Mobile Assisted Language Learning : Practices and Readiness in EFL Speaking Class 1

This research aims to find out the students' readiness of using Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in EFL speaking class. MALL is viewed as potentially significant method to language learning (Cheon et al, 2012). Furthermore, the strong connection between millennial and technology affects how they want to be taught in higher education. Various researchers also suggest that oral communication skills can be successfully done by mobile phone capabilities. The data of this study were collected through questionnaires to evaluate the psychological readiness of students of fourth and sixth semester of English Departement of Universitas Pancasakti Tegal. Moreover, the questionnaires were analyzed statistically using descriptive statistics. The findings showed that the students have positive attitude toward MALL. All the students have smartphone to support the educational purposes inside and outside classroom. Nevertheless, lecturers need to be aware of the background and technological skills of the learners before embedding MALL into speaking class.


INTRODUCTION
Information and communication technology (ICT) contribute to the rapid changes in the teaching learning process over the most recent couple of decades.Many educators and scholars utilize the technology both in education in general or on EFL teaching and learning in particular.The number of educational institutions adopting this new technology in their traditional classroom environment is now increasing.
According to Cheon et al (2012) mobile learning, as a new paradigm of learning ICT, is more appropriate to integrate in higher education.It is in line with the data released by Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (2017) about internet users by age group.The statistic showed that the numbers of internet users in Indonesia are 75,50 % of those aged between 13 up to 18 years old and 74,23 % are those who are 19 up to 34 years old.They are known as millennials, individuals who were born in 1980s and 2000s (KKBI, 2018).
In addition, one of the greatest influences of this generation is technology.They have a strong connection with technology and it affects how they want to be taught in higher education.They change the way higher education offers services, involves students and develops instruction in the classroom.Crompton (2013b) as cited in Ghrieb (2015, 10-11) pointed out some differences between traditional learning and mobile learning.First, traditional learning often limited by hours of formal schooling, while M-learning has no constraints.It can take place anywhere and anytime.Second, mobile learning is more personalized.The students can choose a certain application, program, and even the concept to be learnt.On the other hand, traditional learning is limited in all differentiation and teaching concepts.Third, traditional learning is categorized as non-private learning, while mobile learning is a private learning.
By using mobile learning, lecturers can provide the learners with a rich learning environment, although issues still need to be taken into account before they can reach their full potential.Leow, et al (2014) investigated Chinese students' oral communicative skill in Malaysian International Schools.The finding showed that environment is the core factor that results in poor oral communication skills performance.They suggested that the lack of a language-practice environment must be addressed through the use of potentially powerful learning technology with multimedia representations, especially mobile handheld learning.
Moreover, speaking skill is also important evaluation components in the assessment of one's language proficiency in professional English tests (Leow, et al, 2014:28).Students also need to perform role plays, presentations, and general conversation in their EFL classroom.Thus, EFL learners must be equipped with fluent oral communicative skills.In addition, speaking class environment which is integrated with mobile technology is believed to be able to foster oral communicative skills for foreign language learning.Based on the above elaboration, this preliminary study focuses on ascertaining the students' readiness of using Mobile Assisted Language Learning in their speaking class.This is to give assurance to the lecturers that students would be able to use their smartphones inside and outside the formal learning context without any problems or distractions, such as the type of phones they own, their mobile data plan capacity, and students' ability to explore and use tools available on their smartphones.Almutairy et al (2015) also confirmed the study about students' perception about their M-Learning readiness.The study conducted was addressed to the students of Saudi Arabia and was aimed to achieve a better understanding of the readiness for mobile learning (mlearning) among them in terms of psychological aspect.Besides, it was aimed to evaluate the m-learning readiness as a whole in Saudi Arabia.From the study, it was found that students were encouraged to welcome more opportunities for mobile learning as they felt confident about using mobile devices in their daily lives.In addition, the findings indicated that the students of the higher education in Saudi Arabia are well aware of and are psychologically ready for m-learning.

Previous Studies
Murugan et al (2017) currently conducted a study about MALL at Mara University of Technology (UiTM) in Malaysia.Their study was focused on examining the technological readiness of the students.They measured the students' digital skill using the Digital Competence Framework (EU) to examine it.They involved students of the English Language Proficiency Course and their lecturers as the samples of the study.The finding of the study was that most of the UiTM students have the technological readiness to use mobile phones in the English Language Classroom.However, the lecturers still need to teach some of the students about the strategies for storing the information.The lecturers also need to help some students to understand better the technological concepts, operations and to be adequately aware of some issues regarding the use of smartphones.It is to ensure that students are able to follow the class in that mobile applications are being used (i.e.MALL) properly.

