Abstract:

Due to the tremendous development of mobile technologies, mobile assisted language learning has increasingly become an emergent research area. English is taught as a key subject in the national curriculum from primary education until the second year of university in China. The proficiency of English has great value at an individual and a societal level. Moving beyond the ‘mobile age’ and ‘digital native’ rhetoric, the purpose of this present study is to investigate university students’ attitudes and perceptions toward mobile technology use in and toward second language learning in higher education. Moreover, the study also aims to investigate if cultural factors affect these attitudes.

The study is conducted in a Chinese comprehensive university in Harbin, using a quantitative research design. Data will be collected by means of a survey distributed to approximately 739 undergraduates. To access students’ perceptions of mobile technology use in language learning, I have employed and extended Venkatesh, Morris, Davis and Davis’s Unified Theory of Acceptance and use of Technology (UTAUT) which is a synthesis of eight well-established technology acceptance models and has been validated in empirical settings as having superior explanation power over other single models. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions have also been drawn on to understand learners’ cultural perceptions, which these dimensions represent some relevance to learners’ mindset that is likely to affect students’ attitudes toward mobile learning or English as a second language learning to some degree. This theoretical position places learners at the centre of their English learning and decision-making regarding technology use. It directs the investigation into contextually mediated perceptions and practices of English learning in the mobile age.

The findings illustrate the general trend of undergraduates’ perceptions of mobile-assisted English language learning in China, as well as specific attributes that may affect their contextually mediated perceptions from cultural perspectives. The findings show that the participants’ attitudes toward mobile learning are very positive, especially with ‘performance expectancy’ and ‘social influence’. The statistical analysis also suggests that Hofstede’s cultural characteristics could partially explain the differences in mobile-assisted English language learning. This paper provides a theoretical framework that challenges the current existing beliefs about technology acceptance models by extending culture as a key moderating construct, leading to a comprehensive understanding of university students’ perceptions and behaviours concerning mobile-assisted language learning in China. The paper concludes by suggesting ways or approaches to maximise the learning potential of mobile technologies for English learners in higher education in China.

Keywords:

Mobile learning, second language learning.