Student perceptions of a mobile learning application for English Oral Presentations: the case of EOPA

Abstract

This study investigated student perceptions and opinions on an English Oral Presentation Application (EOPA), a mobile learning application designed to assist English learners develop oral presentations and online collaboration skills. This study was part of a Design Based Research (DBR) project which incorporated an adapted Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) questionnaire to gain insights on students’ perceptions towards EOPA. In addition, focus-group interviews were used to discover the external and internal factors involved in this type of mobile learning. Participants were 30 Taiwanese undergraduate students who took part in a six-week training course. The questionnaire results indicated that 37% of students found EOPA to be useful for learning, but 33% also found it inconvenient to use. Furthermore, attitudes towards learning suggested they had some difficulties using the app. To gain a deeper understanding of why students use EOPA and to discover other app-related learning problems, the interviews were explored using a Complex Dynamic Systems approach to find the attractor and repeller dynamic states in the learning system. These included the language and presentation skills, the multimedia learning material, app design, online collaboration, anxiety, and limited self-regulation skills. The findings will be used to refine EOPA and the oral presentation learning framework. The study demonstrates how the discovery of different dynamic states can be used to improve mobile learning design.

Keywords:

• Complex dynamic systems
• mobile assisted language learning
• motivation
• oral presentations
• technology acceptance model

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the students who participated in the study. This work was partially supported by a government research grant.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Anonymised data from this study is available upon request from the lead author.

The study was approved by the lead author’ university. Participants were informed of the contents of the study and assured their data would be anonymised. All participants signed a consent form.

Additional information

Funding

This work was partially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan (MOST 105-2511-S-006-006-MY3, MOST 106-2511-S-006 -002 -MY2 and MOST 108-2511-S-006 -005 -MY3).

Funding

This work was partially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan (MOST 105-2511-S-006-006-MY3, MOST 106-2511-S-006 -002 -MY2 and MOST 108-2511-S-006 -005 -MY3).

Notes on contributors

Neil E. Barrett

Dr. Neil Edward Barrett is an Assistant Professor in the English Language Center at Southern Taiwan University of Science & Technology (STUST), Tainan, Taiwan where he has been a faculty member since 2017. He received his PhD degree in Applied Linguistics and Foreign Language Teaching from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan, Taiwan, in 2017. He completed his doctoral dissertation on the role of new learning technologies for second language academic oral presentations. His research interests cover the influence of technology on second language teaching and learning in areas such as second language writing with technology, academic oral presentations, mobile learning, and ubiquitous learning systems. He has published articles and carried out projects on learning technologies for academic oral presentations, and the application of new technologies for second language writing. He enjoys spending time eating and cooking with his family, riding his bicycle, and running in the mountains.

Prof. Gi‐Zen Liu is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages & Literature at NCKU in Tainan, Taiwan. He received his PhD degree in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University Bloomington in the United States in 2003. His major research areas include digital language learning, mobile and context‐aware ubiquitous learning, design and evaluation of English Language Teaching, plagiarism avoidance, and online writing tutorials. In addition, he has been serving on the Editorial Board of several academic journals, including Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organization, and others. In 2016, he received the K. T. Li Honorary Scholar Award in Taiwan.

Prof. Hei‐Chia Wang is a professor at the Institute of Information Management at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. His research focuses on knowledge discovery, text mining, and e‐learning. He obtained both his MSc in Information System Engineering and PhD in Informatics from the University of Manchester (UMIST), UK.