The use of wireless technology in UKM: Challenges faced and its impact on English language learning

Abstract

The use of wireless technology has become increasingly popular among students in Malaysian Institutions of Higher Learning. However, the extent this technology benefits these students is still debatable. Wireless technology is commonly defined as any services that provide general electronic information and educational content to assist learners in the acquisition of knowledge, regardless of location and time. Studies have shown that the usage of wireless technology can provide new learning opportunities to the learners by increasing their interest in education and enabling them to overcome physical barriers. However, some studies revealed that the abuse of wireless technology may have negative effects that culminate in students’ poor performance in their studies. Easy availability of wireless technology in the university under investigation led to this research study which is designed to find the challenges faced in using wireless technology and its impact on learning particularly the learning of English among a group of students in a public university in Malaysia, i.e. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. A questionnaire survey and individual interviews were used to collect data for this study. The findings revealed that wireless technology has led to direct learning of English through accessing English language learning websites and online dictionaries, communicating socially online for learning purposes, to incidental learning through involvement in social networking and entertainment activities. The study also revealed some of challenges faced which include infrastructure problems such as traffic congestion, no network coverage and interference from the environment, and coping issues resulting from students’ excessive involvement in online activities.