Mobile devices in the EFL classroom as an advantageous tool to enhance participation
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(2) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 2. Abstract This investigation was carried out to determine how mobile devices can be used for educational purposes in learning activities, in order to enhance 11th graders’ participation in their English classes. Additionally, it was sought to better understand the perceptions of 11th graders and teachers regarding the use of mobile devices as a potentially beneficial tool in the classroom. The factors that triggered this research were the low participation of students, the excessive use of their cell phones for non-class activities and the difficulties that this situation causes in their learning process. Using a qualitative methodology, the study specifically examined the perception of the use of cell phones by two teachers and 29 students. Structured observations, focus groups, semi-structured interviews and interventions were undertaken, in order to gather the necessary information to analyze for the project’s purpose. Among the results obtained in this project, there was an increase in the participation of students during the English class, as well as the effect of socio-economic gaps, which in this case brought with it collaborative work, and the importance of the use of mobile devices with clearly established purposes. Keywords: mobile devices - EFL classroom - participation - learning activities..
(3) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 3. Introduction This research project took place in an 11th-grade class from "Complejo Educacional Juanita Fernández Solar”; a public, mixed-gender and technical-professional school located in a vulnerable neighborhood in Recoleta. This class is composed of 29 students aged between 17 and 21 years old. During each week, they have four hours of English. Specifically at the beginning of the professional practicum, it could be seen, as one of the main problems, that students were constantly using their mobile devices during the lessons, which hindered their learning process substantially. This situation was considered an obstacle because these 11th-grade students did not pay sufficient attention to the class, and often a large number of them were distracted by their mobile devices, taking pictures and chatting. According to Tindell & Bohlander (2012), many times the daily activities of the students are focused on the excessive use of their mobile devices, which means that they are sometimes easily distracted and lose focus on the class. Additionally, while the English teacher developed her class, she at the same time was competing for the attention of her students. A significant proportion of the students always carried a mobile phone, thus posing a serious challenge in classroom activities, as most students did not participate in learning activities; their cell phones were simultaneously a great distraction and motivation. Despite the inconveniences this situation caused to the English teacher, students simply ignored her when she asked them to put their cell phones away. However, after a conversation with the English teacher about all the difficulties that have been faced because of this, it was agreed that, given the attraction that these 11th graders have to this technological resource, it would be more useful to turn the situation around and “...see the possibility of using mobile devices as a beneficial tool for educational purposes” (Cui & Wang,.
(4) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 4. 2008, p.6). However, this was thought as an aid, since, according to Gikas & Grant (2013) it is important to understand that mobile devices are not the salvation of our students, but an additional tool that helps their learning. In other words, mobile devices can provide multiple benefits in the learning process of students, as it is a very effective way to interact with them through a communicative code they know and is comfortable for them. In regard to this situation, the following question emerged: “How can mobile devices be used as a beneficial tool in learning activities, in order to enhance 11th graders’ participation in the English class?”.
(5) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 5. Methodology Through the qualitative research method, this project sought to explore, learn and deepen the use of mobile devices in the EFL classroom, as a beneficial tool to encourage student participation in learning activities. This method was useful in order to understand holistically the ‘how and why’ behind the problem identified at the core of this research. In this regard, Bogdan & Biklen (1992) suggest that “the objective of qualitative research is to gather a deep knowledge of human behavior and the reasons behind that behavior” (p. 6). Following the previous statement, in this specific case it was intended to know the reasons behind the determined behavior that these 11th grade students demonstrate when using their mobile devices during class, as well as knowing students’ interests in relation to activities that are to their liking. Moreover, the qualitative research method “can help us understand people’s reactions, beliefs, and behavior more clearly” (James, Milenkiewicz & Bucknam, 2008, p. 69), all this is for the purpose of exploring social relationships and describing reality as experienced by the respondents. Furthermore, according to Pekrun, Goetz, Titz & Perry (2002) based on the qualitative method, it is possible to identify how a specific situation was determined as an obstacle towards the learning process of the students, as well as explain why this is considered a problem. Therefore, this research had a qualitative methodology, as the data best able to respond to the research question came from the participants’ perceptions of using their cellphones during the English class. In regard to the data collection tools used in this project, students were provided an informed consent letter (see Appendix A), which their parents were asked to sign, agreeing to their children's participation in the project..
