English Learning Apps Research Articles

Time matters: a critical multimodal study of an English learning app for children in China

ABSTRACT Time and its management, as evident in the scheduling, sequencing and structuring of activities, is important in early childhood education (ECE). While ECE apps have been changing teaching and learning practices for over a decade, research has yet to examine how they represent and manage time. To address this gap, we analysed the representation and management of time in iHuman ABC, a popular English learning app for children in China. Adopting Djonov and Van Leeuwen's (2018) model for analysing semiotic software and Van Leeuwen’s (2008) critical discourse studies framework, we examined temporal features in the app's design and references to these features in promotional materials and user reviews. Findings reveal that iHuman ABC reflects an instructivist ideology which considerably limits children’s ability to organise their time and contradicts research-based recommendations for teaching English. This study contributes to critical multimodal studies of the potential of software to transform educational practices.

Ranking English Apps From the Google Play Store Based on Customer Reviews Analysis

Nowadays, several educational technology and English learning apps on the Google Play Store cater to various learning levels and objectives. However, the parents had difficulty finding an appropriate app for their kids. It is challenging when there is a diversity of English learning apps in the market. Not only product brands but also prices affect the customer‘s choice behavior. A good product will achieve customer satisfaction. And the praise of experienced customers will be a suggestion for potential customers. This paper uses sentiment analysis as a factor of criteria set for evaluating English learning Apps from Vietnamese companies. The Python language was used in all the analysis processes, and the sentiment score of 8,756 reviews for English learning apps was calculated. The criteria to evaluate the App include overall rating, sentiment scores, and number of downloads. The results will be a suggestion for improving the quality of companies‘ products and a recommendation for users when choosing a suitable Edtech product.

Reform and Innovation of College English Teaching Under the Background of Mobile Internet and Big Data

The rapid development of mobile Internet has brought new development opportunities to college education and teaching. Taking university English teaching as the research object, this paper analyses the characteristics of mobile Internet in the classroom, WeChat platform, English learning app and other forms of teaching, the changes and influence of mobile Internet on English teaching, and its application in university English teaching. According to the actual teaching situation, a comprehensive evaluation system based on the learning process and results was established. The results show that the university English teaching model based on mobile Internet and the innovative evaluation and examination system can effectively improve the teaching efficiency and students' independent and sustainable learning ability. Through the reform of university English teaching, students' academic performance and learning ability have been improved. The research results are of great practical significance for promoting the reform and innovative practice of university English teaching.

Challenges and Drawbacks of Smartphone-Based Language Learning for Vietnamese EFL Learners in Higher Education Settings: Perspectives on Mobile Apps and Curriculum Design

This study explored the opinions of Vietnamese EFL learners on m-learning challenges and drawbacks in Vietnamese higher education settings. The study also investigated the uses of mobile apps and curriculum design for English language learning and their impacts on students' learning experiences. The author used an exploratory design which included a 12-question survey and semi-structured interviews with 185 EFL students from a public university in Vietnam. The results revealed that while smartphones were perceived as a convenient and useful tool for learning English, there were several shortcomings associated with their use. These negative factors were technical issues, distractions, lack of motivation, and difficulty in finding suitable English learning apps. The results also highlighted the importance of integrating mobile apps into the curriculum design, and university management should provide training for students and teachers on using mobile apps for learning English as one of the necessary handbooks. The findings of this study may be beneficial to EFL teachers, curriculum designers, and policymakers in Vietnam and other similar contexts where mobile apps are becoming increasingly prevalent as a language learning tool.

Ethnic Minority Students’ English Learning Agency: An Activity Theory Perspective

Abstract Recent years have witnessed a growing body of research on the English learning of ethnic minority students in China, yet little is known as to how these students enact their agency to address the challenges they encounter in learning English. Through the lens of activity theory, this qualitative case study explored the manifestations and influencing factors of English learning agency of four first-year Uyghur university students. Data were collected through the students’ journals, interviews, and documents, supplemented by the interview data from their teachers. The findings revealed that Uyghur students’ English learning agency was manifested by reflecting on the gap btween themselves and their Han classmates and adjusting their English learning methods; adapting to the mode of all-English teaching and the rule of English presentation; using tools such as the Mandarin Chinese, English learning apps and the Internet; and seeking help from teachers, peers and other community members. The study also found that Uyghur students’ agency was influenced by factors such as language proficiency, motivation, and personal learning experiences. Additionally, preferential policies of the state and the school, help from teachers and peers, and emotional support from family members also had an impact on their English learning agency. This study provides implications for the English teaching of ethnic minority students at universities.

