Virtual Communities of Chinese Learners of Spanish: the Use of Mobile Applications in the Development of Speaking Skills

Abstract

The present study explores the impact of using Telegram – a relatively new mobile application - on the development of speaking skills in a group of Chinese learners of Spanish. A total of 16 participants who were following a non-credited online Spanish course in a British university were recruited. Students were randomly allocated to a control and an experimental group. This study is an example of action research in the specific context of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). From a methodological point of view, quantitative and qualitative elements of analysis were combined by making effective use of triangulation. Through various questionnaires and the completion of two language tasks via Telegram, the effectiveness of a pedagogical intervention was assessed. In spite of certain methodological limitations, results highlight the potential benefits of using mobile applications in VLEs settings.

Keywords

• virtual learning environments
• telegram
• mobile learning
• spanish as a second language