EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF MOBILE-ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING INTEGRATION IN VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION
Keywords:
Keywords: EFL teachers, teacher perceptions, mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), vocabulary instruction, technology integration, TPACKAbstract
Abstract
While a substantial body of research has examined learners’ engagement with
mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), considerably less attention has been paid
to how the teachers responsible for implementing these tools actually perceive them.
Teachers’ beliefs about a technology’s usefulness, their confidence in using it, and the
institutional constraints they operate under are widely recognized as decisive factors in
whether classroom technology adoption succeeds or stalls. This study examined EFL
teachers’ perceptions of integrating mobile applications into vocabulary instruction,
drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989), the Technological
Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), and Ertmer’s
(1999) distinction between first-order and second-order barriers to technology
integration. A qualitative-dominant, mixed-methods design was used with 12 EFL
teachers at Ixlos International School in Tashkent, combining a short questionnaire
with semi-structured interviews, analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke
(2006). Findings suggest that teachers broadly perceived mobile applications as useful
for vocabulary reinforcement and learner engagement, but expressed reservations
rooted in classroom management concerns, uneven student device access, and
uncertainty about how to pedagogically integrate application-based practice with
existing curricular demands. The discussion situates these findings within the broader
MALL literature and considers implications for teacher training and institutional
support in the Uzbekistani EFL context.
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