Arabic language teachers teach and collaborate through mobile instant messaging: Analysis of use, benefits, and challenges in jordan

Abstract

The current study aimed to examine Arabic language teachers’ perceived competence, use, benefits, and challenges of WhatsApp use as an educational tool. A questionnaire as a quantitative data collection method was used. The findings revealed that participants had different levels of WhatsApp integration skills, with 44% of them being advanced or expert and 56% being intermediate or beginner users. The study also found that participants used WhatsApp primarily for sharing and accessing language materials and for chatting purposes. It was also revealed that participants perceived WhatsApp as a beneficial collaborative language educational tool. Yet, participants identified a number of challenges, such as requiring extra effort and time to use, digital divide, students’ improper use, smartphones’ screen size, and failure to deliver effective instruction.