Analysis of participation and reaction after the introduction of mobile apps

Introduction

The introduction of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) to the English classroom in the 1980s brought the implementation of software programs in the first place and the emergence of “applications, online blogs and vblogs (video blogs), virtual learning environments, online courses, and more” (Gafni, Achituv, & Rachmani, 2017, p. 303) afterwards. Following CALL, Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL, also known as m-learning) was introduced in the 21st century.

Studies demonstrated that MALL provided students with immediacy, portability, spontaneity, connectivity and, in turn, meaningful learning “since learners can take their handheld computers into authentic learning environments such as a museum or a zoo” (Luque-Agulló & Martos-Vallejo, 2015, p. 83). According to Gafni, Achituv and Rachmani (2017), “learning through mobile applications provides easy access to learning materials, individual place and time of study, immediate feedback, and self-testing” (p. 304).

Furthermore, Kukulska-Hulme, Norris and Donohue (2015) provided a chart with a series of features of mobile pedagogy for language learning and teaching in which the authors stated that the use of m-learning boosted learner autonomy. Similarly, Gafni, Achituv and Rachmani (2017) revealed that “many students indicated that the use of mobile devices along with task-based assignments enhanced their motivation and they had much more fun in English learning” (p. 305).

However, little has been researched about how participation in the secondary English classroom might be fostered through the use of mobile applications. The purpose of this study is to assess students’ participation and reaction when working with mobile apps in a second year of a state-run secondary English classroom in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and a third year of a private-run secondary English classroom in Zárate, Province of Buenos Aires. This paper is organized as follows. First, the researchers provide the rationale of the study. Then, the research questions as well as the general and specific objectives are stated. Thereafter, the delimitations and limitations are described. Finally, the researchers explain the methods which outline how the information will be collected.

Rationale

The aforementioned students do not seem to feel motivated even when working with computers. As they are digital natives and prefer receiving information quickly and from multiple sources, as well as interacting with others, the incorporation of mobile apps—m-learning—could meet this need for instantaneousness, as implied by Segev (2014) in her article “Mobile learning: improve your English anytime, anywhere”. Consequently, the main focus of this research is how the implementation of MALL (mobile assisted language learning) can affect students’ participation and reaction and whether learners get more involved.

Research questions

How can the introduction of mobile apps affect participation in a second-year secondary English classroom in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and a third-year secondary English classroom in Zárate, Province of Buenos Aires?

What is these students’ reaction when the introduction of mobile apps?

General objectives

To measure students’ participation after the introduction of mobile apps in a second-year secondary English classroom in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and a third-year secondary English classroom in Zárate, Province of Buenos Aires.

To assess students’ reaction when working with mobile apps.

Specific objectives

To evaluate how the learners react towards MALL introduction.

To measure students’ participation after introducing mobile apps.

To assess which aspects of introducing mobile apps are considered as useful by learners.

Delimitations

This research will be carried out separately in two classes: a second year of a state-run secondary English classroom in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and a third year of a private-run secondary English classroom in Zárate, Province of Buenos Aires.

The state-run school is located in Flores neighborhood, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. It is a six-year technical school specialized in Business Administration. Many students—or their parents—come from neighboring countries and belong to low-class or low-middle-class families. Even though they are in second year, they range from 13 to 16 years old.

The private-run school is located in the city of Zárate, Province of Buenos Aires. This school is 100% private and with a specialization in Economics. The population is around three hundred students in primary level and other two hundred and fifty in secondary level. Most of the students attending the school are Zárate citizens and come from low-middle-class families.

Limitations

There is no connectivity for students in the above-mentioned institutions, so they can only access to the Internet using their 3G or 4G coverage. The use of this tool can be costly and learners might not afford it. Another drawback is that a few students may not have their own mobile device. In such a case, measures should be taken to ensure equal access to all participants. One possibility is to work in pairs or groups and use only one phone in some activities.

Methods

Participants

Students from a second-year and a third-year secondary English classrooms from different institutions—a state-run school located in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and a private-run school situated in Zárate, Province of Buenos Aires, respectively—will participate in this study. The former is made up of learners ranging from 13 to 16 years old while the latter is composed of students aged 13 to 14.

Since the study will be performed in a compulsory education setting, students will participate non-voluntarily. Each class will be divided into two groups: the study group—consisting of those who have shown low involvement and participation—will use apps while the rest will act as a comparator group. The students will not be aware of the reasons underlying this composition.

Materials

In order to avoid tedious activities, gamification—which is defined as the “use of game design elements in non-game contexts” (Deterding, Dixon, Khaled & Nacke, as cited in Gafni, Achituv, & Rachmani, 2017)—will be introduced to provide extra practice and self-assessment. The applications Kahoot and Socrative are useful tools that can enhance vocabulary and grammar learning in an attempt to involve students and monitor whether they participate more.

Kahoot allows students to take part in games, even compete among themselves, and Socrative is ideal for practice and self-assessment and enable the teacher to see participants’ performance in terms of attendance, score, and progress in real time. The researchers will be able to measure participation by means of the statistics taken from Socrative—which can be downloaded in Excel or Portable Document Format (pdf)—and they will administer questionnaires to assess the students’ reactions and the effects the apps have over them. Both documents will be added as appendices.

Procedure

Extra-practice and self-assessment activities based on grammar and vocabulary will be designed on Kahoot and Socrative. The study group will take part in this practice while the comparator group will solve the same activities in hard copy. Both groups will answer a questionnaire about their experience after working with apps or hard copies.

The field study will last one month and will be carried out synchronously and asynchronously. Socrative will be applied in an asynchronous fashion to allow students who cannot afford the cost of connectivity or do not have a mobile phone to participate. Games on Kahoot will be incorporated synchronously and students will work in pairs. They will have to find an opponent group to compete and compare results. This will compensate for learners who do not own a device. The comparator group will complete the same activities in hard copy, as mentioned above.

The role of the teacher will be managing the statistics of the study group and checking the answers and controlling the number of students that submit the activities in the comparator group.

Desired outcomes

Researchers expect to ascertain the students’ reactions and measure their participation after the introduction of mobile applications in the two above-mentioned secondary English classrooms as well as determining additional benefits, such as bridging the technological and generation gap between teachers and students, fostering autonomy, and increasing learners’ productivity, among others. This study does not consider the mixed abilities which can be found in the classroom that could be the subject of a separate research.

References

Gafni, R., Achituv, D. B., & Rachmani, G. J. (2017). Learning Foreign Languages Using Mobile Applications. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 16, 301-317. Retrieved from http://www.informingscience.org/Publications/3855.

Kukulska-Hulme, A., Norris, L., & Donohue, J. (2015). Mobile Pedagogy for English Language Teaching: A Guide for Teachers. ELT Research Papers, 14 (07), 1-42. London: British Council.

Luque-Agulló, G., & Martos-Vallejos, N. (2015). Mobile Learning in the Foreign Language Classroom. Huarte de San Juan, Filología y Didáctica de la Lengua, 15, 79-103.

Marshall, J. (2016). Quality Teaching: Seven apps that will change the way you teach in the English Language Arts classroom. Voices from the Middle, 23, 66-73.

Segev, E. (2014, February 27). Mobile learning: improve your English anytime, anywhere. Retrieved from https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/mobile-learning-improve-english-anytime-anywhere