Perceptions of students’ on the Use of WhatsApp in Teaching Methods of English as Second Language at the University of Namibia

Recently, electronic mobile devices have been widely used for attaining knowledge, asking questions and retrievinginformation. Mobile devices and their features have been in the glare of publicity for educational purposes. TheWhatsApp application instant messaging platform has become the most popular mobile device application regarded asone of the teaching and learning styles that facilitate collaborative learning as students are beaming with ownsmartphones.Nowadays, it is challenging to help students raise their interest in learning. Thus WhatsApp presents itself as one of theinventive teaching methods that can attract students and provide them with opportunities for further learning.WhatsApp increases helps students to work smarter and more effectively. This research investigates the students’perceptions towards using the WhatsApp application as a learning tool for Teaching Methods of English as SecondLanguage on a Bachelor’s degree programme at the University of Namibia. To achieve this, about 99 students in thesame cohort completed the self-administered questionnaires. The study revealed, amongst many, that WhatsApp canimpact negatively on the performance of tertiary students, especially those who do not own smartphones. Theplatform shows a variance on balancing online activities (WhatsApp) and academic preparation, and distractsstudents from completing their assignments and adhering to their private studies time table. However, students enjoyusing WhatsApp as a tool for learning and calls for institutions to offer internet amenities as a top urgency incontemporary instruction.