Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) for Grammar and Vocabulary Acquisition: Students’ Perspectives on ChatGPT

Aufilea Paulus

doi:10.51200/ijelp.v8i1.6827

Authors

Aufilea Anak Paulus Universiti Malaysia Sabah

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51200/ijelp.v8i1.6827

Keywords:

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL), Grammar, Vocabulary, ESL, Secondary Students, UTAUT, ChatGPT

Abstract

This research explores the perspectives of students regarding the use of ChatGPT as Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) to develop grammar and vocabulary. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study targeted 42 Form 4 students (age 16) of SMK Kolombong, Sabah. The objective was to find out their opinions on the usefulness, ease of use, social impact, and facilitation conditions of using ChatGPT, as well as their challenges. The data were obtained through a questionnaire adopted from Venkatesh et al. (2003), Chao (2019) and Almaiah et al. (2019). Findings revealed that students have high positive perceptions for all four constructs: Performance Expectancy (4.12), Effort Expectancy (4.22), Social Influence (4.55) and Facilitating Conditions (4.27). Based on qualitative findings, students praised ChatGPT for providing fast answers and fixing grammar, while also helping them learn new words and build better sentences. They found it an easy-to-use tool that made learning English more fun and supported independent practice. These findings indicate that students are open to the potential of using ChatGPT to learn English, but it requires structural support in the form of a stable internet connection and instructor supervision to best utilize the resources. The research adds to the existing research on AI-aided language learning in Malaysian secondary schools and provides some insight into the effective incorporation of ChatGPT in the low-to-intermediate proficiency level ESL classrooms.

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