Mobile Assisted -Language Learning (MALL) as a New Challenging Linguistic Sphere in English Learning : Its Impact on English Communicative Skills of Egyptian ESP Students

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t is a fact that the excessive use of mobile phones nowadays has created a new challenging form of learning via these devices, ubiquitous communications and intelligent innovative user interfaces. Different language skills have relatively been enhanced and a significant growth of mobile have been tremendous in the past years. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of using English short messaging service (SMS) on the development of Egyptian ESP first year students’ communicative skills (oral and written) at Higher Institute of Technology and Engineering. To fulfill the purpose of this study, Cambridge Objective PET and Speaking Tests, in addition to a questionnaire and of written works of 46 ESP learners were used. Subjects were divided into two groups: control and experimental. The first (control) was taught using strategies followed in the conventional teaching and the latter (experimental) was taught using the same strategies as the control group in addition to using SMS as a means of communication between them and their ESP teachers. During the six weeks of the study, each learner was asked to write at least 10-15 word SMS in English to their teacher every day. The teacher reads and modifies and sends them back to the student. A T-test was used to find the impact of practicing SMS on the students oral and written outputs. Findings showed that students who used SMS with their teacher remarkably improved their oral and written performance.