Using Twitter as an ELT Tool in the Saudi EFL Context

Abstract

The present study aims at investigating English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Saudi students’ adaption of Twitter and utilizing it as an English language learning tool and the different characteristics of each adopter category using Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI). It targets both the foundation year Saudi female university students studying EFL at the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) as well as the male and female Saudi students studying English at English language institutes abroad. The sample will consist of 50 female preparatory year students (PYS) studying EFL at the ELI. Their ages will range between the ages of 18 and 21 years old and will all be likely to come from an Arab origin. Furthermore, the study will include 50 male and female English learners who are studying abroad. This quantitative study uses a three parts questionnaire. The first part will request demographic information from participants such as age, years of experiences, academic ranking, and the level they are studying in the students' case. In the second section, participants were asked to choose the response that describes the degree to which they use the innovation (Twitter). In the last section, participants were asked to read 23 statements that measure the different characteristics of each adopter category which influence the user intention and behavior. The 23 statements were based on the five perceived attributes of innovations derived by Rogers (2003). A five-point Likert-type scale ranging from strongly agrees to strongly disagree was applied to assess the perceived attributes of Twitter. The researcher aims at identifying valuable insights on how much the social network website Twitter is accepted and used as a learning tool for Saudi language learners. Therefore, based on the findings of this study, researchers in the same field may expand the study by moving to further experimental research that maybe carried out to investigate the effectiveness of Twitter as a teaching tool in the ELI classroom at KAU and other language institutes outside the Kingdom.