Category	Number of categories	Code
WhatsApp as a channel for interaction that enhances education	1	C1
Students and teachers use WhatsApp to easily access content and material	2	C2
Downsides of connectivity regarding technological concerns	3	C3
WhatsApp and its limitations	4	C4

Source: Own design.

It is relevant to mention that the virtual questionnaire did not record pre-service teachers' names or personal information, ensuring participants' privacy rights and anonymity. To classify the individual responses of the fifteen educators surveyed, the code PT (Pre-service Teacher) plus a corresponding number from one to fifteen refers to the exact responses provided by participants.

WhatsApp as a channel to encourage class interaction

After analyzing the data, researchers found that WhatsApp enhances interaction and communication among pre-service teachers and their students. In this study, pre-service teachers manifested difficulties communicating with students through video call platforms such as Google Meet and Zoom due to lack of connectivity; therefore, WhatsApp became the primary source for establishing interaction and facilitating classes. Most of the pre-service teachers' reactions were assertive according to their experiences, and researchers identified some commonalities concerning increases in students' interactions and participation during virtual classes using text and audio messages or videos. Additionally, pre-service teachers discovered WA's utility as a diffuser for relevant and immediate information. The following excerpts support WA's interactivity and are shown through codes reflecting the categories and participants they represent; thus, C and a number belong to a category presented in Table 2, and PT and a number refer to a corresponding pre-service teacher. These codes identify which category and participant a particular excerpt belongs to; for

instance, C1PT6 indicates Category 1 Pre-service Teacher 6.

C1PT6: "It was acceptable because the children connected at the time that the class started, and I could interact with them[...]"

C1PT10: "Greater interaction with students as it allowed exchanging direct messages."

C1PT4: "The students once motivated to participate in sessions, sent audio notes and videos to participate in the activities."

C1PT2: "Different tools such as video and camera can be implemented when assessing students' competencies."

The previous excerpts show that among the participants' responses, there is an increase in interaction among students and pre-service teachers. Since learners were periodically connected to the WA application for personal and educational purposes, sending direct messages meant a higher level of communication due to its immediacy. A higher interchange of messages throughout different formats (audio and video) led to a deeper immersion into the social media platform; immediacy and students' commitment were the main factors that guaranteed the classes' success.

C1PT10: "WhatsApp becomes an indispensable means for sending important messages and reminders for future classes"

C1PT12: "[...] Also, it is a good means to answer questions beyond a distance."

C1PT11: "WhatsApp was used as a means of disseminating information for students who did not have the necessary resources to access calls in Meet"

The data suggests that WhatsApp allows users to diffuse relevant information based on the needs of the communicative agents. In this situation, WA connected students with limited resources with the teacher, the rest of the class, and crucially, with the lesson content through video-conference applications such as Google Meet and Zoom; that is to say, activities done through those apps are adaptable to lighter formats and more accessible for students with less digital storage space and mobile data. Pre-service teachers also used WA as an alternative for aiding learners to solve their doubts regarding content, activities, and homework immediately. Using WA in conjunction with the pre- service teachers' disposition and time was critical in reaching the proposed goals in the courses they lead, corroborating Ishtiaq Khan et al. (2021) statement on the importance of the teacher's guidance for having positive results in a class mediated through WA.

The presented finding proposes that the WhatsApp application serves not only as a means to chat for leisure but also to interact and exchange relevant information about specific content, in this case, educational. Even if WA has been considered purely as a social media application, this finding illustrates the potential its functionality can bring to teaching and learning fields, including the diversity found at the moment where interactions happen. This result aligns with what Munir et al. (2021) and Guadamuz- Villalobos (2020) state on how learners can quickly receive messages due to their instant exposure to the WA application, which somewhat guarantees frequent information updates for group members.

