Exploring the use of a synergy of age-appropriate tools for young learners in EFL: students’ attitudes and challenges

Abstract

Social Media have a great impact on different aspects of people's lives and especially young age groups labelled as ‘digital natives’. Although researchers in the field of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) have unsurprisingly attempted to explore how both educational and non-educational social technologies (ST) could be employed to enhance language learning, the integration of social technologies in kindergarten-6th grade (K-6) education has received inadequate attention compared to research entailing teenagers or tertiary education students as the exploration of literature of the last two decades indicate. One reason for this is, most probably, the fact that children under the age of 13, are legally bound not to use social media. The present study sets out to explore students’ attitudes as well as benefits and challenges towards a synergy of age-appropriate, educational-oriented technologies in the context of a three-month intervention in a pre-intermediate level group of three 10-year-old male English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Cyprus. Thematic analysis of students’ interviews, focus groups, observations and usage of age-appropriate technologies revealed students’ overall positive attitude towards these technologies, as well as challenges that need to be taken into consideration in the use of these technologies. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of findings and implications for further research.