Are Future Teachers ‘Tech-savvy'? A Correlational Study on Attitudes and Perceptions of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning in the Era of Digitalized Education

This investigation offers crucial insights into the attitudes and perceptions of prospective language teachers toward mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). The study employed a descriptive-quantitative-correlational research design. A total of 208 respondents were chosen for the investigation; 138 (66.3%) were females, and 70 (33.7%) were males. Those aged >20 years represented 48.1% of the total population. To provide accurate gathering of significant data, the investigation utilized a research instrument, which revealed that the instrument had good reliability for interpreting Cronbach's alpha. The collected data were subjected to one-way ANOVA, the Pearson product moment coefficient test and descriptive analysis. The results revealed that most of the respondents (53.8%) had a positive attitude toward the use of mobile phones, as mobile phones facilitate the process of learning, create an interactive learning environment (74.0%), and provide authentic language learning opportunities (83.7%), which is crucial in the 21st century, where technology and language learning come together. The investigation also revealed challenges that pose risk toward MALL, such as the expensive price of mobile phones (84.6%), high costs of internet services (85.6%), and slow internet connections (78.4%), which could impede the language teaching/learning process.