WhatsApp for the development of oral and written communication skills in Peruvian adolescents

Abstract

In Puno, a region of Peru, the development of oral and written communication skills in basic education students displays weaknesses which could be overcome with the application of technological tools. The objective of the study was to determine the effectiveness of WhatsApp as a mobile learning resource in the development of oral and written communication skills of secondary level students at the ‘José Carlos Mariátegui’ educational institution (Puno-Peru). The population was comprised of 343 students and a non-probabilistic, convenience sampling was applied to include two fourthlevel sections of 36 and 34 students, respectively. The first was the experimental group and the second, the control group. The selection was made considering that fourth-level students are the most appropriate age to use WhatsApp in order to assess the evolution of their skills through rubrics, in a participatory way. Statistical analysis was based on the difference in means with a Z distribution, with a 95% confidence level. The results show that WhatsApp develops significant oral and written communication skills, as those skills rose by 3.5 points on average, on a twenty-point scale, after the experiment. Thus, WhatsApp is a mobile learning technology resource available to develop skills and strengthen knowledge in students.