WhatsApp Utilization as a Language Teaching/Learning Tool at Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University

This current study is to investigate the use of WhatsApp application as a teaching/learning tool by conducting a research on the EFL faculty members’ usage of WhatsApp at Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University. The study covered EFL faculty members in the Preparatory Year Deanship, English Department at the College of Sciences and Humanities, and College of Business Administration. Data was collected from 78 (51 male, 27 female) faculty members. The descriptive analysis of the data showed that 71% of all the faculty members in the study use WhatsApp as a language teaching/learning tool. The most used multimedia tool used was text followed by audio & documents. Findings also indicate that more use was geared towards more information exchange (like sharing announcements) than content-based material. Also, participants tend to use WhatsApp more for more interpersonal aspects like availability to help students and emotive aspects like lowering students’ linguistic filter. The most agreed on the reason for not using WhatsApp for teaching and learning is the belief that face-to-face interaction is more effective than online interaction. The study recommended, specifically with what the world of education has gone through due to Covid-19, more implementation of applications like Whatsapp and others which, as being used so widely in daily life, can support distant venue of education. Language teaching/learning wise, these applications features can be studied in depth by specialists for better utilization. With the involvement of these app developers, they can be turned into effective teaching/learning tools.