Abstract
This study addresses the issue of integrating mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) systems into L2 reading instruction in the Saudi secondary schools in order to improve the reading comprehension skills of struggling EFL students. The focus is to find out whether students’ language performance is accelerated by using MALL together with teacher instruction versus conventional instruction alone. In order to assess the effectiveness of MALL systems and activities in improving reading comprehension skills in EFL contexts, an experimental study was carried out where 120 participants of grade ten students in four public secondary school of Riyadh District in Saudi Arabia were randomly divided into two groups: experiment and control. Reading skills of the participants’ were measured by pre-test and post-test by a panel of three national experts. The comparison between the experimental group and the control group pinpoint that MALL materials and systems improve reading comprehension skill among EFL students. The findings indicate clearly that there was a significant difference between MALL users and nonusers in favour of the experimental group (p < .05). It can be then generalized that MALL systems and applications in general provide a motivating learning environment for teaching reading which has its positive implications on improving the reading skills of students.
Highlights
This study addresses some of the problems raised by recent reports written by the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia in 2017 which indicated that there are many problems with teaching English as a second language in the Saudi schools
This study addresses the issue of integrating mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) systems into L2 reading instruction in the Saudi secondary schools in order to improve the reading comprehension skills of struggling EFL students
In order to assess the effectiveness of MALL systems and activities in improving reading comprehension skills in EFL contexts, an experimental study was carried out where 120 participants of grade ten students in four public secondary school of Riyadh District in Saudi Arabia were randomly divided into two groups: experiment and control
Summary
This study addresses some of the problems raised by recent reports written by the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia in 2017 which indicated that there are many problems with teaching English as a second language in the Saudi schools. The reports issued by the two bodies stressed that there was a wide gap between learning outcomes and students’ linguistic performance They attributed this gap to the curriculum design and the way it was delivered to the students. He indicated that students’ achievement in the acquisition of English as a second language in middle schools was just 34, 15per cent and in secondary or high scores 31 per cent He attributed the low achievement levels primarily to psychological reasons (lack of motivation and confidence). They are quite convinced that it impossible for them to learn English He referred to many obstacles within the Saudi educational system such as the poor curriculum design, the poor training of teachers, the lack of educational technology devices, the assessment system, and the use of old-fashioned and traditional teaching methods
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