Benefits of Using Mobile Apps as a Support for Mandarin Language Learning

Abstract Conventional face-to-face learning is not enough to keep up with the demands of today’s internet-based technology. Along with the emergence of the industrial revolution 4.0, the term education 4.0 also appears in the world of education, where conventional face-to-face learning is considered to be unable to fully support the latest learning. Mandarin is the second largest language after English, so mobile apps that support Mandarin learning are growing more and more diverse. Therefore, foreign language learners make mobile apps as supporting learning. This study uses a survey method to determine the use of mobile apps in learning Mandarin, data were collected from questionnaires distributed to 149 students of the Chinese Literature program. Respondents stated: Most of them downloaded 1-3 apps on their smartphones; the majority of mobile apps used are in the form of dictionaries and translators; there are relatively many mobile apps available, but only a few can help them learn effectively; they prefer mobile apps with material that is presented in an audiovisual manner; they use mobile apps to support classroom learning and independent learning; supporting self-learning at any time and any place is the main reason they use mobile apps in learning Mandarin.