Students learn English idioms through WhatsApp: Extensive use of smartphones

Authors : Özgür Şahan, Mustafa Çoban, Salim Razı

Pages : 1230-1251

Doi:10.17556/jef.72045

View : 18 | Download : 10

Publication Date : 2016-12-23

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study aims at investigating the effect of WhatsApp on teaching English idioms to EFL students. The data were collected from 33 B1 level students. The researchers provided the students with three idioms per week for five weeks via WhatsApp. The participants found sample sentences, shared them in their WhatsApp groups, and had discussions in English regarding the use and meaning of the idioms. Students were given an achievement test and a sub-sample group of students were interviewed to see the effectiveness of this application. The results revealed how students benefited from WhatsApp as a learning tool and their reactions to mobile learning outside the classroom context. The findings highlight the place of mobile learning in foreign language education.
Keywords : EFL, mobile learning, teaching idioms, WhatsApp