PERCEIVED USES AND ATTITUDES IN LEARNING LISTENING SKILLS VIA MOBILE PHONE: ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY SECOND AND THIRD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORING STUDENTS IN FOCUS

Abstract

ABSTRACT The main purpose of this study was to explore: Perceived uses and attitudes in learning listening skills via mobile phone: Arba Minch University second and third-year English major students. The study particularly aimed to assess if there is a significant difference between second and third-year students' perceived uses and attitudes of mobile to learning listening skills in classrooms. The exploratory design and mixed approach were employed in the study. Questionnaires using a five-point Likert scale, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions were used as instruments of data collection in this study. Fifty-two Arba Minch University English majoring second and third-year students were used as sources of data. The inclusive sampling technique was selected to fill the questionnaire, the purposive sampling technique was used for the interview and four students from each batch were interviewed, and two groups, one from each group participated in the FGD. The data from a questionnaire, semi-structured interview, and FGD were analyzed sequentially. Data from the questionnaire were analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 20) by applying frequency, percentage, and independent sample t-tests. Results of the study showed that students perceived mobile as a good instrument to learn listening skills. The majority of students showed a positive attitude towards the use of mobile and there was no statistically significant difference between English majoring second and third-year students perceived uses and attitude. It was recommended that: need to give training for students and teachers. Further, experimental research can be done to analyze the effectiveness of mobile for learning listening skills classroom