From the perspective of ESP educators: Legal and ethical issues in

the use of mobile based Facebook learning.

Abstract
In todays world, more and more institutions of higher education are exploiting the benefits of
mobile learning. Using Facebook as the educational tool to enable learners to stay
connected with the learning at all times can significantly enhance the knowledge acquisition
process and combining the use of Facebook with the mobile learning can help forming a
hybrid teaching methodology which can facilitate ESP learning in the quickest, most effective
and efficient way.
Needless to say that this fairly new teaching methodology poses certain level of risks and
challenges to its users and it is extremely important to identify and then resolve these issues
so that the desired language outcomes can be successfully achieved. These risks and
challenges can not only hamper the pace of learning but cause demotivation and
unwillingness to cooperate with the learning process for both ESP learners and teachers.
Through this study, the security and privacy problems are discussed as the two chosen
ethical and legal issues for the mobile based Facebook learning. The research examines the
impact of these issues from the perspectives of ESP educators and based on the results
from the interviews, makes the conclusion and recommendations for remedying these
problems.
Introduction:
Thanks to mobile learning, the universities and colleges across the globe are able to reach
out to their learners in the fast, most effective and efficient way possible. Having an ideal and
productive mobile learning environment can enable teachers to have plethora of
opportunities for pedagogy, knowledge distribution and interactive sessions. With the help of
mobile learning, student can have an ease in interacting with educators and their
counterparts and have great assistance in their learning by having vast number of learning
materials on their disposal. The use of mobile learning in evaluating students performances
is also one of its vital benefits. On the one hand, with the help of mobile learning devices and
their applications, ESP practitioners can deliver learning content and engage their students
in a learning process which is dynamic, flexible and allows a certain degree of freedom and
independence that, through the results of some studies, have proven to be quite beneficial
for the higher motivations of both the learners and teachers. On the other hand, use of
Facebook as a learning tool and combining it with mobile learning can form a hybrid teaching
methodology which helps ESP teachers to have two most powerful mediums of
communication on their disposal and the effective use of this modern teaching method can
significantly assist ESP students in their desired knowledge acquisition. It is interesting to
note that although the use of Facebook in ESP teaching is relatively a new phenomenon but
it is gaining momentum and up to this date, a fair amount of studies have been conducted to
explore the productive use of Facebook leaning for the language students.
The use of Facebook in ESP learning allows teachers to have several advantages,
especially when it comes to monitoring, providing feedback and comparing results and
findings in an effective and efficient manner. One of the examples of using this hybrid
teaching methodology is when ESP practitioners are required to run an ESP course related
to technical writing of pilots and air technicians. The teachers can create a class Facebook

page and invite students to join the group. Once all the students have been added then
teacher can start posting the writing prompts and some videos relevant to the topic and then
ask students to watch the videos to establish the required knowledge to produce a short
essay by considering these prompts. Setting a deadline is necessary and once students start
posting their works then teachers can provide their feedback instantly and help learners to
alleviate mistakes and problems. Accessing Facebook on their mobile devices can help
increasing the efficacy of this whole process of learning for the learners it can cause
increased motivation because according to many researchers, it has been concluded that
learners learn quicker and better when they are in their comfort zones.
Despite of several benefits associated to mobile learning and the use of Facebook in
language acquisition, there are some very serious challenges and risks that need to be kept
in mind before educational institutions grant permission for the use this hybrid teaching
methodology. Some of he most challenging and difficult issues to deal with in mobile based
Facebook learning are related to the problems about security and privacy of the details of
the users. Malfunctioning of mobile devices, loss of signals and wifi connectivity, thefts and
risk of hacking are some of the commonly discussed problems too. When it comes to using
Facebook for educational purposes, lack of interest, fear and scepticism about peers,
teachers reviews and comments are some of the main issues (Zafar, 2014). It is without a
doubt an established fact that mobiles phones are prone to several risks and this could also
a serious challenge to overcome for the ESP practitioners to promote mobile based
Facebook learning (Howel, et.al., 2008). In addition to this, there is another important issue
which is to find the right balance between the ESP practitioners typical responsibilities and
the extra workload due to the use of this hybrid teaching methodology. Studies have proved
that more workload means less productivity and in the case of ESP teachers, their jobs are
already very demanding, requiring them to deal with multiple areas of language acquisition
process & pedagogy so overwhelming them with the additional work of managing and
monitoring mobile based Facebook learning may cause demotivation and lack of acceptance
of this new teaching approach (Osang and Tsuma, 2013).
The structure of this paper deals with the previous studies and their findings in relation to the
topic of this paper first. Furthermore, it attempts to describe the research question and the
methodology for obtaining the results for analyses and discussion. Finally, it draws the
conclusion based on the findings and suggests scope of further research in the pertaining
areas of mobile learning within the context of ESP learning