(6) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 6. For this project, structured observations were a critical part of the investigation. As Lindlof & Taylor (2011) state, observations encompass various procedures, not only to examine the sources where the facts and data object of study are found, but also to obtain them and register them in order to facilitate our knowledge of reality. For this investigation two observations were carried out; one of them at the beginning of the investigation (see Appendix B), with the purpose of taking notes about the behavior of the students and to know in greater depth the problem that was decided to investigate. The second observation was carried out at the end of the entire process (see Appendix C), more specifically during a second intervention. This observation had the purpose of observing again the behavior of the students of 11th grade during a specific activity related to the use of mobile devices in the EFL classroom. Another data collection instrument used in this research was a focus group session (see Appendix D). In that sense “focus groups gather information and knowledge about a predetermined topic from a small group of participants. The interaction between the members of the group becomes an explicit part of the qualitative method” (Morgan, 1996, p. 45). Following the previous statement, the purpose of this focus group was to gather information related to the interests of students in relation to the use of mobile devices in the classroom. In addition, the focus group provided the opportunity to understand about possible activities with mobile devices that the students considered potentially interesting to enrich their learning process. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted. According to Boyatzis (1998) through interviews the reality of a group is reconstructed and the interviewees are sources of general information, where they speak on behalf of different people providing data about social processes and cultural conventions..
(7) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 7. Firstly, the English teacher was interviewed (see Appendix E) at the beginning of the investigation, as she was one of the main agents involved in the classroom environment. The tutor teacher was also interviewed (see Appendix F), with the purpose of understanding his perspective, as he is in charge of this grade, and with the objective to know whether this situation is repeated in the different subjects that these students have or not. Finally, five students selected at random from the class were interviewed (see Appendix G), in order to gather more detailed information about their perception of the English classes, the activities carried out, the use of mobile devices and how these could be of great help to learn the English language. It is important to note that the interviews were carried out in Spanish, as the tutor does not speak in English, and the students do not have a good level of the language, and in order to allow complete and detailed responses without the barrier of language. Moreover, two different activities were developed as interventions based on the integration of students’ cell phones during the English class. The first intervention aimed to encourage students to discuss the importance of social networks in the daily life. After the discussion, each student had the task of individually creating their own social network. This contemplated the creation of a logo, slogan and characteristics of the social network. During this activity, students used their cell phone with the purpose of looking for information, examples of logos and meanings of words (among other activities). The second activity had the purpose of understanding the importance of the effective use of social networks, in addition to what cyberbullying means and how to avoid it. For this activity, students were required to design a list of 10 rules for a good use of social networks, and then record a video explaining them. The students used their cell phone in order to find.
(8) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 8. information about cyberbullying, search vocabulary related to the topic and then to record the video explaining the rules they wrote.. Research Findings Firstly, it was first found that the teachers interviewed agreed with the use of cellphones in the classroom, for educational purposes (see Appendix E and Appendix F). Nevertheless, the English teacher and the tutor suggest that the use of cell phones should have a specific purpose, since if students are given a lot of freedom, they will misuse mobile devices, which could cause a greater disorder inside the classroom. According to Ugur & Tuğba (2015) the non-classroom use of digital devices by students causes learning distractions in classrooms. In other words, the two interviewed teachers believe that specific tasks should be given in which students can use their mobile devices. In relation to this, McCoy (2013) states that when students multi-task with digital devices in classrooms, it may hamper their ability to pay attention. Another finding that emerged after the analysis of the data was the improvement in participation. As students often did not pay sufficient attention to the class and used their cell phone for recreational purposes, during the interventions it was possible to notice that the students used their mobile devices to perform the tasks assigned by the teachers. As an example of this, it can be mentioned the use of cellphones during the activity about the creation of their own social network. In this instance, the students were mostly concentrating, looking for information about social networks, new words and ideas for the creation of the logo. They were very attentive to the class, raised their doubts, gave suggestions and expressed their opinions about the class..