Exploring Chinese College English Majors' Experiences and Perceptions of Using English Dubbing Apps

Listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills are crucial for the academic success of English majors in Chinese colleges and universities. While there are numerous English learning apps available, each program focuses differently on enhancing the abilities of English majors. It is widely known that English majors show a preference for English dubbing apps, and these apps have been recognized for their effectiveness in improving students' speaking skills. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding the impact of these apps on Chinese English majors' listening and reading skills. Nine students were selected to participate in this qualitative study, an experiment that tested students' feedback on listening and reading after using the APP. This study delves into the perceptions of English major students regarding dubbing apps, aiming to determine whether they acknowledge the positive impact of these tools on the two skills. The study results indicate that English majors perceive improvements in listening and reading skills through the use of English dubbing apps. Nevertheless, the study notes that the oversimplification of language and limitations in addressing more advanced levels make the effect on reading skills less evident. The study recommends ongoing improvement and adaptation of English dubbing applications to cater to the diverse needs of a broader range of learners. As English majors increasingly rely on technology-enhanced language learning, it is crucial to address the nuanced challenges associated with these apps, ensuring a more comprehensive and impactful language learning experience.

Unveiling the Multifaceted Dance of Distractions: Thumbing Through the On-Screen Distractions Throughout Memrise MALL Experience

The detrimental impact of screen distractions, including heightened cognitive-emotional engagement and reduced concentration spans, remains to be fully explored. This case study investigates EFL students’ perceptions of screen distractions in mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) and explores their potential implications on learning outcomes. The study employs a descriptive methodology and purposively samples 46 first-year university students who are not majoring in English as participants. During a two-week trial, the participants use the Memrise English learning app to complete Beginner’s levels (A1 and A2). Screen recordings, user account credentials, and interview excerpts are collected from shared Google Drive folders and focus-group sessions. Thematic data analysis is conducted to gain insights into the participants’ perception of screen distractions. Results reveal that social networks and entertainment apps (63.43%) are the primary sources of distraction, followed by web browsing (22.29%), incoming notifications and pop-up messages (11.45%), and incoming calls (2.83%). Participants perceive these distractions as driven by a psychological impulse to avoid missing updates. While the participants demonstrate an impressive aptitude for adapting to and navigating Memrise MALL resources, they lack necessary support to manage distractions, resulting in a failure to meet learning objectives. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating set times for learning and optimizing screen learning to be distraction-free. Furthermore, it highlights the negative consequences of multitasking and interruptions on students’ MALL performance, underscoring the need for structured use of social media to enhance engagement and academic achievement. Students’ perception of Memrise MALL is generally positive, with reported benefits such as improved recall, concentration, motivation, and engagement. However, distraction management and material connection are essential contributors in successful MALL experience.

Mining the English application learning patterns of college students based on time series clustering

As a convenient learning tool in the We Media era, mobile apps have been paid more and more attention by college students because of their accompanying timeliness and practicality. With the increasing number of English learning apps, many such apps provide college students with new ways to obtain learning resources and diversified learning modes. The related research in the field of mobile-assisted language learning at home and abroad has developed over nearly 20 years, basically following the route from theory to application in practice, but there have been few process studies on learners’ individual language skill learning behaviors based on mobile platform data. In this study, the time series clustering method was adopted, and the learning behavior of college students in an English vocabulary learning app in China was selected for data mining. Firstly, taking the “single-day memorization amount” as the measurement index, the memorization records of college students in the whole use cycle were extracted and processed into trajectory data, and the KmL algorithm was used to cluster the trajectory of the memorization amount in the time series. According to the intra-class average trajectory, the characteristics of learning behavior changes among the different college students are summarized, and two learning modes are depicted. Secondly, through the experimental analysis, it was found that adopting the English learning model three weeks before an exam can effectively stimulate college students and improve their willingness to learn and continue using the app.

초등 4학년 26명의 영어학습 흥미도 발달을 위해 모바일 앱 활용 영어활동 적용 실행연구

Objectives In this study, for the purpose of improving 26 4th graders’ English learning interest, a homeroom teacher conducted an action research study and helped their mobile-app-based English learning and her adviser supervised the teacher to conduct the research study successfully, according to qualitative research tradition. Although many theorists and scholars propose promising effects of mobile-app-based English learning there is not much mobile-app-based English learning research conducted with primary school students and teachers at public primary school settings. This is an action research study to fill the gap in the previous studies.
 Methods During the spring semester of 2022, 26 elementary school students in a southern province performed mobile-app-based English learning activities with their homeroom teacher in a 30-minute morning-class session and in a 40-minute club activity session. Teacher observation reports, survey results and interview data are collected before, in or after the mobile-app-based English teaching/learning class.
 Results The first result is that almost all of the 26 students liked the English learning activity of singing English songs using YouTube app. As for the second result, among the four English learning apps applied in the study, most of the students liked the Dino Buddies series of the Little Fox app and the Kahoot word quiz app the most, and low-English-learning-autonomy students liked the ‘FunEasyLearn’ English app the most. The third result is that all 26 students' interest in learning English improved while participating in the study, with varying degrees of improvement. The fourth result is that the preference for mobile-app-based English learning activities varies greatly by student according to the level of English-learning interest improvement.
 Conclusions The results of the study showed that 26 students who conducted English learning using mobile apps for one semester developed interests in learning English and that they all had various preferences for mobile-app-based English learning activities. Based on the study results, it can be predicted that the learning effect will be maximized if mobile-app-based English teaching is carefully planned and implemented according to the characteristics, autonomy, personality, and English proficiency levle of each student as a learner. In particular, when carrying out mobile-app-based English teaching for students with low autonomy, it would be very helpful if an individual learning helper or an assistant teacher helps their learning. It seems that further research is still needed to know how to implement mobile-app-based primary English education for Korean learners.