Students and teachers use of WhatsApp to easily access content and material

Considering the participants' perceptions of the study, the second finding arises from the aspects and data examined based on monitoring, recording, and immediacy. Responses regarding WhatsApp's implementation as an educational resource had a positive connotation, and some advantages were identified, particularly, that this application allows users to revise the content no matter the time or place, which increases immediacy for delivering assignments, activities and feedback, as well as allowing personalized comments in real-time. Pre- service teachers' responses also highlighted this application's vast potential to keep records of evidence from the classes, leading to better monitoring of students' strengths and weaknesses, and facilitating personalized storage options and feedback sessions. Finally, online environments can easily count on diverse alternatives to include videos, games, and dynamic activities through which explored contents could be approached in a more explicit and bearable way for learners. These excerpts, collected from the virtual questionnaire, are related to monitoring and immediacy:

C2PT2: "[...] students can re-review their work and material submitted by the teacher at any time, and teachers can review students' production."

C2PT1: "You could attend to the individual doubts of each student immediately and clarify every aspect."

C2PT15: "It was a very simple and direct medium, where essential information was shared effectively, and it was possible to briefly resolve the concerns presented."

The evidence indicates that including WA in educational purposes can benefit students and teachers regarding the permanent access to the contents and materials shared through the application; so even if people are in a place other than their home, they can use any available time to check their smartphone and find the information

they are interested in. Thus, accessibility varies according to the application's dependence on other technological devices like computers or tablets and data consumption requirements. Contrarily, WhatsApp allows real-time answers, enabling the teacher to attend to individual requests and doubts, creating a better environment for the learning process. Participants also mentioned WhatsApp is effective and easy to use, facilitating the fulfillment of classes; its immediacy for sending and receiving messages and its simple interface meant less time spent waiting for a response, grading, and returning the products sent by the learners.

C2PT2: "Because the activities, mostly individual, come through a private channel that helps personalize the work done by the student."

C2PT1: "Materials delivery was done systematically, and you could keep track of it and assignment turn-ins."

C2PT5: "Because you could objectively have the complete record of all classes with each message of participation, you could better observe and analyze the development of each of your capabilities."

C2PT14: "Given the greater interaction with each student, it was possible to notice their strengths and weaknesses in each skill."

The answers provided by pre-service teachers indicate that because all materials related to classes are shared through the same and only channel, WhatsApp, everything is recorded centrally. This advantage guarantees constant access and availability of the resources exchanged between the learners and the teacher. Moreover, since students' products or doubts can be sent through a private chat, the teacher can periodically monitor students' learning process, identify their capacities, and potentialize them. They could also pinpoint learners' strengths and weaknesses, be mindful of their student's performances, and offer them individual

and specific feedback based on their mistakes, failures, and needs. Teaching and learning through this application can transform teaching itself into a more personalized practice, as Guadamuz-Villalobos (2020) states. This potential of having an individual approximation and accurate recording of each aspect of students' linguistic development underscores WhatsApp's functionalities and its offer to the educational field regarding virtual learning. These diverse alternatives and possibilities can be explored through the subsequent excerpts:

C2PT7: "The students are very visual, and this medium allowed them to use videos of songs and more so that they could learn. This is something complex to do in school since there is no video beam or speaker to do this exercise."

C2PT9: "[...] the great diversity of material that could be implemented or created by participation strategies driven by virtuality."

The finding previously analyzed evidence that WhatsApp's tools allow learners and teachers to revise the content shared through the application at any time or place. This finding aligns with the results presented by Suarez (2018), in which she states the positive opportunity that WhatsApp offers its users preservation and access to send information despite the time or space, suggesting that WA supplies a higher immediacy level, which considerably decreases time spent on solving individual doubts, grading, and providing personalized feedback because messages exchange happens in real-time through private chats. WhatsApp serves as a tool for proposing and correcting problems or tasks related to the contents being learned (Súarez, 2018), which is supported by the same author when she mentions the instantaneousness WA provides in communication for educational purposes, assuring a safer and more particular environment for students to interact with the teacher. Thus, the present finding demonstrates that the inclusion of the WhatsApp application for educational purposes

counts with the potential to increase and guarantee the learners' success in a second language due to its simple interface and immediacy of interactions.