(9) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. The third finding, which is one of the most important and least expected findings is related to the socio-economic issue. This is referred to the fact that some of the students had the latest generation cell phones and others were simpler; at the time of recording the video, some phones had a high resolution camera, while other devices were more basic. Nonetheless, as a fourth finding, this socio-economic issue brought a great collaborative work, since having students with latest-generation cell phones and others with simpler cell phones, collaboration was a crucial part of the activities, especially when they had to record the video. In regard to this situation, Macker & Corson (1999) state that the use of mobile devices allows the creation of an environment where collaborative work is formed in a natural manner. In this case, those students who had better cell phones lent their mobile devices to those who had difficulties when recording the video, due to the simplicity of their cell phones.. 9.
(10) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 10. Research Implications Regarding the implications of this research project, firstly the disposition that most students acquired was significant, especially after the two activities that were carried out. After the two interventions, an attempt was made to incorporate the use of mobile devices in at least a little part of all the classes, which made the students more willing to participate in the class and learn. Regarding this, Wang, Shen, Novak & Pan (2009) argue that a learning environment based on the use of mobile devices generates the need for students to take an active role in the classroom. In this specific case, using their mobile devices encourages students’ desire to participate, as they feel that their interests are taken into account. As an example of this situation, Khrisat & Mahmoud (2013) conducted research in Saudi Arabia. Among the main results obtained was that the willingness of students increased due to the implementation of cell phone use during the class, for educational purposes. In addition, academically speaking, the results obtained were slightly favorable, since the results obtained in the different activities were better. Moreover, students showed positive attitudes toward using mobile phones in the classroom; a similar situation happened in this investigation, in which 11th graders’ manifested their interest in continuing using their mobile phones to learn. The second implication is related to what the rest of the teachers from the school are doing in their practice. After the development of this research, and all that this entailed, a large number of teachers were quite interested in implementing the use of cellphones in their classes, because they said they had the same problem: lack of students’ participation and excessive use of their cell phones during the class..
(11) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 11. Teachers in charge of different subjects are now giving space to technology in their teaching. This situation can be compared with the project “Cell Phones in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for educators” carried out in an educational institution in Michigan by Kolb (2011). One of the main results of that investigation is connected to the large percentage of the teachers of the institution who decided to gradually include the use of technology, and especially the use of cellphones in their classes, which meant an increase in participation, greater concentration and improvements in academic results. Another example of this situation in linked to what happened in the project developed by Begum (2011) in Bangladesh. In this case, some teachers expressed their interest in applying the use of mobile devices in the classroom. However, some of them argued that extra control and care is required to prepare a class by using cell phones. This situation is connected to what happened in this research, in which the teachers argued that it is important to have clear purposes to develop a class based on the use of the cell phone. Another implication and limitation at the same time is the fact that despite the increase in participation, the use of cell phones for educational purposes was not fully achieved. As an example, the activity of creating a list of 10 rules to avoid cyberbullying and then record a video talking about them caused that some students got distracted, using their cell phone for recreational purposes while they were trying to record the video. Despite the fact that the activity worked, the students lost a lot of time trying to record themselves, which caused them to lose the focus of the class. Probably, making them record a video gave them a certain freedom, which could hinder the normal development of the activity..
(12) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 12. According to this situation, Pajares, (1992) argues that: “It is imperative that students stay motivated. For this, it is very important to give them specific tasks, which make them feel that their work has a specific purpose. There is no better way to capture the attention of students than by teaching them the practical utility of what they are being taught” (p. 326).. The fourth implication is that, due to the aforementioned results, such as the willingness of students to participate and learn, collaborative work and the teachers' support towards the development of the project, the school decided to take this research and continue to developing and improving it for future generations. At the same time, the school believes that this project can be developed at the different levels of the institution. Having obtained good results was a key element for the school to have made this determination..
(13) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 13. Conclusions To conclude, this research was very useful to understand, in the first place, that the advance of technology is a fact. According to Nunan (1988) teachers must be able to continuously adapt their teaching methodologies according to the learning objectives they wish to achieve. In turn, it is important to take into account new developments, which should be seen as support and not as enemies. The secret of being able to integrate the use of technological resources, in this case, mobile devices, is to see them as any other tool or material to teach specific skills and concepts. Mollaei & Riasati (2013) state that the use of cellphones in the EFL classroom is supposed to expand, enrich, implement, individualize, differentiate and extend the curriculum. That is why it is increasingly necessary that teachers are aware of the tools and technological innovations to make the most of them and not be left behind. Furthermore, thanks to this research it was possible to show that the use of cell phones can be seen as a beneficial tool, as long as they are used for clear purposes and objectives. It is very important that students understand the meaning of its implementation and use, and in turn, know how to value this beneficial tool that greatly contributes to their learning process. Finally, it was concluded that the ideal is to deliver specific tasks to students, in order to keep them busy and focused on achieving a common goal, meaningful learning..
