STUDENTS' READINESS FOR TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Abstract

Technology is playing an important role in transforming the global education scene. The purpose of this study is to examine students' readiness for technology integration in online learning of the Mandarin language at the beginner level. Student readiness in learning a new language is important in order for them to progress in the learning process. This will help them to adapt, accept, process and apply themselves to the new or foreign language. For non-native speakers of the language, this can pose a challenge. A group of tertiary students at the degree level of a local university were selected for the study to answer an online survey form and to be interviewed in order to find out if they found online learning of Mandarin Language doable at the beginner level. An online application was designed to facilitate the learning using Padlet, Quizlet and Quizizz. The study found that students were able to adapt to online learning of the Mandarin language and were ready to accept the learning process although it was different from their physical class session. Comparatively, the study also found that students' interest for learning were more aroused by the online lessons as there were more pictures, audios, games and quiz that were interactive and fun. Furthermore, it was found that students were indirectly able to cultivate discipline and independent learning through the online lessons.