Literature Review
The advent of mobile learning has made learning more flexible and enabled students have
certain level of freedom when it comes to studying (Wagner, 2008). One of the reasons of
mobile learning being accepted and recognized by the teachers as well as the learner
because there has been unprecedented growth in the mobile phones industry and the latest
developments has made mobile phones technologically so advanced that their functions are
increasingly utilized by the language teachers to promote and deliver language skills and
expertise. Looking back at those times when the size of mobile phones and tablets were the
biggest obstacles in the mobility of these devices, it was out of question to come up with the
idea of using mobile learning in the language classrooms but in the last decade, the
introduction of touch screen and ultra light mobile phones and other mobile devices have
pushed the demand further for the use of mobile learning for language acquisition purposes
The rise of mobile learning in the language classrooms can also be attributed to the rise of
issues and problems which are unique an exclusive to mobile learning. The increasing risks
of information security and privacy issues in the case of the use of mobile devices in ESP
classroom are some of the major issues which need constant attention. Allowing students to

bring their mobile devices into the classrooms can exacerbate the security and privacy
problems for the teachers as well as the learners. From the teachers point of views, the
extra monitoring and surveillance to make sure that the mobile learning for students is
problem free and the security and privacy of the information and the mobile devices are not
compromised is one of the significant challenges and a huge responsibility and less
prepared teachers can significantly get demotivated due and lose interest in mobile learning.
Some other major problems, that can be caused by the security and privacy issues, for the
ESP teachers in mobile learning can be related with the safety and confidentiality of the
information and devices which can be comprised in case of the devices are accessed by an
unauthorized person. Furthermore, inability to keep the information secure on the mobile
gadgets is also one of the major problems. Not being able to restrict or stop the hateful
and/or illicit actions can also lead to some serious issues in mobile learning and of course,
the inadequate filtration of data and not following the copyright law may pose serious and
damaging consequences for the users of mobile learning in ESP class (Hwang, et.al.,2008).
It is without a doubt an established fact that the use of mobile based Facebook learning is
relatively a new teaching methodology that is still going through the phase of recognition and
acceptance among the language teachers. Though this new hybrid teaching methodology is
getting positive response, the popularity of this teaching technique is being held back due to
the some serious risks and problems. One of the most important issues is the safety and
security of the students information while being engaged in Facebook based mobile
learning. When engage with mobile based Facebook learning, not only teachers need to
make sure that the risks related to the use of mobile devices are very well explained and the
required precautionary measures are taken to ward off any potential threats related to the
security and privacy issues of mobile devices, they also have to educate students to the
potential threats related to the use of Facebook on mobile devices. It is concluded from
numerous researches that Facebook does not have very robust security system in place to
guard the users information. The password protection to keep the accounts safe from the
unauthorized access, use of an MD5 as an authorization and stressing on encryption are
some measures that Facebook takes to keep up with the security and privacy of their users
but they are not enough to completely secure the users data and their respective accounts.
According to some researchers, the inability of Facebook to completely alleviate the security
problem is the biggest challenge for them in the modern time (Jones and Soltren, 2005).
Whenever language teachers decide to opt for mobile learning and combing it with the
Facebook, they must be ready for some major security and privacy issues that they are
bound to encounter while creating the learning environment. Focusing particularly on the
technological devices and their related problems, some of the major issues can range from
the theft of mobile devices to software and hardware issues. Some other issues like
phishing, and the risk of unscrupulous users accessing their accounts may also deter
teachers to avoid this new teachning methodlogy (All, 2009).
The issue of privacy and security settings is not given much importance when it comes to the
users of the social networking websites especially Facebook. On the one hand, a lot of users
simply ignore the recommended security measures and keep their profile open to anyone
who wants to see and check their profiles while on the other hand, most of the SNSs like
Facebook do not have a secured default settling to privacy and a person who the user does
not know can still see his information but it is worth to state that even the most secured
privacy setting is prone to attackers access to users information (Guatilaka, 2011).
The Facebook users own ignorance towards the security of their details such as giving out
their passwords to their friends and family members to take care of the management of their
numerous profiles is also fuelling the increased numbers of online security and privacy
problems mainly identity thefts and authentication Hogben (2009). Facebook being the

