A Study of Junior High School Students' Viewpoints Concerning the Use of Tablet PCs

Abstract

There are various types of students in Japanese middle school classes, with their own skills for learning English. Knowing what and how students like to study is a key to improving these classes. Especially, it is necessary to consider carefully how students can use Apple iPad tablets in English classes. To this end, a questionnaire was taken of 60 students in two second-year classes after having used iPad tablets in five lessons. As a result, it became clear that the students perceived the device as very useful. Especially students with higher English ability considered them useful for studying English vocabulary drills. On the other hand, lower level students indicated a desire to have constant access to and use the tablet iPads freely as a learning tool. These results may have implications for improving English classes.