The State of Internet-Assisted Language Learning (IALL) Knowledge among English Major Students in a Yemeni Public University

Abstract

The research aimed to examine the state of Yemeni English major students’ knowledge of Internet-assisted language learning (IALL). Two types of knowledge were assessed, i.e. subjective knowledge and objective knowledge. The study also sought to examine differences in these two types of knowledge among students by gender and discipline of study, and whether subjective knowledge and objective knowledge were significantly correlated. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 598 English language students from education- and non-education study programs of a Yemeni public university during the 2017 academic year. Data were collected using two separate instruments: a self-developed IALL questionnaire for objective knowledge, and an adapted subjective knowledge scale. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests and bivariate correlation were carried out with SPSS software Version 24. The results show a moderate level of perceived IALL knowledge, but lower levels of actual knowledge on various aspects of IALL, particularly with respect to tools mostly used for oral language practices, such as Skype, Busuu.com, Live Mocha and SharedLingo. Gender influenced perceived knowledge – with female students reporting significantly higher knowledge levels – but not objective knowledge, while discipline of study influenced both knowledge types in favor of students pursuing non-education degree programs. A significant but inverse relationship was discovered between subjective and objective knowledge. The results emphasize the need to start focusing on adopting IALL tools by English learners in universities across Yemen.

Keywords: Internet-assisted language learning, IALL tools and resources, perceived knowledge, objective knowledge, Yemeni university students