The Use of Mobile Applications in Mandarin Script Writing Assignments

Abstract

The performance of students in language learning is increasingly being given special attention, especially Mandarin, which has become very popular and is strongly emphasized as a third language in Higher Learning Institutions in Malaysia. Previous studies examined mobile learning, more commonly known as m-learning, from the aspect of reading and listening skills but they rarely focused on writing skills. The purpose of this research is to study the effectiveness of using translation based mobile applications on the performance of undergraduates in Mandarin script writing assignments through students’ self-efficacy. This research used a quasi-experimental design with quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The subjects of this research were students studying Mandarin at a higher institution in Malaysia. The findings of this research showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the performance level for students in the experimental group and the control group based on the comparison of pre- and post-test results. Even though there was no significant difference between the relationships of self-efficacy between the two groups, the students in the experimental group showed a clear increase in their self-efficacy.