Learning beyond the Classroom through WhatsApp: An Informal Channel to Motivate Learners to stay Connected

The increased popularity of social networking sites and mobile apps in general has led to uptake in education. In this paper, literature reporting the use of WhatsApp for acquiring language skills by tertiary level learners has been critically reviewed with a particular emphasis on learning outcomes. This paper also presents pedagogical implications of students using WhatsApp for various discussions, and an insight into the learning strategies of using WhatsApp as an informal channel of learning English language skills. Also, it has been hypothesized that how WhatsApp can provide a viable support to the learners in their active participation in online discussion forums. However, the scarcity of adequate research in this area and the fragmented nature of the current information make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. It is recommend that further research should focus on systematic and in-depth examinations building on the existing findings documented here.