investigating iranian efl learners perceptions toward m-learning and perceived mobiletechnology usefulness: an exploration of gender and experience effect

M-learning, referred to as one of the key language learning strategies, provides language learners with higher proficiency levels (khan, 2019) and better academic performances (alkhunaizan, 2020). with that in mind, many studies have examined factors influencing efl learners’ perceptions toward m-learning and the perceived usefulness toward it by presenting factors such as the compatibility of the language learners (cheng, 2015), the role of background characteristics (chen, 2016), and their intrinsic motivation (sun & gao, 2019). accordingly, the current study aimed at examining the role of efl learners’ gender (male or female) and their mobile using experiences (novice or experienced) to find out if there were any significant differences between iranian efl learners’ perceptions toward m-learning in language education and perceived ease of use. to that end, the required data were obtained from 150 efl learners all of whom were having their actual language learning courses in either of the two major educational contexts in iran (private institutes and state schools). participants attending this study were at intermediate or upper-intermediate levels with respect to their language proficiency and were selected from 5 different regions in western iran. considering the assessed variables in the study, a univariate analysis of variance was conducted so as to find out if there was any significant difference between language learners’ perceptions toward m-learning and perceived usefulness with respect to their gender and mobile learning experiences. the results of the study were analyzed in the light of the available literature, and suggestions for further research were provided.

Investigating Iranian EFL Learners Perceptions Toward M-Learning and Perceived MobileTechnology Usefulness: An Exploration of Gender and Experience Effect

M-learning, referred to as one of the key language learning strategies, provides language learners with higher proficiency levels (Khan, 2019) and better academic performances (Alkhunaizan, 2020). With that in mind, many studies have examined factors influencing EFL learners’ perceptions toward M-learning and the perceived usefulness toward it by presenting factors such as the compatibility of the language learners (Cheng, 2015), the role of background characteristics (Chen, 2016), and their intrinsic motivation (Sun & Gao, 2019). Accordingly, the current study aimed at examining the role of EFL learners’ gender (male or female) and their mobile using experiences (novice or experienced) to find out if there were any significant differences between Iranian EFL learners’ perceptions toward M-learning in language education and perceived ease of use. To that end, the required data were obtained from 150 EFL learners all of whom were having their actual language learning courses in either of the two major educational contexts in Iran (private institutes and state schools). Participants attending this study were at intermediate or upper-intermediate levels with respect to their language proficiency and were selected from 5 different regions in western Iran. Considering the assessed variables in the study, a univariate analysis of variance was conducted so as to find out if there was any significant difference between language learners’ perceptions toward M-learning and perceived usefulness with respect to their gender and mobile learning experiences. The results of the study were analyzed in the light of the available literature, and suggestions for further research were provided.