The Usefulness of the Telegram App in Learning English as a Foreign Language: Teachers and Students Voices

Abstract

The study attempted to investigate the effectiveness of the Telegram application (app) in learning English as a foreign language for undergraduate EFL learners. The study looked at how Telegram app constraints EFL learners experience when utilizing Telegram in learning a foreign language. This research, using a descriptive-diagnostic research approach, used a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to collect the data from 40 students and 20 teachers at Najran University which were chosen through a stratified sampling technique. The results revealed that both teachers and students think that Telegram can highly improve learning English as a foreign language. The results also showed the participant (student, teacher) played a role in varying the study sample's responses in favor of teachers. The findings of the interview show that many students struggle to learn the English language through Telegram due to constraints like device compatibility, health issues, lack of motivation, loneliness, distraction, and difficulty in uploading and downloading files, often unable to receive feedback or academic assistance due to technical staff and training issues. The results of this study have implications for teaching and learning English that can motivate both instructors and students to use social media-based tools.