largest SNSs has also been labelled as the leading cause of the security issues for its users
(Sophos, 2009).
In this research, the issues and challenges which ESP teachers consider important are
discussed. This research strives to ass ESP teachers point of views on the problems and
challenges related to security and privacy issues which have potential to hamper the
language acquisition process when students are engages in Facebook based mobile
learning.
Research Question
ESP teachers: Interview
1. What are the vital issues hindering the process of Facebook based ESP learning for
the students and educators in the ESP classrooms?
Methodology
The interviews are used as the key method of gathering the data for this research. They
primarily target the ESP educators from the university.
In the interviews, the teachers are asked the question regarding the vital issues hindering
the process of Facebook based ESP learning for the students and educators in the ESP
classrooms. It is made sure that the respondents details are kept anonymous, the faculties
and the universitys name are not revealed, and the data is only used for the research
purposes. Statistical graphs, diagrams, and tables are used to analyse and depict the
results.
Outcome
The results from the interviews are used to answer the research questions. The details are
as follows:
ESP teachers: Interview
Q4) What are the vital issues hindering the process of Facebook based ESP learning
for the students and the educators in the ESP classrooms?
To answer this question, 5 ESP teachers are selected from the two chosen faculties of the
foreign languages, and English literature. The interviews were conducted in person and the
results show that 80% of the teachers consider the loss of data, loss and or theft of mobile
devices, internet problems, identity theft, online performance on Facebook, criticism of peers
and teachers, sharing comments and reviews on Facebook for learning, teachers review of
work on a shared platform and peer assessment as the most vital issues hindering the
process of mobile based Facebook learning for the ESP students. The same percentage of
the educators (80%) also believe that the ESP learners carelessness in posting and sharing
comments and other learning materials may cause issues which would be difficult to monitor
and deal with. 60% of the teachers indicate that they are quite reluctant to encourage
students to use their mobile devices and access Facebook for ESP learning because of the
aforementioned security and privacy issues. They feel that for the ESP learners, any security
or privacy issue they face while being involved in this type of learning may hold them
accountable. 40% of them also consider negative attitude and lack of interest towards the
use of technology in ESP learning by some of the students as an important issue. 20%
consider the issues related to the IT infrastructure in ESP classroom causing problems for
this type of ESP learning among the learners. 10% of the teachers depict that the lack of

ESP teachers knowledge in IT in general and social networking sites i.e. Facebook in
particular, and unwillingness to encourage learners to use mobile devices for ESP learning
via Facebook are also some of the key factors hindering the process of Facebook based
ESP learning among the students.
Issues highlighted in the interview (ESP teachers)
Loss of data
Loss and or theft of mobile phone
Internet problems
Identity theft
online performance on Facebook
criticism of peers and teachers
sharing comments and reviews on Facebook
teachers review of work on a shared platform
Peer assessment
ESP learners carelessness in posting and sharing comments
Teachers reluctance to encourage students for using mobile devices
Negative attitude and lack of interest (ESP Teachers & Students)
IT infrastructure
Lack of knowledge in IT and SNSs of ESP teachers.
Table 6: Highlighted issues in the interview with the ESP teachers

