Indonesian Teachers' and Families' Perspectives on Smartphones for Early Second Language Acquisition

Abstract

Incorporating English as a foreign language (EFL) courses in Indonesian schools and kindergartens has been encouraged by the government due to its benefits for the students' future careers. Indonesian teachers then utilize many methods to improve students' English skills, especially using digital technology. One of the most used digital devices nowadays in language education is the smartphone, as they have the potential to provide users with unique features such as interactive and portable learning, and even provide feedback for the users in real time. This exploratory qualitative study investigates Indonesian families' (n = 10) and teachers' (n = 10) perspectives on using smartphones for early second language acquisition (ESLA) in children aged 0-7. A semi-structured interview was used to explore the participants' perspectives and data were analyzed using the grounded theory and content analysis. The study found that families and teachers have more negative perceptions than positive ones, as they view that the drawbacks a smartphone brings to a child outweighs the benefits.