Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), cilt.15, sa.1, ss.17-37, 2021 (Scopus)
This study aims to investigate the impact of new media and some demographic factors such
as gender, affinity with English, self-reported academic success, and reading habits on foreign language
learning efforts of 21st
-century language learners born into a digital world. The participants were 100
students attending a government secondary school in Artvin, which is located in the Eastern Black Sea
Region of Turkey. A case study methodology was employed in the research to investigate the
characteristics of the specific subjects extensively. Two questionnaires and a demographic information
form were used to collect data and were analyzed with descriptive and inferential analyses. The
frequency distribution was presented in tables, and the binary logistic regression model was conducted
to assess and identify the influence of new media on digital natives’ foreign language learning efforts.
Research findings indicated that more than half of the digital natives possess a higher level of foreign
language learning effort. Secondly, the variables such as affinity towards learning English, self-reported
academic success, and using media hardware and social media had a significant effect on digital natives’
foreign language learning effort. Finally, the digital natives’ classification of effort was seen to be
significantly predicted by using new media. The study strongly recommends the extensive integration
and use of new media type, which the learners prefer, in the foreign language learning process of the
digital natives since it directly contributes to the process of foreign language learning effort and
indirectly enhances the enthusiasm and willingness of the digital natives.