The Role of Digital Learning Applications in Developing Academic Language Skills among Bilingual Children from Teachers’ Perspectives

Abstract

This study explored the role of educational digital applications in the development of academic language skills among bilingual children. The study aimed to examine teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of these applications and to identify challenges associated with their classroom use. A qualitative research approach was adopted, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of early childhood teachers working in bilingual educational environments. The findings revealed that the effectiveness of educational digital applications is conditional upon teachers’ awareness, intentional use, and prior instructional planning. The applications were found to support several academic language skills, including vocabulary development, listening, pronunciation, and reading comprehension, while showing limited effectiveness in the development of writing skills. In addition, the use of digital applications contributed to increasing children’s motivation and reducing language anxiety, particularly in second language learning contexts. Despite these benefits, the results highlighted several challenges, such as technical and infrastructural limitations, the scarcity of high-quality Arabic digital content, increased time and professional demands on teachers, and the need for specialized professional training. Accordingly, the study recommends integrating educational digital applications as part of well-planned early childhood teaching practices.