MOBILE-ASSISTED LEGAL LANGUAGE LEARNING READINESS, BELIEFS, AND ASPIRATIONS AMONG LAW STUDENTS AT GOVERNMENT COLLEGE UNIVERSITY FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN

Authors

  • Tehreem Fatima BS (Hons) English Literature and Linguistics, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan. Author
  • Hira Ishfaq BS (Hons) English Literature and Linguistics, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan. Author
  • Hudaibia Saeed BS (Hons) English Literature and Linguistics, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan. Author
  • Muhammad Asim Khan (Corresponding Author) Visiting Lecturer, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63878/jalt2182

Keywords:

MALL, mobile-assisted language learning, legal English, ESP needs analysis, law students, Pakistan, aspirational wants, blended learning, self-directed learning, Technology Acceptance Model.

Abstract

This quantitative study explores the readiness, beliefs and aspirational wants of the LLB students (N = 193) of College of Law, Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF), Pakistan.  The context of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and Hutchinson and Waters (1987) three-part needs analysis model was utilized. The MALL has three analytically separate dimensions that are captured by a 6-item 5-point Likert scale instrument: device readiness and navigational comfort, learning beliefs, and aspirational professional wishes focused on courtroom advocacy and problem analysis. Analyses consist of descriptive statistics, Pearson bivariate correlations, one way analysis of variance, independent-samples t-tests, chi-square contingency tests and multiple OLS regression. Results reveal a uniformly high MALL composite mean (M = 3.649, SD = 0.822), with item means of 3.601–3.689 and Agree+ frequencies of 64.2%–68.9%. All 15 pairwise inter-item correlations are significant (r = .429–.665, p < .001). However, ANOVA shows that there is no statistically significant difference between the readiness of students in each proficiency group in MALL (F(2, 190) = 0.90, p = .408), whereas there is statistically significant difference in oral lacks (p = .022) and legal reasoning deficits (p = .018). There was no gender difference revealed (p = .147). The results of the Chi-square are that there is no relation between proficiency and MALL use (χ²(2) = 1.21, p = .546). Multiple OLS regression indicates that the strongest predictor of MALL readiness (R² = .341, β = .483, p < .001) is Section C (perceived curriculum gap). The results found that institution-specific evidence that integration of MALL at the College of Law, GCUF would be appreciated by all its students irrespective of their proficiency or gender and that the integration of MALL at this institution should be based on culturally contextualised and task-based MALL module, which would be grounded in the discourse of Pakistani legal and courtroom discourse.

References

Afzal, M., Ali, S., & Ghawaas, H. G. (n.d.). The future of legal practice in Pakistan: Analyzing lawyer challenges and Legal World's role in digitalizing drafting, research, billing, and case management.

Ahmad, N. (2011). Analyzing the spoken English needs in Pakistani academic legal settings. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 31(2), 449–469.

Ahmad, N. (2012). Legal discourse comprehension analysis in Pakistani academic listening situations. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 32(1), 263–282.

Ali, M. I. (2024). Bridging the gap: Integrating flipped classrooms into legal education in Pakistan. Journal of Legal Studies "Vasile Goldiș", 33(47), 79–98.

Ananta, B. D. B., Sholahuddin, M. F. T., Khotib, D. A., & Farah, R. R. (2025). Need analysis of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in psychology: Identifying linguistics demands for academic and professional success. English Learning Innovation, 6(1), 108–123.

Arnedo, A. A. (2025). Exploring mobile-assisted language learning. Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow, 25(9), 276.

Baig, K. (2025). Comparative analysis of legal education models in leading UK and US law schools: Lessons and policy directions for reforming legal education in Pakistan. Social Science Review Archives, 3(4), 1412–1422.

Baig, K., Ahmad, W., Laghari, A. R., & Maqbool, M. A. (2023). Surveying legal education in Pakistan: Addressing challenges and proposing innovations. Current Trends in Law and Society, 3(1), 77–88.

Berge, Z. L., & Muilenburg, L. Y. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of mobile learning (pp. 133–146). Routledge.

Bozdoğan, D. (2015). MALL revisited: Current trends and pedagogical implications. Procedia — Social and Behavioral Sciences, 195, 932–939.

Essafi, M., Belfakir, L., & Moubtassime, M. (2025). Examining the impact of demographics on students' perceptions of mobile-assisted language learning. Journal of Computer Science and Technology Studies, 7(1), 351–361.

Estrella, F. (2025). Mobile assisted language learning: Ecuadorian undergraduate polytechnic students' perceptions. Social Education Research, 1–19.

Fan, J., & Zhang, Q. (2024). From literacy to learning: The sequential mediation of attitudes and enjoyment in AI-assisted EFL education. Heliyon, 10(17).

Fatima, T., Saeed, H., Ishfaq, H., & Khan, M. A. (2026). BRIDGING THE GAP IN LEGAL ENGLISH: AN ESP NEEDS ANALYSIS OF UNDERGRADUATE LAW STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT), 9(2), 113-127.

