Abstract
AbstractResearch questions are central to mobile assisted language learning (MALL) projects and studies, yet they have received little attention to date. Taking research questions as its central focus, this paper offers some reflections on the complexity of the broader field of mobile learning, on different kinds of research, on salient themes and challenges in mobile learning and MALL, and it suggests some research directions for the future. Since MALL research is interdisciplinary, and since research questions are an object of study in other fields of knowledge, the paper refers to sources from multiple disciplines to support a more comprehensive consideration of current and future research questions in MALL. The paper is fundamentally an invitation to a global conversation about research questions in MALL.
Highlights
In this paper I draw on my experience of research, evaluation, project development, as well as supervision and examining of doctoral students’ theses over the past two decades, in mobile assisted language learning (MALL) and in mobile learning more broadly
Since we shall be considering research questions in MALL, which may be seen as a subfield of mobile learning, a necessary first step is to acknowledge that conceptions of mobile learning are not universal, its definitions have evolved over the years and it has a relationship with the fields of e-learning as well as computer assisted language learning (CALL)
This paper has been a means to reflect on challenges and developments in mobile learning and MALL, with special reference to research questions
Summary
In this paper I draw on my experience of research, evaluation, project development, as well as supervision and examining of doctoral students’ theses over the past two decades, in mobile assisted language learning (MALL) and in mobile learning more broadly. There is a growing body of publications reviewing the state-of-the-art in mobile learning and mobile assisted language learning, but none of these works looks at what research questions are being addressed overall. This stands in contrast to other fields of knowledge where research questions are frequently debated and priority questions are proposed (Antwis et al, 2017; Freudenberg & Sharp, 2010; Oldekop et al, 2016; Seddon et al, 2014). This paper offers some reflections on the nature and focus of research in language learning with mobile technologies and suggests directions for the future. The conversation might include topics such as: What do researchers, teachers, and others, think about the questions that have guided MALL research to date? Would it be valuable to create a database of research questions that could be analyzed in various ways, and if so, how might they be analyzed? What new research questions, or types of questions, could be suggested for future studies? I hope that readers of this paper will be stimulated to continue this conversation around the world, approaching the issue of research questions from global and local perspectives alike
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