The Impact of Mobile Learning on ESP Learners’ Performance

Fahad Alkhezzi, Kuwait University, Kuwait

Wadha Al-Dousari, College of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait

Abstract

This study explores the impact of using mobile phone applications, namely Telegram Messenger, on teaching and learning English in an ESP context. The main objective is to test whether using mobile phone applications have an impact on ESP learners’ performance by mainly investigating the influence such teaching technique can have on learning vocabulary, and how this can affect the learner's’ ability to use grammar correctly and whether their writing skill is improved. The results showed that using mobile phone applications to teach a foreign language skill or subskill is fruitful and does impact learners’ comprehension of vocabulary and grammatical rules. The results specifically indicate that mobile phones can be used in many different ways to teach and learn technical and semi-technical vocabulary easily outside the classroom, however, to teach grammatical rules and writing it is recommended that certain strategies be used due to certain limitations.

Keywords:

Mobile learning, mlearning - ESP (English for Specific Purposes), language learning, college e-learning instruction.