(14) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 14. References Begum, R. (2011). Prospect for Cell Phones as Instructional Tools in the EFL Classroom: A Case Study of Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. English Language Teaching, 4(1), 105-106.. Bogdan, R., & Biklen, S. K. (1992). Qualitative research for education. Boston. Allyn And.. Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Sage publications, 51-55.. Cui, G., & Wang, S. (2008). Adopting cell phones in EFL teaching and learning. Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange, 6.. Gikas, J., & Grant, M. M. (2013). Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media. The Internet and Higher Education, 19(1), 20-26. Hegelheimer, V., & O’Bryan, A. (2009). Handbook of research on Web 2.0 and Second Language Learning, Chapter XVIII: Mobile technologies, podcasting, and language education. 351-354.. James, E. A., Milenkiewicz, M. T., & Bucknam, A. (2008) Participatory Action Research For Educational Leadership: Using data-driven decision making to improve schools. Chapter 4: Qualitative Data Collection. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage publications.. Kolb, L. (2011). Cell phones in the classroom: A practical guide for educators. International Society for Technology in Education, 8-13..
(15) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 15. Khrisat, A., & Mahmoud, S. S. (2013). Integrating Mobile Phones into the EFL Foundation Year Classroom in King Abdulaziz University/KSA: Effects on Achievement in General English and Students' Attitudes. English Language Teaching, 6(8), 162-174.. Lindlof, T. R., & Taylor, B. C. (2011). Qualitative communication research methods. Sage publications, 18-20.. Macker J.P. & Corson M.S. (1999) Mobile Ad Hoc Networking and the IETF. ACM Mobile Computing and Communications Review, 3, 32–33.. McCoy, B. (2013). Digital distractions in the classroom: Student classroom use of digital devices for non-class related purposes. Faculty Publications, College of Journalism & Mass Communications. 71, 9-12. Mollaei, F., & Riasati, M. J. (2013). Teachers’ perceptions of using technology in teaching EFL. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 2(1), 13-14.. Morgan, D. L. (1996). Focus groups as qualitative research (Vol. 16). Sage publications.. Nunan, D. (1988). The learner-centred curriculum: A study in second language teaching. Cambridge University Press, 21-22. Pajares, M. F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of educational research, 62(3).. Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Titz, W., & Perry, R. P. (2002). Academic emotions in students' selfregulated learning and achievement: A program of qualitative and quantitative research. Educational psychologist, 37(2), 91-97.. Tindell, D. R., & Bohlander, R. W. (2012). The use and abuse of cell phones and text messaging in the classroom: A survey of college students. College Teaching, 60(1), 8-9..
(16) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. Ugur, N. G., & Tuğba, K. O. Ç. (2015). Mobile phones as distracting tools in the classroom: college students perspective. Alphanumeric Journal, 3(2), 7-9.. Wang, M., Shen, R., Novak, D., & Pan, X. (2009). The impact of mobile learning on students' learning behaviours and performance: Report from a large blended classroom. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(4), 673-675.. 16.
(17) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. Appendices Appendix A. 17.
(18) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 18. Appendix B Date: Tuesday September 26th, 2017. Structured Observation N°1. Number of students in the classroom: 23/29 Behavior at a general level: Misbehavior. The students arrived late after their break, some of them entered to the classroom listening to music with a high volume. The teacher asked them to turn off the music and put their phones away, but they refuse to do so. Some of them simply used their headphones, but they did not keep the phone. The teacher only looks at the situation angrily, and decides not to intervene anymore. Participation: The class was based mostly on the use of the English book. The students had to complete in a certain period of time the activities that the teacher assigned them. During the time they were solving the exercises, they dedicated themselves to using their cell phones, taking photographs and listening to music. Some of them worked correctly without using their mobile devices, while others only used cell phones for recreational purposes. This situation caused some small discussions between students and the teacher. Number of students using their mobile devices with RP: 16/23.
