Tablets as instructional tools in the foreign language classroom: the teacher perspective

Theoretical and empirical research, carried out over the last decade, argues that mobile assisted language learning (MALL) can support foreign language learning in new ways, both inside and outside the classroom. New educational technologies and software have facilitated the creation of MALL applications especially for tablets. Furthermore, an increasing number of studies are carried out looking at the use of tablets from a variety of angles in the foreign language classroom as it is expected to have a great influence on the performance of learners. Teachers can also play an important role in the successful introduction and use of tablets in the classroom. This study sought to examine both preand in-service teachers’ perceptions of using tablets in the foreign language classroom. Based on the literature review an online questionnaire was developed, with two types of Closed-Ended Questions, Multiple choice questions and Likert scaled questions, in order to examine the teachers’ views in Greece. 285 participants (132 in-service and 153 pre-service teachers) completed the survey. The results, presented thoroughly in this article, refer to the participants’ opinion regarding the use of the tablet as an educational tool, the assets or/and drawbacks of its use as well as its pedagogical application and the way it can be used in a foreign language classroom. The present paper highlights also the concept of MALL, the characteristics and the different types of the pedagogical use of tablets.