The attitudes of high school students and teachers toward mobile apps for learning English: A Q methodology study

This study aims to find out the attitudes of high school students and teachers toward mobile apps for learning English and how the opinions of the two groups relate to or differ from each other. As there is an E-learning trend worldwide, the findings of this research can help English learners gain a broader view of language learning, identify their own demands, and choose applications in a wiser way. Meanwhile, with the support of our findings, it is believed that application developers could review and polish the existing functions of their apps and develop new ones to meet the needs of student users. The research adopted the Q methodology to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the attitudes varied in different subjects. Interviews were conducted among students and teachers in Chinese high schools. Our study investigated three prominent opinions from the students and two from the teachers. PQMethod and Ken-Q Analysis were used for data analysis. Three factors of attitudes were found among students: 1) learning outcome-oriented; 2) function-oriented; 3) motivation-oriented. Two factors of attitudes were found among teachers: a) learning outcome-oriented; b) platform-oriented. This study is a new attempt to apply the Q methodology in related language research. Remarkably, the Q methodology offers comprehensive and deep insights into the subjective attitudes of students and teachers. Based on the findings, it is recommended that mobile application developers attach more importance to the achievement and encouragement of students in the design; students should take advantage of the mobile apps to achieve their expected outcome under the suggestions from their teachers; English learning apps can be promoted as a helpful auxiliary tool for language learning.

On the Implications of Mobile Learning Theory to Oral English Teaching

With the development of domestic education informatization, under the general application of information technology and network technology, English teaching mode and methods have changed significantly. At present, with the popularity of mobile phones, iPads and other mobile terminals, the conditions for "mobile learning", an educational form based on communication and information technology, are becoming more mature. Various English learning apps are pouring out, providing conditions for breaking the unilateral input teaching in traditional oral English and realizing the flexibility and interactivity required in oral English teaching.

Students’ Motivation to Learn English Using Mobile Applications: The Case of Duolingo and Hello English

The development of language learning mobile application soft-wares (apps) for smart mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computer has risen amazingly in these recent days. These apps were continuously reported to be highly potential to support the students to learn the target language. This study introduced two free English learning apps to the students and investigated how they made use of the apps to support their English learning. More specifically, it examined how their English motivation in learning English is, how they used the apps, and whether their different level of motivation influenced the time they spent in accessing the apps. The study was conducted in a mixed method approach utilizing daily journal and questionnaire as the instruments to collect data. The finding pointed that the students were considerably active in using both of the apps. They could enjoy the practicality and flexibility of learning English by the apps despite some superficial engagement. In addition, although students’ English learning motivation was found to have no influence on the amount of time spent in using the apps, their positive response toward using the apps was a potential indication to foster independent English learning outside the classroom. A further detailed finding was discussed along with important issues in the current trends of mobile language learning.

Students’ Motivation to Learn English Using Mobile Applications: The Case of Duolingo and Hello English

The development of language learning mobile application soft-wares (apps) for smart mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computer has risen amazingly in these recent days. These apps were continuously reported to be highly potential to support the students to learn the target language. This study introduced two free English learning apps to the students and investigated how they made use of the apps to support their English learning. More specifically, it examined how their English motivation in learning English is, how they used the apps, and whether their different level of motivation influenced the time they spent in accessing the apps. The study was conducted in a mixed method approach utilizing daily journal and questionnaire as the instruments to collect data. The finding pointed that the students were considerably active in using both of the apps. They could enjoy the practicality and flexibility of learning English by the apps despite some superficial engagement. In addition, although students’ English learning motivation was found to have no influence on the amount of time spent in using the apps, their positive response toward using the apps was a potential indication to foster independent English learning outside the classroom. A further detailed finding was discussed along with important issues in the current trends of mobile language learning.

