WhatsApp for Educational Purposes: Exploring Omani English Language Teachers` WhatsApp Use and Corresponding Beliefs

Abstract

A growing body of research accentuates the potential of adopting social media platforms, including instant messaging applications in formal learning. This study aims to explore Omani English language teachers' use of WhatsApp in their teaching as well as their perspectives regarding its use. Twelve Omani English language teachers from various government schools were interviewed and a number of WhatsApp artifacts were collected. The data was analyzed using Thematic Content Analysis and focused on both the teachers’ beliefs and their use of the software. The study revealed that teachers’ employed WhatsApp for a number of educational purposes such as managing their classes, communicating with parents, improving particular language skills and providing ongoing assistance to support in-home learning. In addition, WhatsApp emerged as a means of developing and maintaining a Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) in the participants' professional contexts which allowed for sustained continuous professional development of the participants. The research uncovered largely positive views regarding WhatsApp use to facilitate both English language teaching and promote out-of-class learning. The participants confirmed the user-friendly and practical aspects of the application which facilitates both teaching and learning processes. The practical implications of these findings are to support teachers in their agentive role and allow for the bottom-up mobile technology-reliant initiatives that support achieving educational results.