PRINCESS NOURAH BINT ABDULRAHMAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS
Impactful technology on Saudi children acquisition of
English
Presented by:
Raghad Alazmi 439002702
Aliyah Alaqeel 439001185
Supervised by:
Ms. Alaa Hamdan Alhamdan
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
April 2022
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Literature Review............................................................................................................................4
Methodology....................................................................................................................................4
Analysis/results................................................................................................................................4
Discussion and conclusion...............................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6
Appendices......................................................................................................................................7
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
Abstract
There is a rapid increasing interest in the need to use technology in language learning at an early age. Young
learners need motivation and they can easily lose their concentration during long language learning process.
Technology can be one of the ways to create enjoyable atmosphere for young language learners when it is used
correctly. Technology lets young language learners gain language skills outside the classroom. Many researches
claim that children can improve their language and cultural awareness by using technology in different social and
cultural contexts and language awareness can be faster through intercultural communication. Technology offers
them unlimited resources. The main purpose of this research is to examine the Impactful technology on Saudi
children acquisition of English and learners’ perspectives on technology use and how it impacts the learning process.
This research is a qualitative study, therefore qualitative data has been applied through questionnaire and interviews.
In order to analyze the participants were asked about if they know any Saudi child acquired English at an early age
and how they acquired it. Besides, the interview was about asking the participants an open-ended questions about
their opinions towards the technology role in acquiring English. it can be said that technology has a positive effect
.on children’s acquisition of English
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
1. Impactful technology on Saudi children acquisition of English
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
2. Literature Review
This study will be conducted in Saudi Arabia among EFL students. A number of studies examine
the relationship between learning English and technology, also many researchers have
undertaken studies on impactful technology on children acquisition of English.
Technology and language learning
Technology is the advancement in the methods and tools used in problem solving. In language
teaching or any other form of teaching. It is increasingly important in many aspects of human
endeavor, particularly in this 21st century.The study examines the use of technology in language
education, with a focus on the use of current technology and the use of technology as an
advanced instructional resource. Michael, Akumjika Chikamma and Udechukwu, Chinwe
Nwaudu. (2018) notes that with the use of modern technology, It is possible to study a language
without having to attend a real school. The use of modern technology in language teaching and
learning also indicates that language learning may be accessed at any time and from any location.
“Technologies do not just affect how we learn and use language, but also the
ideologies that we adopt regarding what we consider to be ‘correct’ or
‘standard’ language or the ‘best way’ to learn language. The most important
insight we can take away from an analysis of technological mediation and
language learning is that technologies — from the printed word to digital
video — do not just change the way we can learn language, but also change
the way people use language. New technologies give rise to new social
practices, involving new linguistic forms, new forms of interaction, and new
communicative roles and social identities for people” (Jones, 2018).
Technology and language acquisition
Second language learning and acquisition is one of the aspects of knowledge
gained from video games, and this is the axis around which this study article
revolves. Elyas,Tariq and Al-jifri, Alawi.(2017) confirmed that the
acquisition of the language through video games is natural, since motivation
comes from inside the gamers themselves rather than from an external
inducement.
Technology impacts Saudi children acquiring English
In today’s world computers are good friends of children. They can motivate
them and bring natural atmosphere into their world. İlter, Binnur Genç
(2015). Said “there is a rapid increasing interest in the need to use
technology in language learning at an early age. Young learners need
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
motivation, technology can be one of the ways to create real and enjoyable
atmosphere for young language learners when it is used correctly and
effectively”. If used correctly, technology, the internet, and some computer
games may help people learn languages. According to the teacher
candidates' ,ideas when technology is utilized effectively, it has a positive
impact on children's linguistic awareness. It is apparent that technology
exposes children to the real world.
PRINCESS NOURAH BINT ABDULRAHMAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS
3. Methodology
:Research questions
1. In what ways does technology help Saudi children develop their language acquisition
process?
2. What is the impact of technology on allowing Saudi children to improve their speaking,
listening, and reading skills?
3. Does the reinforcement plays an important role in acquiring English?
:Methods and data collection
This research aimed to study how technology can be effective and beneficial to Saudi children in
acquiring English. It also aims to explore different types of technology in which learning can be
.promoted
In order to answer our research questions. We use a qualitative research method to investigate
the effect of technology in acquiring English for Saudi children, therefore qualitative data has
been applied through questionnaire and interviews. From the researcher’s own point of
view (Crotty, 1996, Nunan, 1997). Creswell (2012, p.16) claims that
qualitative data based on words from a small number of individuals hence 29
language students and 3 students share their owns ideas related with
technology and language learning were chosen for this research. The
participants were selected from collage of languages students at princess Noura Bint
Abdulrahman university.
