A Study of Mobile Devices’ Acceptance in Developing EFL Listening Skill among Vietnamese High School Learners

Abstract

This research explored mobile devices' acceptance in EFL listening skills among Vietnamese high school learners by utilizing the updated Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The data collection method used was semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys with 260 students from several high schools located throughout central and southern Vietnam. It was revealed that high school learners in Vietnam had a positive perspective toward the integration of mobile devices to develop their EFL listening skills and showed their readiness to adopt these educational tools in the future to this skill, owing to the educational benefits offered by these devices and the fruitful achievement achieved by learners. The findings also indicated that the constructs of the UTAUT positively correlated with each other. Specifically, effort expectancy, performance expectancy, facilitating condition, social influence, behavioral intention, and attitude had a positive correlation with one another. Moreover, the outcomes suggested that this model could explain up to 63% of the variance in learners' behavioral intention to adopt mobile devices to enhance the development of their EFL listening skills. Furthermore, the strongest predictor of behavioral intention was attitude, followed by performance expectancy and facilitating condition. Additionally, performance expectancy was discovered to best predict attitude, subsequently facilitating condition and social influence. Based on the main findings, some implications were addressed.