Figueiredo, S. (2023). The effect of mobile-assisted learning in real language attainment: A systematic review. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 39(4), 1083–1102.

Habib, S., Haider, A., Suleman, S. S. M., Akmal, S., & Khan, M. A. (2022). Mobile assisted language learning: Evaluation of accessibility, adoption, and perceived outcome among students of higher education. Electronics, 11(7), 1113.

Hoven, D., & Palalas, A. (2011). (Re)conceptualizing design approaches for mobile language learning. CALICO Journal, 28(3), 699–720.

Huseinović, L. (2023). The relationship between digital competency, learning styles and learners' perception of traditional versus technology-assisted language learning. MAP Education and Humanities, 3(1), 17–30.

Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes: A learning-centred approach. Cambridge University Press.

Iftikhar, N. (2025). Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL): Revolutionizing second language acquisition. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT), 8(1), 1038–1045.

Ismail, S. M., & Hashim, H. (2020). Virtual reality-based education (VRBE): Understanding students' readiness and expectancies. International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering, 9(3), 172–176.

Jamshad, J., Javed, M. W., Asghar, M. S., Rasheed, A., & Kareem, N. (2021). Evaluation of fresh law graduates: An empirical study about the legal education system of Pakistan. Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, 58(1).

Khaleel, B., & Haladin, N. B. B. (2021). The interface between language, crime and law: Discourse analysis of legal drafting in Punjab. In Virtual Language and Communication Postgraduate International Seminar 2021 (p. 49).

Khan, M. A., Shah, S. K., & Yasmeen, R. (2024). A needs analysis for developing and evaluating a culturally relevant mobile-assisted English language teaching (MAELT) module to enhance legal English proficiency and critical thinking skills in Pakistani law undergraduates. Migration Letters, 21(S3), 1915–1940.

Kizjibek, O. (2025). Project-based learning approach in English for lawyers: A model of authentic ESP course design. In Scottish International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation–SICMRI 2025 (Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 129–130).

Masood, N., & Hina, Q. A. (2024). Communication skills among prospective teachers: A need analysis for 21st Century university teachers in Islamabad, Pakistan. Journal of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences (JHSMS), 5(1), 109–121.

Musurmanov, R., Perdeshova, N. Y., Eshpulatovna, K. D., Dusmamatovna, R. S., & Uralovich, K. O. (2025). Developing economics students' professional English competence through mobile-assisted language learning. International Journal of Language Education, 9(4), 844–853.

Naveed, A. (2016). Designing and implementing a legal English course to develop the rule of law in the context of transition in Pakistani society. In The export of legal education (pp. 103–121). Routledge.

Naveed, M. A., & Shah, N. A. (2023). Information literacy in the legal workplace: Current state of lawyers' skills in Pakistan. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 55(2), 334–347.

Nguyen, T. S., & Nguyen, T. D. T. (2024). The relation between students' readiness for self-directed learning and their employment of mobile-assisted language learning. Tạp Chí Khoa Học Ngôn Ngữ và Văn Hóa, 8(3), 360–377.

Pegrum, M. (2019). Mobile lenses on learning. Springer.

Rachmawati, D. L. (2024). Strategic imperatives: A rigorous examination of needs analysis in ESP law education for optimal learning outcomes. International Journal of Pedagogical Language, Literature, and Cultural Studies (i-Plural), 1(1), 24–31.

Rahim, A. A. A. (2014). English for Specific Academic Purposes mobile learning framework for technical and engineering context: A conceptual framework. IDOSI Publications.

Rashid, S. (2018). The effect of training in Mobile Assisted Language Learning on attitude, beliefs and practices of tertiary students in Pakistan [Unpublished doctoral work].

Reayat, N., Shah, A., & Ali, S. S. (2020). The problems of legal education in Pakistan: Teaching and learning, curriculum, and assessment methods. International Review, 9(4), 357–368.

Rohmawati, C., Jannah, D. L., & Yuningsih, Y. (2025). Perception of legal students in State Islamic University of Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten on English for specific purposes: English requirement and materials. Premise: Journal of English Education and Applied Linguistics, 14(1), 164–186.

Rubab, I. (2025). Simplifying the language of law: Perceptions of Pakistan's legal community on plain English practices. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT), 8(4), 1194–1203.

Shevchenko, Y. V., & Bykonia, O. P. (2026). Teaching future lawyers ESP using interactive technologies. Publishing House "Baltija Publishing".

Siddiqui, A., Lashari, A. A., & Soomro, A. R. (2023). An investigation to design course of English for legal purposes (ELP) from viewpoint of CBI in Sindh Law College, Hyderabad. Global Language Review, VIII, 167–177.

Tang, J., & Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2025). Teachers' conceptions and practices of mobile language learning and teaching. Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning.

Yang, W., & Gao, X. A. (2022). Review of mobile assisted language learning: Concepts, contexts and challenges.

Zhu, B. (2021). A study of the experience of Chinese overseas university students of how mobile assisted language learning (MALL) affects their motivation to learn foreign languages and their learning emotions [Doctoral dissertation, Technische Universität Berlin].

Downloads

Published

2026-05-13