Fake Speech Answer-Sheet Detection on Intelligent Learning App Based on Block-Based Deep Neural Network

In order to detect the fake speech answer-sheet obtained by text-to-speech or voice conversion algorithms on intelligent English learning app, this paper proposed the idea of block-based deep neural network (BDNN), which is constructed to extract deep features. It is composed of classification-based blocks. In BDNNs, the deep feature extracted by a preceding block serves as the input to its following block. Different from the commonly used inputs for deep features extraction, the magnitude-phase spectrum, including magnitude and phase information, is exploited to feed BDNNs in order to extract effective deep features. The experimental results show that the proposed method can detect most of fake speech answer-sheet on intelligent English learning app.

Dictionaries Integrated into English Learning Apps: Critical Comments and Suggestions for Improvement

Digital applications to assist language learning are becoming increasingly popular. They typically incorporate one or two dictionaries to improve the service so that users avoid leaving the app to consult external resources. This paper deals with the two dictionaries used in a learning app for Chinese learners of English. Initially, it describes the functioning of the app as well as the two dictionaries that have different roles in the app. It then focuses on the one that is integrated into the course texts and can be activated by clicking on a word or a multiword unit. A number of deficiencies are discussed such as inconsistent treatment of words and senses, data overload, difficult access, and inconvenient location of the pop-up window that displays the lexicographical items. These deficiencies may impact negatively on the learners' motivation and the learning process in general. The paper traces the problems to the database that sustains the dictionary as well as the design of the user interfaces that filter the data offered to the users. Finally, and inspired by the classical Chinese Xun Gu tradition, it suggests an alternative, context-adapted approach that breaks with traditional features of the dictionary article and reduces the content of the pop-up window to an absolute minimum. The idea is to avoid a consultation process that interrupts the learners' reading flow and focus on learning.

A Survey on Application of English Learning APPs to English Listening and Speaking Course in English Major

This paper discusses the application of English learning Apps to English listening and speaking course in English majors at Baoding University. Using students’ and teachers’ questionnaires, the conclusion is drawn. With the help of English learning APPs, students in English majors can increase their interest and strengthen their confidences in studying English listening and speaking in class. At the same time, English teachers are willing to use English learning Apps to help students improve students’ English listening and speaking abilities. The teaching model can help teachers of English listening and speaking course to adjust teaching strategies actively and it is also the orientation of the reform for English teaching at Baoding University.

An Empirical Analysis of College Students’ English Learning under the Background of “Internet ”

In order to understand the English learning situation of Chinese college students in the context of Internet +, college students as our survey subjects are used to collect data by stratified classification and cluster random sampling. So we collected the needs of college students in the online education market for online English education and teaching. We strive to have a more in-depth understanding of the problems that contemporary college students have in English learning, as well as their opinions and suggestions on English learning apps. Only in this way can we develop a software development path and distribution strategy that is more suitable for the public to learn English and provide guidance and data support.

Comprehensive English Assessment System Based on Mobile APPs

Comprehensive English is a professional basic course for English majors, with the most class hours and the highest credits. It can be said to be the most important course in English majors. However, the procedural assessment in the previous comprehensive English assessment system, that is, the usual assessment, was largely determined based on the subjective impression of teachers. However, with the emergence of various English learning apps, students’ learning methods and content have changed a lot. With major changes, the previous assessment system has not been able to play its due role. Designing a reasonable comprehensive English assessment system based on mobile APP is the unshirkable responsibility of comprehensive English teachers. Carefully and reasonably designed comprehensive English assessment system can promote students to improve learning efficiency, reduce classroom lecture time, improve teaching effect, and play a vital role in cultivating qualified English professionals.

Analysis of the Current Status and Demand for English Learning Apps for Korean College Students

Analysis of the Current Status and Demand for English Learning Apps for Korean College Students

Using Artificial Intelligence in Learning English as a Foreign Language: an Examination of IELTS LIULISHUO as an Online Platform

EFL (English as a foreign language) learners seem destined to make errors and continuously need to test their changing language levels. However, the unbalance between supply and demand always exists in the process of learning English. Teachers sometimes are also tired of doing repetitive jobs to correct the same mistakes of nonnative speakers. Therefore, many researchers tend to improve the efficiency of learning and teaching processes by using computer-assisted instruction. Specifically, artificial intelligence software is an unstoppable trend to solve this problem. This study aims to find which characteristics in IELTS Liulishuo (an artificial English-learning app to improve IELTS performance) are following the elements of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) pedagogy (Chapelle, 2003). Meanwhile, it will also be evaluated under the mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) principles and some concepts of AI-powered foreign language software, as was put forward by Stockwell (2013) and Pokrivcakova (2019). The results showed that IELTS Liulishuo has affordability to be used as an online platform for foreign English learning. More importantly, it shed some light on CALL pedagogy and the design of artificial applications of foreign language learning.