Exploring the Role of Mobile Learning in English Language Education: A Perspective of Pakistan

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of mobile learning (m-learning) on English language performance of university students in Pakistan. It aims at gaining insights into the ways that students use mobile devices for learning languages, their belief in its effectiveness, the challenges they encounter, and their perspectives on the potential of such technology in a learning institution. Field work was carried out under quantitative research design;the data was gathered from a sample of 380 students studying in major public and private sector universities in Pakistan. A structured questionnaire with demographic and Likert-scale items was used. Cronbach’s alpha was used to check reliability of the tool. Data were entered using SPSS version 28 and were presented in the form of descriptive statistics, tables, and figures. According to the results, most students use mobile phones for English learning often and consider them effective as supplementary resources. Enhanced motivation, exposure to a wide range of resources, and enhancements in a range of language skills were described by students. But had obstacles like struggles with internet connectivity issues, expensive data costs, a dearth of localized content, and constant distractions. Nevertheless, students' energy to support institution adoption of mobile learning was high and they anticipated that future iterations – especially AI inspired tools - would be a major advance. This study provides important information on the opportunities and challenges of m-learning in the tertiary education in Pakistan. It emphasizes the increasing importance of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in the context of developing nations and provides practical suggestions for teachers, policymakers and developers to enable effective and equitable digital English education.