The Influence of Digital Empowerment on Students’ English Proficiency

The ability to utilise technology in language learning as a platform in reinforcing English proficiency is important. However, to what extent these tools influence students. Thus, this study aims to investigate the influence of digital empowerment on students’ English proficiency based on two different variables; gender and fields of study. About 150 Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) students were chosen for this study using a simple random sampling method. This study utilises a quantitative research design by using questionnaires as the research instrument. The questionnaires consist of two parts: the demographic information and the second part, which focuses on variables relevant to the research objectives. Data were collected via Google Forms and analysed using SPSS, with descriptive statistics to determine the mean values. Inferential statistics were then employed to assess differences in means across gender and field of study. The results show that there is no significant difference between male and female students in how digital tools influence their English proficiency. However, from a field of study perspective, students from the Business and Administration field acknowledge digital tools as more useful and believe they have a stronger positive influence on their English proficiency compared to students from the Social Sciences, and Science and Technology fields. This study also discusses its implications for students, institutions, and policymakers who can develop beneficial outcomes in improving English language proficiency through digital empowerment in the future.

digital empowerment, English proficiency, language learning

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