by the participants. Furthermore, it will propose an app design with the users’ contributions.
Finally, the paper concludes by presenting a discussion of the results, and the limitations of the present study.
2. Literary Review
Technological devices have become the most powerful tools in the 21st century due to the fact that they let people access the Internet easily. In such an advanced world, the Internet has been important in all aspects of life including education considering that it “allows anyone to access educational resources anytime, anywhere” (Zhao and Liu 2019, 48). In fact, the Internet has helped English become one of the most important languages in the world (Wu and Huang 2017, 265). In other words, the development of English has increased thanks to the use of technologies not only for entertainment but also for teaching and learning English. Since it is considered a lingua franca (Jenkins 2009), a great deal of non-English countries have introduced ESL in education (Wu and Huang 2017, 265). Despite the fact that many students learn English, some of them have claimed that the learning of vocabulary and grammar is monotonous; thus, teachers have been indirectly forced to introduce new methods and strategies in the classroom (265).
It is a sensible idea to introduce some electronic devices in the classroom considering that the new generation of youngsters known as digital natives demand it (Prensky 2001, 1).
This generation of learners has grown up surrounded by technological devices (Prensky 2001, 1; Moustafa 2017, 45); consequently, they have been constantly exposed to digital technology, i.e., technological devices have become a significant portion of their lives (Georgina 2013, 51).
The use of technologies is an attraction for digital natives considering that they use a multiplicity of electronic devices daily such as game consoles, laptops and smartphones; these devices are not only used for entertainment but also to study since they prefer to learn on their own (Georgina 2013, 52; Moustafa 2017, 46). Despite the fact that they are more comfortable instructing themselves, teachers cannot be replaced rather they are obliged to find alternatives which make the learning process more appealing for the students. Even if educators might come up against many challenges, they will need to “train themselves on how to use these technologies” (Levy 2009, 777). It ought to be taken into consideration that “technology is there to serve language learning, not vice versa” (779); therefore, educators must learn how to introduce pedagogical knowledge by using these tools (Georgina 2013, 53). They are expected to propose alternative models to teach English in order to comply to the necessities of the learners (Dooly 2150); for that reason, educators are still extremely necessary because they are
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able to monitor the learning process and help students with the problems they might have inside and outside the classroom (Collinson 2001, 40). Although technological devices are requested in education, machines cannot substitute humans because “personality is a unique to human beings and plays an important role” (Zhao and Liu 2019, 49) in teaching. Taking all these aspects into consideration, if teachers want to have successful results in the classroom, they should start introducing different methods which adjust to the digital natives’ requirements (Georgina 2013, 54).
There are different types of electronic devices that can be helpful for educators to include in their teaching methodology, such as laptop computers, interactive whiteboards, and even mobile phones (Stockwell 2010, 95). Among the different technological devices, mobile phones should not be ignored since they suppose a source of inspiration and motivation for learners due to the attachment they have with these devices (Pachler et al. 2017, 341). Some of the qualities that students might benefit from smartphones are the “control over goals, ownership, fun, communication, learning-in-context and continuity between contexts” (66).
Nevertheless, many educators have preferred to use Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in teaching vocabulary because of the benefits that computers proportion learners such as dictionaries, online activities, games, etc. (Levy 2009, 771). In fact, the use of online games to learn vocabulary has appeared to be a successful strategy to increase the memorization and the potential of learners; therefore, such games have encouraged students to absorb more input than by using traditional methodologies (Wu and Huang 2017, 273). In Stockwell’s examinations, it was seen that students took extra time to finish the activities on the mobile phone in relation to those who completed them on a computer (Stockwell 2010, 106). Even if all learners successfully completed the activities, it is possible that the mobile phone entails a distraction for them (106). Stockwell concluded that students were equally successful in relation to the knowledge acquired despite the time taken; he also considered that the mobile phone is preferable because is the most comfortable and simplest device for students to adopt (109).
Although both of the aforementioned technological-based devices are being introduced in the language classroom, the type of resource which has been favoured in the last years to learn English is the usage of mobile apps (95).
It is thought that smartphone applications “have a lot of potential to support language learning” (Mindog 2016, 17) due to their easy accessibility and affordability (17). Research has demonstrated that mobile phones are the most effective device since students are familiarized with them, and they are not an expense for the institutions (Stockwell 2010, 95). Furthermore, apps have been found to support students in the process of learning English because they usually
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motivate learners since they are dynamic and satisfying, and they allow learners to see their advancements (Mindog 2016, 18). Not only have these educational apps been created to use in the classroom but there are also many apps which are accessible for anyone who wants to learn English, i.e., in a more autonomous way (Wang and Smith 2013, 119). For instance, Duolingo is one of the most popular apps to learn any language since it “claims to act as a private language tutor that provides individualized instruction” (Teske 2017, 394). It ought to be taken into account that Duolingo’s main exercise is to test students by translating words or sentences rather than by providing lessons (397). Instead of using real language, Duolingo presents vocabulary and grammar “in a decontextualized manner” (Gunter et al. 2016, 223). Conversely, Busuu introduces the knowledge progressively through different activities which facilitate the language learning (224). Babbel, which is a popular though not free app, also offers material, and tests to learn English with the possibility of advancing in the learning process (Godwin-Jones 2019, 8); however, this app does not include any games, which is something that Duolingo and Busuu include (Gunter et al. 219). Despite the fact that the above-mentioned mobile applications teach students vocabulary and grammar, HelloTalk uses a different method considering that it provides students with a chat section to speak with learners from other parts of the world; therefore, they learn English by engaging in relationships with other students (Vollmer 2017, 385). It must be highlighted that none of the aforementioned apps fairly expose students to the different skills needed to fully manage a language: moreover, they tend to include the same type of exercises throughout the whole learning process which can be demotivating since learners are not able to explore English in all its aspects.
It has been demonstrated that technology is not only helpful but necessary in English learning since it allows students to explore their skills while enjoying the lesson. Despite the fact that previous researchers have proved that games and apps may have beneficial results to learn English in a classroom context, none of them takes into consideration the use of apps outside the classroom, and the student’s opinions on the matter. Therefore, this paper will conduct a research to discover the percentage of people that use smartphone applications to learn English, and for what purposes the students use them. Furthermore, the purpose of the study is to analyse if learners consider these apps useful, and the qualities that the perfect app should have. The paper aims at answering the following research questions: Do people use apps to learn English voluntarily? Are they useful? What are the advantages and disadvantages of learning with a smartphone app? What does an app need to have to be useful to learn English?
And last, are educators necessary to teach English?
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