This sample of research will be from 29 students. who knows or has relatives acquired English at
an early age by using technology, Therefore the paper would test this issue in knowing the
effects of impactful technology on Saudi children acquiring English, There is also an interview
conducted with three people selected randomly from the
participants of the questionnaire
The participants were asked about if they know any Saudi child acquired English at an early age
and how they acquired it. Also, there were asked about if they think technology is a good way to
improve language acquisition, and at the end of the questionnaire we asked about the tool that
.they have been using
Besides, the interview was about asking the participants an open-ended questions regarding their
.feelings and opinions towards the technology role in acquiring English
We choose this data because it is the most suitable way to reach a variety of people’s opinions on
.the most effective technology tools in language acquisition
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
We are going to analyze it by gathering information from the responses and summarize the
.statistics we collected from the questionnaire
PRINCESS NOURAH BINT ABDULRAHMAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS
4. Analysis/ results
:The results and findings from the participants who participated are shown below
The illustrated graph shows that 93.1% knows a Saudi child learning English as a second
.language
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
The illustrated graph shows that 82.8% of the children who know them acquire Arabic first, on
.the other hand 17.2% acquire English first
The illustrated graph shows that 93.1% thinks technology is a good way to improve language
.learning
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
The graph shows that a high percentage of 75.9% of the total number of the respondents do
.believe that Youtube channels and tv shows are the most useful technology in acquiring English
The graph shows that a high percentage of 72.4% of the total number of the respondents thinks
.there is a reinforcement by their family and school in learning English
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
The illustrated graph shows that 93.1% thinks learning English through technology more
.catching than books and other classic ways
The study’s findings revealed that some children prefer learning by Ipad. And the other half
believes that both youtube and playstation device is an effective and successful way for them.
We use a narrative analysis for the interviews. First question was about if they see technology
as a positive tool for children in acquiring English, the first participant said she is one of the
children who’ve acquired English by using technology also she would play all day with people
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
from other countries, so they were speaking English, she was translating any word she did not
know then, her English improved. The second and third participants also saw technology as a
positive tool for children in acquiring English especially they all have a child using ipad. We
asked them about the most affective technologies that helps in English acquisition, they all
agreed that video games are the most affective technology because spending three to four hours a
day speaking English made a huge improvement. The child could decide if the sentence form’s is
correct or not by getting used to listen and speaking the language. One of the important questions
is how you describe the role the technology plays, the first and second participant answered that
it plays an important role, it enables the new generation to have a lot of vocabularies
unconsciously stuck in their minds because of the daily exposure to language ion the media and
YouTube channels.
PRINCESS NOURAH BINT ABDULRAHMAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS
5. Discussion
The study demonstrates a correlation between acquiring English at an early age and
technology. Our study is focusing on Saudi children specifically. We found in the survey and the
interview that technology helps most Saudi children acquiring English. The results show that
playing video games is the most used medium then, watching YouTube and TV shows. The
interview data suggests that speaking and listening are the most developed skills in language
acquisition than reading. And that agrees with what Altawil (2016)’s argued in his study “Saudi
Arabia has a substantial young population who are becoming more digital-savvy and
increasingly connected through digital media technology, which may include social media tools
such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets”.
Congruous to the hypothesized association technology affect the language acquisition
positively. The results concur with the claims of İlter (2015) that “There is a rapid increasing
interest in the need to use technology in language learning at an early age. Young learners need
motivation and they can easily lose their concentration during long language learning process.
Technology can be one of the ways to create real and enjoyable atmosphere for young language
learners when it is used correctly and effectively. Technology lets young language learners gain
language skills outside the classroom when they interact actively. Many researches claim that
children can improve their language and cultural awareness by using technology in different
social and cultural contexts and language awareness can be faster through intercultural
communication.”
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
The generalizability of the results is limited by the small sample size and also because it
is limited to a specific group of people. All the participants in this study were Saudi students in
Princess Noura BINT Abdulrahman university. And the number of them is 29 participants in the
survey and 3 people in the interview. So it might limits the results. In addition to that, it may
make it difficult to determine if the outcome is a true finding and reduces the power of the study
and increases the margin of error especially in the qualitative part. Future research might look
into the same topic, but with a larger dataset in this field by interviewing more participants and
focusing more on the reinforcement role in acquiring English at an early age.
PRINCESS NOURAH BINT ABDULRAHMAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that technology has a positive effect on
children’s language awareness when it is used appropriately. It is obvious
that technology brings real world in front of children. Therefore, young
learners can be more motivated and active via technology. Although the
study’s findings revealed that people think technology is really very important for
young learners. it can be suggested that children should use technology for
faster and easier language acquisition. The research recommends to look into
the same topic, but with a larger dataset in this field by interviewing more participants and
focusing more on the reinforcement role in acquiring English at an early age.
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
Impactful Technology on Saudi Children Acquisition of English
References
PRINCESS NOURAH BINT ABDULRAHMAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS
Appendices
PRINCESS NOURAH BINT ABDULRAHMAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS
Figures
