Mobile Learning in the ELT Classroom: How to Improve Teaching English as a Foreign Language in a Vocational School

Abstract

The main aim of this action research was to investigate the possibility of the improvement of teaching English as a foreign language in a vocational school in Croatia. The main research questions focused on discovering what could enhance student motivation while learning a foreign language, how a teacher could facilitate student ownership of learning, and what were the possibilities of using a mobile application and the topic of cultural heritage in order to foster learning. Previous studies have failed to address innovative foreign language teaching and learning approaches in secondary vocational schools. The action research methods included an anonymous survey, teachers' observation and written interviewing. The collected data was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Conclusions that could be drawn encompass the positive students' feedback and practical implications for the vocational school English language curriculum. Students' participation at all stages of the action research made them active partners and thus owners of their learning.