(19) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 19. Appendix C Date: Wednesday November 8th, 2017. Structured Observation N°2 Number of students in the classroom: 27/29 Behavior at a general level: On a general level, the behavior of the students was quite good. The class started a few minutes later, as the students did not enter to the classroom immediately after their break. Upon entering, they began to ask me at what time they would start recording their video, as they were very anxious. Participation: The activity was related to the correct use of social networks, and how to avoid cyberbullying. Students created a list of 10 rules for a good use of social networks, and then they had to record a video explaining them. A high percentage of the students were grateful for the activity, expressing their interest in the subject and how they had to develop the given tasks. It could be noticed companionship, collaborative work and desire to learn and have a good mark. Only 2 students were distracted and used their cell phone for recreational purposes. The English teacher and I called their attention and they argued that their mobile device did not have enough empty space to record. Given this, another group lent them their cell phone and they were able to carry out the activity.. Number of students using their mobile devices with RP: 2/27 Number of students using their mobile devices with EP: 25/27.
(20) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 20. Appendix D. Date: Wednesday September 27th, 2017. Focus Group – Length: 20 minutes 11th grade F Number of students in the classroom: 25/29 Groups: 5 groups of 5 people. 1) ¿Qué opinan del uso del celular durante la clase? (What do you think about the use of cellphones in the class?) 2) ¿Qué tipo de actividades les gustaría hacer en las clases, en las cuales tengan que usar sus celulares? (What kind of activities would you like to do in the class, in which you have to use your cellphone?).
(21) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 21. Appendix E. Date: Wednesday October 25th, 2017. Interview: English Teacher – Length: 10 minutes Name: Ziomara Ferrer. 1) Do you agree with the use of technology, specifically cell phones during your class?. 2) Why did you decide to stop fighting with the students and the excessive use of their cell phones during your English class?. 3) Do you think it has been beneficial to encourage the use of cell phones as one of the main tools in student learning? In what sense?. 4) Do you think the school provides the facilities to encourage the beneficial use of the cell phone? In what sense?.
(22) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 22. Appendix F Date: Wednesday October 25th, 2017. Interview: Tutor – Length: 8 minutes Name: Alexis Gallardo 1). Como tutor de este grupo, ¿estás de acuerdo con el uso de teléfonos celulares. en tu clase? (As a tutor of this group, do you agree with the use of cellphones in your class?). 2). ¿Estas discusiones son frecuentes? ¿Ocurren en otras asignaturas? (Are these. discussions frequent? Do they occur in other subjects?). 3). ¿Crees que puede ser beneficioso alentar el uso de teléfonos celulares como. una de las principales herramientas para el aprendizaje de los estudiantes? ¿En qué sentido? (Do you think it could be beneficial to promote the use of cellphones as one of the main tools for students’ learning? In what sense?). 4). ¿Crees que la escuela proporciona las facilidades para fomentar el uso. beneficioso del teléfono celular? ¿En qué sentido? (Do you think the school gives the opportunities to promote the beneficial use of mobile devices? In what sense? ).
(23) MOBILE DEVICES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM. 23. Appendix G Date: Friday October 27th, 2017. Interviews: 5 random students – Length: 4-6 min. each, approx. 1) ¿Cuáles son las aplicaciones que tú más usas en tu celular? / ¿Para qué las usas? (Which are the apps you mostly use on your cellphone? Why do you use them?) 2) ¿Tienes internet en tu teléfono? (Datos Móviles) / Clave Wifi del colegio. (Do you have mobile Internet? / WiFi password ) 3) ¿Usas tu celular durante las clases? ¿Por qué y para qué? (Do you use your cell phone in class? Why?) 4). Durante la clase de inglés, ¿qué tipo de actividades te gusta realizar? (During the English class, what kind of activities do you like to do?). 5). Durante la clase de inglés, ¿has usado tu celular con propósitos educativos? Mencione ejemplos. (During the English class, have you used your cell phone for educational purposes?). 6). Si tuvieses que realizar un gran proyecto para la clase de inglés, utilizando tu teléfono celular, ¿qué te gustaría hacer? (If you had to create a big project for the English class, using your cell phone, what would you like to do?).
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