This application enables a linguistic diagnosis of students' performances and knowledge (Suárez, 2018) through the specific record of the evidence and materials sent by the learners. The second data, then, suggests that implementing WA can also facilitate assessment, evaluation, and monitoring of each learner's process by identifying their weaknesses, potentializing their strengths, or improving their skills through the tasks and activities proposed because of the individual channel that WA provides for both, teachers and learners. Therefore, this finding suggests the possibility of increasing students' interest and commitment due to the simplicity of access to content and materials, as well as a more direct and personalized means to keep track of students' performance, which in the long- term WA would allow a detailed analysis of those aspects to be improved or preserved.

Downsides of connectivity regarding technological concerns

After analyzing the participants' responses in this research, the present finding contemplates the concerns pre-service teachers faced while teaching English during a virtual mediated modality using WhatsApp as the primary resource to facilitate classes, deliver assignments, and provide feedback. Students' lack of personal smartphones and mobile data usage caps were some of the aspects found among participants' perceptions. A key concern identified by some participants regarding using WhatsApp in education was the lack of digital equity among students. Not all students have access to personal mobile devices or unlimited mobile data, which hindered students’ ability to download or access materials provided by teachers. The upcoming excerpts illustrate this challenge:

C3PT9: "[...] The continued shutdowns of the internet networks and lack of technological resources."

C3PT11: "Not all students in public institutions have access to the internet and a smartphone or even a good signal to make calls."

C3PT5: "Limiting the use of audiovisual materials taking into account the Internet limit of students."

C3PT1: "Not all students had a stable connection to access all materials [...]"

C3PT15: "When sharing a video, you had to be careful with the megabytes and content duration [...]"

These excerpts from the study showcase pre-service teachers' concerns about instructing in a virtual environment where not all students can consistently attend and actively participate. Despite the prevalence of smartphones in Colombian households (at least one per home according to Forbes, 2021), only 56.5% have internet access. This digital divide highlights a challenge for virtual learning: students' reliance on guardians' or family members' time and device availability to complete assignments. Additionally, the data highlights another challenge: some students lack smartphones or have limited data plans that restrict downloading the materials needed for class. This limited connectivity pushed pre-service teachers to design their teaching aids considering students' network and device capabilities.

The preceding finding indicates that pre-service teachers had to deal with students' lack of mobile devices to attend virtual encounters. While Wijaya (2018) suggests smartphones are widely accessible, participants in this Colombian context indicated the opposite. Owning a smartphone isn't a universal reality for all learners. This lack of access forced teachers to be mindful of the materials they sent,

considering limited data plans that restricted students' ability to download or watch videos. This concern aligns with Wijaya's (2018) findings of participants facing limitations due to weak internet connections. Even though WhatsApp offers potential for English language learning, implementing it effectively requires considering the limitations of the context to ensure optimal student development.

WhatsApp and its limitations

While analyzing participants' perceptions about using this media tool for didactic purposes, researchers found negative effects on implementing classes in a virtual environment. This finding revealed challenges that negatively impacted English classes implementation. Students’ behavior and their use of the platform created limitations when delivering assignments and providing feedback. Several factors contributed to these difficulties; for example, students' lack of interest in the subject itself, younger students' struggles with using the application, requiring constant parental assistance, reduced interaction compared to a traditional classroom, hindering the learning processes of assimilation and imitation. The following excerpts support this finding:

C4PT10: "[...] Some students forget the groups or do not open them even when the state in class they are aware of this medium. In other cases, students delete messages and state they have not received

assigned materials."

This excerpt suggests that some students may struggle to adapt to receiving English classes through WhatsApp; learners do not perceive it as a valuable tool for their English learning process. Pre- service teachers likely identified this due to student behavior towards assignments and materials, reflected in lower grades. This lack of student engagement might stem from viewing WhatsApp

primarily as a social media app, not a learning platform. Consequently, students may not take their WhatsApp groups and learning activities seriously, hampering their learning process. Moreover, the following excerpts indicate challenges regarding the use of WP with primary school students.