Teachers responses (%)

80%

60%
40%
20%
10%

Discussion
Based on the feedback from the interviews of the ESP teachers, it is quite evident that a
number of the highlighted issues in the questionnaires i.e. the loss of data, loss and or theft
of mobile devices, internet problems, identity theft, online performance on Facebook,
criticism of peers and teachers, sharing comments and reviews on Facebook for learning,
teachers review of work on a shared platform and peer assessment, are considered
important and most frequently occurring problems affecting the pace of the ESP learning of
the students by the ESP educators. Majority of the teachers also confirm that the ESP
learners carelessness in posting, sharing comments and other learning materials can pose
serious problems not only for them but for their peers as well. Reluctance in encouraging
students to use their mobile devices and accessing Facebook for ESP learning by the
teachers is also an issue that is brought to light during the interview and more than half of
the teachers think that it could be because of the security and privacy risks associated with
this type of Facebook based learning on mobile. Some educators also feel that they do not
want to be held accountable in case of any of these issues get experienced by the students.
Some of the teachers also point out the students negative attitudes and lack of interest
towards the use of technology cause problems in this type of learning. Inadequate IT
infrastructure i.e. slow or inaccessible internet, lack of computers and other related devices
and so on, is also considered a vital issue by some of the ESP educators and in their
opinions, it causes demotivation and unwillingness among the teachers about the usage of
mobile based learning via Facebook. Lack of ESP teachers knowledge in IT in general and
social networking sites i.e. Facebook in particular, and unwillingness to encourage learners
to use mobile devices for ESP learning via Facebook are also considered some of the key
factors hindering the process of Facebook based ESP learning among the students by the
ESP teachers during the interview.
Conclusion and further research

This research discusses the views of the ESP educators about the security and privacy
issues in the mobile based Facebook learning. The use of mobile devices to get involved in
Facebook based ESP learning is relatively a new teaching technique and though it is found
from the research that not many ESP educators have a great deal of knowledge about this
type of teaching method, they certainly accept its benefits and are willing to experience it.
Security and privacy issues highlighted in this research are of great concern for ESP
educators and it is quite essential to address these problems in order for this new teaching
technique to become popular and practiced in the ESP classrooms. The security of the
mobile devices and to make sure that the details on them are safe and protected is not only
the responsibility of the ESP educators but the ESP learners too.
ESP educators should make sure that the students are given a thorough induction on the
whole teaching process, benefits, risks and precautions about the mobile based teaching via
Facebook which consequently allows students to gain the necessary knowledge in security
and privacy issues as well as provide them the required confidence and motivation so that
they can be more acceptable towards this teaching technique. Students should be clearly
advised to follow the standardised and prescribed security and privacy measures to make
their learning risks free and smooth.
Furthermore, teachers, being moderators, should also make sure the continuous and
efficient monitoring of all the learners online activities on Facebook on constant basis so that
no confidential information and data of the learners are shared online. Moreover, they should
keep a close eye on students works and comments being shared on Facebook to identity
any issues related to some students hesitation to take part in learning, eradicating bullying,
and any sort of negativity.
In conclusion, the use of mobile devices for Facebook based ESP learning does not only
provide autonomy to the teachers but enable students to take control of pace, progress and
productivity of their learning too. Security and privacy issues can deter learners as well as
the educators to avoid using mobile based Facebook learning in the ESP classrooms so it is
important to comply with the suggested security and privacy measures in order to make the
learning process secure, effective and efficient for the learners.
This study aims to explore the views of educators about the security and privacy issues
while using Facebook on mobile devices within the context of the ESP learning so any
further research may explore the implication of these issues in English for General
Purposes, English for Academic purposes or any other genres of the English language
acquisition. The larger data sample, examination of other legal and ethical issues than the
ones discussed in this research, and using ESP students or gender as the main focus for the
survey and interviews can also be the good starting points for any future research.
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Teachers interview:

What are the vital issues hindering the process of Facebook based ESP learning for the
students and educators in the ESP classrooms?