Identifying barriers faced by university EFL instructors in integrating mobile-assisted language learning

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the barriers faced by Taiwanese university English as a foreign language (EFL) instructors when incorporating mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) into their teaching, and to explore how these barriers are influenced by the instructors’ background characteristics. To assess the variables, a survey questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of 350 university instructors. Additionally, interviews were conducted with a subset of instructors to complement and clarify the quantitative data. The findings indicated that university EFL instructors encountered moderate barriers when integrating MALL into their teaching practices. Furthermore, the study identified significant differences in the barriers experienced based on the amount of time instructors dedicated to MALL on a daily basis. Both quantitative and qualitative data highlighted the importance of time as a critical factor for successful MALL integration. As a recommendation, it is advised that university administrators consider reducing instructors’ workload to facilitate the seamless integration of MALL.