Volume 1, Issue 2 August 2018, pp. 64–87
Regular Articles
Revisiting the digital divide(s): Technology-enhanced English language practices at a university in Pakistan
Shaista Rashid 1, Una Cunningham
2, Kevin Watson
3, Jocelyn Howard
4
1 University of Canterbury, New Zealand
2 Uppsala University, Sweden
3 University of Canterbury, New Zealand
4 University of Canterbury, New Zealand
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v1n2.7
Abstract
With the rapid penetration of technology in the lives of students, it has become important for educators to look for opportunities to enhance students' engagement and achievement by integrating technology in education. However, deciding which technologies should be included is a big challenge for higher education institutes, particularly in developing countries with limited financial resources, such as Pakistan. As students' non-educational use of technologies shapes their academic use of technology and learning process (Swanson & Walker, 2015), integrating students' preferred technologies can help fulfil their educational needs and expectations. This paper investigates the digital practices of undergraduate students in a public university in Pakistan and examines the impact of gender, study major and medium of education on the use of digital devices by students. The data is drawn from 316 responses to an online survey, administered online. The results of the study reveal that although a substantial proportion of the students had access to digital tools such as smartphones and computers, there was limited use of them for educational purposes. The technology most extensively accessed by undergraduate students for this purpose was mobile phones. Use of university-provided computers and bringing their own computers/laptops to campus were much less popular choices. Further, most students were not sufficiently comfortable with their digital skills to use their devices for educational purposes, although many were interested in getting training in how they could do this.
Received 13 December, 2017
Accepted 18 May, 2018
Published 31 August, 2018
Copyright
© Shaista Rashid, Una Cunningham, Kevin Watson, Jocelyn Howard
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Suggested citation
Rashid, S., Cunningham, U., Watson, K., & Howard, J. (2018). Revisiting the digital divide(s): Technology-enhanced English language practices at a university in Pakistan. Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1(2), 64–87. https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v1n2.7
Related Articles:
EFL learners' peer negotiations and attitudes in mobile-assisted collaborative writing
Shiou-Wen Yeh, Cheng-Ting Chen
Language Education & Assessment Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 41–56.
Interculturality as collaborative identity management in language education
Claudia Borghetti
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 20–38.
Washback of ACTFL's Integrated Performance Assessment in an intensive summer language program at the tertiary level
Jason Martel
Language Education & Assessment Published: 31 August, 2019, Volume 2(2), 57–69.
Critical intercultural communication education: cultural analysis and pedagogical applications
Sofia A. Koutlaki, Zohreh R. Eslami
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 29 December, 2018, Volume 1(3), 100–109.
L2 motivation in ESP and EGP courses: An investigation of L2 motivational selves among learners of English in Saudi Arabia
Aser Nazzal K. Altalib
Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 1–16.
Advancing intercultural learning in world language education: Recent developments in pre-service teacher education in the U.S.
Paula Garrett-Rucks
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 29 December, 2018, Volume 1(3), 110–122.
An investigation of learners' use of CAN and COULD
Lauren Whitty
Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 32–46.
Integrating multimodal technologies with VARK strategies for learning and teaching EFL presentation: An investigation into learners' achievements and perceptions of the learning process
Yow-jyy Joyce Lee
Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 17–31.
Teaching pragmatics: Nonnative-speaker teachers' knowledge, beliefs and reported practices
Christine Savvidou, Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 39–58.
Factors affecting immigrants' host country language proficiency: Focusing on the differences between migrant workers and marriage-migrant women in South Korea
In Young Yang, Seongseog Park, Sungjun Lee, Byeonggon Min
Migration and Language Education Published: 30 April, 2020, Volume 1(1), 14–30.