International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

The study reported in this paper investigated students’ perceptions of an application (app) by which mobile-assisted language learning was used to learn business English. An app was developed for purposes of the research. The technology acceptance model was adopted to examine the intent to use the app and find relationships among acceptance variables. One-hundred students of engineering programs at a university in Taiwan joined this study and they were asked to use the app and report on their perceptions. Subsequently, thirteen of the participants also took part in a process of reflection, designed to gain a deeper understanding of their first impressions and perceptions of the app and the associated learning process. It was found that they had a positive attitude toward use of the app for business English learning and were willing to use it. Perceived ease of use was a major factor impacting their perceptions of use of the app for language learning. Furthermore, perceived satisfaction correlated with future behavioral intention; when students were satisfied with the system, they were more accepting of the learning tool. Finally, the students’ feedback and suggestions implied that the app enhanced their language proficiency, indicating that mobile-assisted language learning continues to make progress in such contexts.