Mobile Assisted Language Learning
Kukulska-Hulme (2012) argues that Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) is different from Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL).She considered that so in terms of the personal use of mobile phones and that their portability that enable new ways of learning, which emphasizes continuity or spontaneity of access and interaction across different context of use.Mobile devices, unlike computer, are equipped with immediate internet access, which enables learners to learn more personally, authentically, and in any kind of situation.Kukulska-Hulme (2005:01) relates mobile learning to the mobility of learner.She clarifies further that the mobility of learner refers to how the learner is able to engage in educational activities anytime and everywhere.The learner should not attend the class in a certain location as he/she is able to access the learning process through mobile devices with internet connection.Kukulska-Hulme (2005:01) mentions some mobile devices that can be used by the learner for the mobile learning.They include mobile phones, PDAs, digital media player, and podcast.Those devices provide the learner opportunity to make the mobile learning possible.Kukulska-Hulme (2005:01) adds that the portability of the devices and their light weight are what make the mobile learning possible.The learner can also bring the devices easily as sometimes the devices are small enough to fit in a pocket or in the palm of his/her hand.However, the learner needs to consider the affordance of the mobile devices.
Meanwhile, O' Malley et al. (2003:06) explain more about mobile learning.They add that mobile learning happens in anytime and everywhere.Besides, it depends on the learner's motivation to learn through mobile devices, that is, when the learner takes advantages of the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies.They also advise that mobile learning should include the mobility of learner and mobility of technology as a key characteristic.Cheon et al (2012) state that mobile learning is potential to support all forms of education such as in primary and secondary education.However, the practice of mobile learning in higher or tertiery education is considered appropriate when it integrates student-centered mobile learning.

M-Learning Readiness
Terras, Ramsay (2012) as cited in Almutairy et al (2015Almutairy et al ( : 1505Almutairy et al ( -1506) ) pointed out that the use of mobile technology in learning needs to consider the psychological side of learner.It should be designed and developed in line with human behavior so as to make it effective.In addition, positive attitude towards mobile technology lead to the behavioral intention to use m-learning.It is also expected that the technology should be user-friendly, that is, it allows the learner to use it easily.In other words, m-learning system should be appropriately matched with students' perception to make the m-learning system itself successful.
As a result, researchers must consider the technical aspects to ensure the psychological readiness for m-learning.Technology readiness represents people's propensity to accept and use new technologies to reach goals in home life and at work (Parasuramanan, 2000, as cited in Almutairy et al (2015Almutairy et al ( : 1506)).Additionally, the M-learning's constant availability is the greatest advantage of M-learning itself.
Since the ultimate goal of speaking foreign language is to promote communicative efficiency, lecturers need to provide students with appropriate method and equipment.In speaking class, students of English Department of UPS Tegal are allowed to use their mobile phone to browse the supplementary material.However, they cannot find the appropriate source or application that support speaking ability especially dealing with pronunciation and vocabulary.By using mobile devices in which 88% of the phones were android, lecturers can promote MALL by giving the students specific instruction of how to use certain application that can encourage their oral communicative skills for foreign language learning.Before applying MALL in speaking class, lecturers first need to address students' readiness of using MALL.This will be useful to find out their intention and expectation toward mobile learning.

