mobile phones and Mp3 and Mp4 audio files made
learning more interesting and novel and they would like to use mp3 and mp4 to add to their word
bank. Nonetheless, 12% disagreed and 24% had no ideas. Moreover, three quarters of the
students stated that mobile devices helped them to have easy access to what they needed in
learning and they can use these devices independently.

The result of the next question indicated that 72% of the students liked mobile devices’ ubiquity
and accessability (Figure 5).

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 Figure 5: The Percentage of Students' Opinion about
Using Mobile Devices Everywhere and Every Time.
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Neither
Strongly Strongly
Agree agree nor Disagree
agree disagree
disagree
Figure 5: The Percentage of
Students' Opinion about Using
33 39 14 8 3
Mobile Devices Everywhere and
Every Time.

Furthermore, 69% of the students stated that using mobile devices could lead to effective
learning and it would increase their English learning. 55% declared that they wanted to use
mobile devices to learn English well and 72% of them agreed that this method of learning is
useful to master the English language. 70% of the students stated that since they liked learning
English, they could make use of their time through learning using mobile devices. In whole, the
result shows students are interested in using mobile devices in learning English in general and
learning English vocabulary in particular.

Validity and reliability

As I decided to conduct the research, I tried to apply one of the most appropriate methods,
choose a suitable design and a related method of collecting data. Data collection procedure varies
depending on the research design. In order to be convinced of the validity and reliability of it, the
process of data collection should be examined (Bell, 2010). Creswell (2012) believes reliability
is a measure of consistency. When the scores from an instrument are stable and consistent they
are reliable and valid. In addition, Blaxter, Hughes and Tight (2010) declare reliability relates to
how the research has been conducted and if another researcher wants to undertake the same
questions and the same setting, is it possible to come up with the same result. After analysing the
data and considering the result it will show if the study meets its objectives or not and prove its
validity. Some factors such as ambiguous and unclear questions about instruments, non-
standardized procedures of test administration, and fatigued and nervous participants who
misinterpret questions or guess on tests can result in unreliable data (Runder, 1993 cited in

12
Creswell, 2012). In this study employing mixed method research and using triangulation have
increased the validity and reliability of the data (Oxford, 2011; Bell, 2010).

Ethics
In a piece of research, ethical issues have to be anticipated by the educational researchers. This
need stems from the research shocking treatment of individuals in Nazi Germany, inappropriate
Tuskegee syphilis studies and other violent treatment of participants (Mark and Gamble, 2009
cited in Creswell, 2012).
The three basic principles of federal guidelines for conducting research that has been developed
since 1978 involve the beneficence of treatment of participants, respect for participants and
justice (Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1978 cited in Creswell, 2012). As a
consequence every participant who participates in a study has a right to know the purpose and
procedure of the study before participating in the study, ask questions and withdraw if desired.

I tried to follow the ethics of the research, therefore I made an appointment with the principal of
the university and prepared an official letter of permission for him. At the meeting, I explained
my research procedures and gave him the letter. I promised to be respectful to the university
rules, the tutors and the students. Furthermore, I promised to try not to disturb anybody and
anything during my study and consider myself as a guest there (Creswell, 2012). I then chose the
students of a class at random, asked for permission from the tutor and the students through
consent letters and described everything for them. The students were fully informed about the
purpose and nature of the study; moreover, they were made aware of having right to ask
questions and withdraw whenever they desire (Oxford, 2011, Bell, 2010). Having made an
agreement, the participants were assured of complete confidentiality, anonymity, honesty and
integrity. They were also promised to have access to the data and the result of the research
whenever they need.

Timetable
This research was done in January 2013. Six participants were interviewed individually on
January 7th 2013 that took about three hours. Moreover, the interviews and transcribing the
recorded interviews lasted the whole day. Then the questionnaire was administered to thirty six
participants in their classroom on January 10th 2013 within 35 minutes.

Significance of study

Having taught English for more than ten years, I try to employ whatever methods to facilitate
teaching and learning. I am really interested in technology and learning, so I usually try to find

13
useful software for my students to facilitate their learning. I always let them use their mobile
phone dictionaries in the classroom. I provide audio lessons for them according to their level of
English and ask them to use their Mp3 or MP4 players to listen and practice English. The
students become more motivated and learn more effectively. I suggest my students watch
English serials to improve their English. That is why I carried out this study to identify whether
they were happy with using mobile devices in English language learning. The results indicate
that the participants are interested in using modern technology inside and outside of the
classroom. Consequently, they have realized the importance of English language effects on their
future study, jobs and lives. I have decided to implement my findings in my future teaching
career. I hope the result of the forthcoming study will meet my objectives.

Teachers would be largely responsible for developing the curriculum around modern technology.
Although this certainly is a challenging task, it is worthy. It should be investigated whether using
mobile devices is permitted in classroom or not. In fact, mobile devices are already regular parts
of most students’ lives so they should enter teaching and learning environment to motivate and
help the learners and facilitate teaching and learning.

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Appendix

Questionnaire

Name:
Age:
Nationality:
Field of study:

1. I think I can learn English well.

2. Learning a language may be important to my goals, but I don’t expect it to be much fun.
3. I prefer to use mobile technology such as mobile phones, mp3 and mp4 in learning
English.
4. Using mobile devices is forbidden in classroom.
5. Learning vocabulary helps me to improve my English language.
6. Learning vocabulary helps me to improve my English language.
7. Learning vocabulary helps me to improve my English language.
8. I’d like to use mp3 and mp4 to add to my word bank.

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9. Using vocabulary learning software on mobile phones and Mp3 and Mp4 audio files
makes learning more interesting and novel.
10. These devices help me to have easy access to what I need in learning.
11. I can use these devices everywhere and every time.
12. Using the devices can lead to effective learning.
13. Using the devices increases my learning.
14. I can use these devices independently and with no help.
15. I want to use these devices to learn English well.
16. This method is useful to master the English language.
17. This method is useful to improve listening skills.
18. Using the devices motivates me to learn more.
19. In general, I like learning English.
20. I can make use of my time through learning this way.

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