C4PT7: "Using WhatsApp to teach kindergarten and first-grade children is a complex task requiring ongoing support from parents ."

C4PT7: "It is complex to receive tasks and answers from children quickly since parents are often working or have many responsibilities, they are not attentive to their children, making it difficult due to their age."

As stated previously, these statements emphasize that learners, especially young learners, need their guardian's constant support for learning and WhatsApp use in academic scenarios because they do not usually own or know how to use a personal electronic device. Moreover, this monitoring can be affected since it is not a priority for guardians to teach their children how to use this application as they do not have the time to fulfill this requirement.

C4PT4: "Education is characterized by having in front of a teacher who guides us in the process of acquisition or learning [...]"

Both students and pre-service teachers were experimenting with virtual modality classes through WhatsApp, which has become a multifunctional tool allowing class implementation in groups and individually. However, as seen in the previous excerpt, this type of instruction is not well-valued. WP is considered an alternative to support the presence-based modality, which shows results and true impact on the learning and teaching process for most learners and pre-service teachers, but pre- service teachers considered that genuine teaching,

particularly with primary school students, only takes place in a classroom.

While the study found positive results with WhatsApp, making teaching more didactic and focused, it also revealed limitations. Specifically, the application's autonomous use by students and the lack of teacher control over optimal platform use were concerns. This aligns with Cascales' (2020) notion that the use of WhatsApp is content that needs to be addressed in family schools. To ensure a smooth learning experience and achieve subject goals, greater guardian involvement in the dynamics of WhatsApp use is essential.

Additionally, shifting the perception of WhatsApp from a social media app to an academic support network requires time and experience for educational impact. Therefore, this finding is in alignment with Cascales’ (2020) ideas. This author identifies challenges; for instance, some teachers doubt its pedagogical value, and students do not see its learning benefits. These obstacles, particularly for in-service teachers unprepared for curricular challenges with WhatsApp, ultimately hinder both the teaching and the learning process.

CONCLUSIONS

After analyzing pre-service teachers' perceptions concerning the implementation of WhatsApp lessons, researchers concluded there is an effective accommodation process in which students demonstrate their commitment and willingness for language learning (Ishtiaq Khan et al., 2021); WA provides them with an easy-to-use interface and channel for communication and interaction, through which doubts arising during class are almost immediately solved (Munir et al., 2021). This application allows a successful exchange of relevant information due to the diversity of formats available to deliver messages among teachers and students, which directly boosts the dynamics and resources implemented. Data evidences WA's potential for availability of contents and materials without

location or time restrictions. Therefore, it allows teachers to closely monitor the learners' performance to facilitate a feedback process that could benefit both parties since the application saves announcements, assignments, explanations, and corrections. In that way, students and teachers can have all the resources available.

Secondly, the results underscore the significant impact of the WhatsApp application on the students' sense of autonomy. The absence of a face- to-face environment during the pandemic allowed pre-service teachers to learn about this mobile application's potential to give students independence over the formative procedure, reflected in the students' option to work at their own pace within the established deadlines, as well as a greater sense of ownership and responsibility towards their second language learning process. Due to learners' active role in virtual scenarios, several improvements in their confidence appear, including their desire to participate, contribute, and express ideas because they feel more comfortable behind a mobile device. Learning involves an emotional factor and relies on learners' and teachers' disposition, so the opportunity WhatsApp offers for taking classes in users' preferred spaces and message formats ensures their tranquility. This finding suggests that a practical and comfortable means of learning can transform students' initiative values into positive experiences.

Regarding the study's limitations, the pandemic revealed the socio-economic inequalities students in Colombian public institutions face. It was difficult for pre-service teachers to facilitate their classes through a synchronous session due to students' lack of connectivity and internet-capable devices at their homes. Using smartphones and WhatsApp with students was easy; however, some did not own a device and had to use their parents'. Nevertheless, pre-service teachers adapted their classes to a lighter format that enabled learners to access

lessons that were well-planned and accepted by the learners. (Mulyono et al.,2021).

