Mobile Technology and Generation Z in the English Language Classroom—A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Every generation of students has different characteristics that reflect the conditions of the time period they were growing in. It is important for educators from all fields of study, especially English language teachers, to understand the generational differences and the learning preferences of students in order to create productive learning environments. In today’s technology driven era, students have different learning needs in comparison with their predecessors. To enhance language learning in the new generation, it is recommended to use mobile technology in class. Mobile devices and applications offer a wide range of activities that support language learning. The aim of this study was to discover if the students using mobile devices in the class got higher scores in tests than the students using traditional methods. The methods included pre- and post-tests, as well as a questionnaire survey. The results of this study reveal that the use of a mobile application had a positive effect on students’ achievement results as far as the vocabulary learning was concerned. The students using the app seemed to retain more words than the students in the control group. Furthermore, the results of the questionnaire showed that using the app was more enjoyable for students than the traditional teaching methods. In addition, it contributed to collaborative learning. However, the results also indicate that being a Generation Z student does not make him/her automatically interested in using mobile applications in the process of language acquisition. Considering the small number of participants, further studies are planned to confirm the results from the current preliminary study.

Students’ Perceptions of an EFL Vocabulary Learning Mobile Application

“…The limitations of this article consist in a small sample of the respondents, as well as in the use of only one survey method. However, the results comply with the findings of other research studies on this topic [3,6,7,13,14,16,37].…”

“…This is also true for teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). Nowadays, mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) appears to be well established EFL methodology, especially at a university level [3][4][5] because it enables students to carry this mobile device easily and study from it anywhere, at any time, and according to their own pace [6]. Moreover, students can get immediate feedback on their performance [3,7].…”

EFL students’ preferences on digital platforms during emergency remote teaching: Video Conference, LMS, or Messenger Application?

“…All in all, however, the student-participants at each group generally found those three platforms easy, practical, and helpful to facilitate learning during ERT. The positive attitude among the students seemingly results from the fact that their age mostly ranges between 18-25, named as generation Z (Poláková & Klímová, 2019). Young people are digital natives; they never experience life before the internet so that they become accustomed to technological advances in multimedia, such as tablets, smartphones, and social media (Turner, 2015).…”

A Technology Inclusion in English Teaching and Learning: A Case Study in High and Low Performing Madrasah Aliyahs in Indonesia

“…Therefore, using mo bile technology is more updated and convenient for both teachers and students in solving their learning problems. This echoed by Poláková and Klímová [22] that the use of mobile technology might provide updated materials such as learning apps, information, and news to support teachers and students in the learning process.…”