METHOD
This descriptive research conducted at English Department, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Pancasakti University Tegal.This study addresses 62 students in the 2017 academic years.The questionnaires were adopted after reviewing the literature on mobile learning and mobile assisted language learning.It gathered information to administer greater understanding of the psychological readiness of students for mobile assisted language learning.Moreover, the questionnaires are employed as the method of collecting data.It comprises five section.Those are participant information, frequency of daily uses of mobile devices, students' readiness for mobile learning, using mobile devices inside classroom, and students' opinion of using mobile devices for learning purposes inside classroom.The collected data include both qualitative and quantitative data.The quantitative data obtained are then analyzed by utilizing descriptive statistics.This study, moreover, employs scaling technique to find the agreement towards the effectiveness of the questionnaire.It is, then, analyzed by using Likert Scale.The subjects of the research were asked to rate their opinion based on a five-point scale questionnaire.The result were converted into the interval of mean values on a scale of 1 up to 5 using a range of the factual score.
There are 13 statements proposed in this section.These five-point Likert-scale statements aim at examining how often they use mobile phone in their daily life.According to the result of the questionnaire above, there are five components which highly-rated by students because they often do those activities.Those activities are: 1. Make calls 2. Social networking (Facebook, etc) 3. Educational purposes 4. Access the internet 5. Translating (use it as electronic dictionary) First, 30 students use their mobile phone to make calls frequently.Some of them have more than one mobile phone.One is used for accessing the social media or internet, and another is used for making calls.Second, they regularly access social media through their mobile phones.Third, they also use their mobile phone for doing their homework, performing presentation, and other educational purposes.Fourth, they use it to access the internet.
However, the study showed that the students prefer to access social networking sites than to access the internet.Fifth, they also often use electronic or online dictionary to translate English sentences into Bahasa Indonesia sentences or vice versa.In conclusion, not only using smartphone for accessing social media, the students also use smartphone to ease their work related to school.This result of the questionnaire strengthens argument stated by Cheon et al (2012) about utilizing mobile learning in higher education.

Students' readiness for mobile learning
In this section, we asked the students to rate 5 statements about students' readiness to use mobile devices for learning purposes.In addition, five-points Likert-scale statements are also used in this section of the questionnaire.et al (2003:06) said that learner's motivation to learn through mobile devices can be increased if they can see the benefit of smartphone technologies usage.Additionally, 32,2% of the participants said that they are able to pay their mobile data, while 27,4% mentioned that the university need to supply mobile devices in the teaching learning process.In conclusion, the data showed above refer to students' positive attitude towards mobile technology.

Using mobile devices inside classroom
We would like to find out the students' attitude toward the potential usages of mobile devices inside classroom in this section of the questionnaire.Thus, we come up with 4 statements as follows.We can conclude that 48,3% of the participants agreed that mobile phone can be used for learning purposes inside classroom.They also believed that collaboration between students to students and lecturers to students in the classroom can be increased by the usage of mobile devices.They also didn't think that mobile devices would be a distraction in classroom.Furthermore, 30,6% of the students believed that mobile devices can be better used as learning material instead of computer or printed materials.Nonetheless, some of them said that mobile devices can be used for supporting printed materials.

What do you think of using mobile devices for learning purposes inside classroom?
This open-ended section aims at gaining qualitative data since all previous parts of the questionnaire were in a form of closed-ended statements.
E. What do you think of using mobile devices for learning purposes inside classroom?
To sum up, there are two statements written by most of the students in this part of the questionnaire: 1. Students think that mobile phones ease and help them in learning language especially in enriching their vocabulary and spelling the words in English.2. Students said that the usage of mobile technology in classroom increases their confidence in learning performance.

CONCLUSION
This paper has presented the findings of students' readiness of using Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in EFL speaking class.The results provide evidence of students' positive perceptions toward MALL.Students are willing to use MALL inside classroom since all students have smartphone to support the teaching learning process.Not only for accessing website or social media, they also use mobile phone to do their assignment, presentation project, online dictionary and other educational purposes.They can afford the payment of mobile data.Moreover, the usage of mobile devices is also believed to improve collaboration in classroom and be supplementary material.However, lecturers need to provide training before the students apply MALL in their speaking class.

Table 2
Frequency of daily uses of mobile devices

Table 3
Students' readiness for mobile learningBased on Table3, we can conclude that a large number of the students, 48 out of 62 agreed that they are ready to use their mobile devices for learning purposes.Moreover, they also want to use their own mobile phone for learning purposes.It is in line with Kukulska-Hulme (2013:3701) that mobile phone's portability will enable new ways of learning and it allows students to learn more personally and authentically in any situation.Moreover, there are 45,2 % of the students who said that they need training to use mobile phone before applying mobile assisted language learning in the classroom.This reflects what O'Malley

Table 4
Using mobile devices inside classroom

Questionnaire for Students A. Participant Information Please fill in the appropriate choices that best fit your situation.
B.

frequency of daily uses of mobile devices
Please fill in the appropriate choice that best fits your attitude.

. Students' readiness for mobile learning.
Please fill in the appropriate choice that best fits your attitude.