Mobile Devices: Are They Tools or Toys for Saudi College Students?

Abstract

The study aims at investigating Saudi college students' perceptions and attitudes towards the effectiveness of using mobile devices for academic purposes and other related activities. It tries to determine digital devices mostly used by students and measures to what extent they exploit these devices for academic purposes and in their other frequent activities. A survey was given to thirty-four Saudi university EFL students studying at the department of English and Translation, University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The overall results have shown that most students always hold their mobile phones and bring them inside the classroom. Additionally, most of students have showed preference for using mobile devices for academic purposes and other related activities. The benefits of this study could be utilized for encouraging students to benefit from their mobile devices academically and designing future learning activities as well as mobile phone usage in the EFL classroom.