Further research should focus on WhatsApp's use in hybrid learning environments where students take WhatsApp lessons that complement their face-to- face learning sessions. Research that enables an analysis of the interactivity, autonomy, and language competence levels students might achieve with the application.

DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Los autores declaran que, durante la realización de esta investigación y la redacción del artículo, no han influido intereses personales ni externos a su voluntad. Además, aseguran que no se han involucrado en ninguna mala conducta y han mantenido los estándares habituales y adecuados para la investigación. Por lo tanto, declaran que no existe ningún conflicto de interés.

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APPENDICES

Appendix 1. Ethical Considerations

The following chapter describes the different considerations regarding ethical matters to ensure the well-being of the project's participants. Because they belong to public institutions (public schools and the UTP), providing them with the necessary information about the project and their roles is unavoidable to guarantee their integrity and safety during the investigation. Thus, it is decisive to incorporate adequate measures to reduce negative circumstances that could deviate the study's development and results as much as possible. This

section explores some ethical considerations recommended by the nonprofit organization Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): ensuring a valid research design, obtaining voluntary consent and participation, and guaranteeing confidentiality and anonymity.

Assure a valid research design

The questionnaire design must incorporate explicit questions that are intelligible for participants to encourage the achievement of the research objectives and to avoid supplementary data that could alter the project, so results and conclusions must be straightforwardly related to the data analysis methodology chosen in advance.

Obtain voluntary consent and participation

Since the present research involves pre-service teachers’ disposition to obtain their perceptions regarding WhatsApp's implementation as an educational means for teaching English, it is fundamental to count on their volition to participate and share their experiences; thus, the primary researcher will be in charge of approaching pre- service teachers and providing them with relevant information about the study's implementation and their roles once they voluntarily accept to participate. Hence considerably decreasing possible anxieties, tensions, or insecurities.

Guarantee confidentiality and anonymity

Because this research involves pre-service teachers' perceptions, personal experiences, and performance evaluations, protecting participants' identities is crucial to prevent negative judgments and misinterpretation of collected information. In that sense, the idea is to encourage their freedom and tranquility to promote honesty in their responses. Thus, at the beginning of the questionnaire, all participants can accept or refuse the confidentiality and anonymity terms to proceed with the survey for academic purposes.

Avoid coercion and manipulation

Because the present study is based on the pre- service teachers' perceptions regarding the implementation of WhatsApp as an educational resource, it is necessary not to intervene or manipulate the virtual questionnaire participants will fill out and their corresponding answers. In that sense, all research project members must be conscious of their roles to decrease or avoid any inconveniences regarding inappropriate use of materials. Thus, opinions or comments from external entities are not allowed since they might compromise reliability, deviating from the project's purpose.

Conducting a research project involving pre-service teachers' participation requires the primary researcher and co-researchers to determine ethical considerations before observation and data collection to protect the participants in terms of identity and confidentiality. Moreover, it is imperative to ascertain if participants are willing to cooperate in the project to obtain reliable results that can meaningfully impact education. Therefore, these considerations will ensure participants have a safe space to be critical and honest regarding their learning and teaching experiences.

		WA as a means to solve doubts. Communication with parents. WA has been limited to transmitting information and content. Instant interaction.
Green	Students and teachers use WhatsApp to access content and material easily.	-Systematic delivery. Extensive record-keeping capabilities. Real-time responses. Monitoring of weaknesses and strengths. Personalized feedback. Personalized and private delivery. Monitoring of students' developmental progress. Complete record of classes. Quick responses
Purple	Downsides of connectivity regarding technological concerns.	-Not all students have smartphones. Limited device capacity. Difficulties connecting to the network. Mobile devices can become a means of distraction. Lack of connectivity, participation, and coverage. Limited use of audiovisual material (data usage limits).
Pink	WhatsApp and its limitations.	Students’ lack of interest. Students deleting messages. Use of complex WA in lower grades. The teacher's presence is the basis of education required for imitation and assimilation processes