Exploring Tertiary Students’ Perceptions of Using Smartphones to Enhance EFL Writing: Pedagogical Implications

Abstract

Mobile smartphone applications have been extensively used in many real-life situations, including language learning programs. Across the world, tertiary EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classrooms in the twenty-first century have also started using mobile phone applications, though in a limited way, to teach writing skills. Because of the advancements these applications offer, tertiary EFL students appreciate using smartphones inside and outside the writing classroom. This study attempted to examine Bangladeshi tertiary EFL learners’ perceptions of the familiarity, use, and usefulness of smartphone applications in developing their writing proficiency. The study used a convenience sampling procedure and involved 264 students, comprising males (n = 108) and females (n = 156), from eleven Bangladeshi universities in a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire survey. In this study, a quantitative approach was employed in both the data collection and data analysis processes. The quantitative data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that most tertiary EFL learners had a positive view regarding the familiarity, use, and effectiveness of smartphone apps in developing their writing skills. The outcomes are expected to have useful implications for the Bangladeshi tertiary EFL writing pedagogy.