Acceptance Factors Towards Mobile Technologies in Learning English among Rural Students

Abstract

The rapid development in telecommunication leads to technology integration in many sectors, including education. The use of mobile technologies for mobile learning has been prevalent. Smartphones, laptops, and tablets are examples of mobile technologies that offer an extensive range of activities that can support teaching and learning English and reduce the need of users to remain close to wired communication technology. However, there is a need to study students’ acceptance level towards such technologies in learning English mainly in rural areas. This study investigates acceptance factors that influence the integration of mobile technology in learning English for lower secondary students from a rural region in Malaysia. The survey aimed to gain students’ perspectives towards the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) constructs that are perceived usefulness, behaviour intention, perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment and mobile technology usability. The participants of the study consisted of 61 lower secondary students in one of the rural schools in Johor, Malaysia. The findings show that students are aware of the use and benefits of mobile technologies for enhancing their learning experience and their confidence level. The integration of mobile technologies could serve as an essential pedagogical tool to implement mobile learning for the secondary students that will promote student-centred learning and instil 21st century skills that are communication, collaboration, creative thinking, and creativity known as 4Cs. Thus, teachers can develop and plan appropriate strategies to support the outstanding adoption of mobile technologies in an educational setting.