Smartphones as Potential Tools to Enhance Yemeni EFL College Students' Listening Skills in a Zero-Resource Environment

Abstract: This mixed-method study investigated EFL college students’ experience with smartphone learning and their potential advantages and challenges when used to enhance EFL college students' listening skills in a zero-resource setting. The study used questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGDs), and interviews to collect data from the subjects before and after being involved in a smartphone learning experience. The sample included EFL third-level students at the College of Education, Zingibar, Abyan University, Yemen, in 2023/2024. The results revealed that using smartphones has potential advantages in developing EFL college students' listening skills. They encourage students' meaningful engagement and interaction with peers and teachers and facilitate authentic language use inside and outside the classroom. The results also showed that some potential challenges could impede smartphone learning, which pertain to smartphones themselves, EFL teachers, and learners. The most prevalent challenges are the lack of smartphones among EFL learners, the negative attitudes of EFL teachers toward smartphone learning, and EFL teachers' lack of experience in integrating smartphones in EFL classrooms. In addition, the study proposed solutions to the problems raised during the application of smartphone learning and provided suggestions and recommendations for further research.