Mobile Assisted Language Learning Application Research Articles

Supplementing mobile-assisted language learning with reflective journal writing: a case study of Duolingo users’ metacognitive awareness

Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has witnessed an explosion of interest from consumers and researchers. However, consumers often complain about the limited functionality of MALL applications, which typically do not allow for critical self-reflection or for users to consider different aspects of their learning such as the task itself, the strategies they use, and the challenges they face. Scholars, meanwhile, have argued that MALL research is frequently not grounded in theory, leading to problems with connecting theory and practice. The current study addresses these issues. Drawing upon metacognition theory, this study investigates the implementation of a weekly reflective e-journal writing activity in addition to learners’ engagement with the MALL application Duolingo. Over a five-week span, the researcher conducted a case study with six learners, exploring: how the addition of a weekly e-journal activity aided students’ metacognitive awareness of aspects of L2 learning; students’ perceptions of using reflection journals with MALL; and users’ experience with MALL and Duolingo in general. The findings show the journals aided students’ metacognitive awareness in five domains, and learners generally reported finding the activity beneficial and enjoyable. Implications are discussed for future research and pedagogy regarding the combination of reflective journaling activities with MALL.

Gamification in mobile-assisted language learning: a systematic review of Duolingo literature from public release of 2012 to early 2020

More than 300 million people use the gamified mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) application (app) Duolingo. The challenging tasks, reward incentives, systematic levels, and the ranking of users according to their achievements are just some of the elements that demonstrate strong gamification elements within this popular language learning application. This application’s pervasive reach, flexible functionality, and freemium business model has brought significant attention to gamification in MALL. The present systematic review aims to summarize different methods, frameworks, settings, and research samples used to assess Duolingo’s design and impact on various learning outcomes. We carried out a complete database search for articles focused on the issues of design, application, and pedagogies in the use of Duolingo. Three hundred and sixty-seven records were initially found, and 35 of those were selected for final inclusion based on language choice, theoretical frameworks, design, sampling, data collection, and analyses (see Appendix 1 for full list). The results indicated that the majority of research from 2012-2020 was design-focused, quantitative in nature, and used non-probability sampling methods. The focus on app design marks an emphasis on the creation of tools rather than the process and outcomes of language learning from using these tools. Additional results revealed preferences for performance-based research questions, for English as language of choice in research, and for the USA as the most prominent context for Duolingo research studies. Furthermore, our review highlights research gaps specific to Duolingo, yet generalizable to other MALL applications. The results are useful to researchers seeking to assess, evaluate, and understand MALL, gamification, and Duolingo as well as to practitioners interested in utilizing MALL in formal and informal learning environments.

Smartphone-based mobile assisted language learning application in higher vocational education in Indonesia

This study sought to examine the educational affordance and constraints of smartphone-based assistive technology in language learning from the students’ point of view along with their recommendations on the possible future advancement of smartphone-based assistive technology to help students engage better. This study employed content analysis in analyzing the data obtained from open-ended questions administered to students. The findings of this study denote the use of smartphones in widening vocabulary range, providing practices for English exercise, having attractive and interactive features, and fostering autonomy, self-regulation, and independence learning due to its practicality, portability, accessibility, and flexibility. This study highlights technical problems and confusion as the obstacles emerging from the use of smartphones in language learning. Meanwhile, the recommendations for future smartphone-based application updates are discussed in detail. All in all, smartphone-based assistive language learning application is fruitful for students and is recommended to be used for vocational higher education students as the part of informal learning during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. HIGHLIGHTS: Language learning has stepped forward to more personal learning tools by integrating smartphones as an aid for mobile learning. smartphones are fruitful in widening vocabulary range, providing practices for English exercise, having attractive and interactive features, and fostering autonomy, self-regulation, and independence learning due to its practicality, portability, accessibility, and flexibility. From language learning mobile application, students demanded simpler reading exercises and vocabularies and slower listening practice in the applications.

TEACHING-21ST CENTURY LEARNING-MEDIA INNOVATION FOR EFL TEACHING AND LEARNING: PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS PERSPECTIVE

Nowadays, EFL teachers are benefited by the abundance of technological resources that enable them to provide learners with sufficient comprehensible input. Yet, not all of them are literate to the available supported devices neither in the form of webs nor other internet applications. Therefore, this study aims at describing a view toward a trend of ICT use as learning resources both in a form of web and internet based applications used by pre-service teachers.This research employed mix-method research by using an open-ended questionnaire and interview with 24 pre-service teachers as participants who study in English department, Lambung Mangkurat University. The finding of this study revealed that even there are several pre-service teachers who encountered problems when using the available applications, nevertheless, most of them have a positive perspective on ICT use in teaching and learning activities. Moreover, it is found that mostly MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) applications have familiar to be used during the learning time especially out of the class rather than CALL applications.

Usefulness of Mobile Assisted Language Learning Application

The focus of this article to examining the District Monitoring Officer (DMO) and Assistant Commissioner (AC)’s perception for Literacy & Numeracy Drive (LND) a mobile-based application that is used in primary schools of public sector in Punjab province, Pakistan to teach student of Grade 03 on a tablet for learning languages and Mathematics. This study aims to gauge the efficacy of LND for its usefulness, usability, accessibility, content, and assessments. Semi-Structured interviews conducted for the purpose of study from the DMO and AC of District Sheikhupura, to measure the effectiveness of LND and evaluate the effectiveness. The result reveals, in its current form, the LND application is not effective and needs improvement in usability, design, content, accessibility, infrastructure, and assessment. Furthermore, DMO and AC recommended that game-based learning consists of an interactive interface, phonics, animations to be developed and adopted. As a more interactive and attractive presentation of the content and variations in the assessment may increase students’ involvement and will make this application more effective and will produce good results.

Usability and Design Issues of Mobile Assisted Language Learning Application

This paper aims to look at teachers, government officials, and students for Literacy & Numeracy Drive (LND), a smartphone app for students in Punjab province, Pakistan, to teach languages and math. Furthermore, to recognize LND usability and design problems while its use for grade three in schools. As the usability and design issues of LND were not discussed since the launch of this application. The methodology for this study is the questionnaire for teachers and semi-structured interviews for government officials of District Sheikhupura and students. The result shows that LND has various usability and design problems in its current form, i.e., buttons, icons, color schemes, sluggish performance, and fonts. Besides, teachers, government officials, and students suggested that game-based learning consists of an interactive interface, phonics, key animations to be created and adopted. Highly engaging and appealing delivery of the curriculum and improvements in the appraisal will improve the participation of students and deliver better outcomes.

Chinese postgraduate EFL learners’ self-directed use of mobile English learning resources

Despite the increasing ownership of mobile devices among Chinese postgraduate EFL learners, relevant studies regarding mobile English learning resources (MELR) use by postgraduate learners are still lacking. This study tries to understand the uses and the motivation behind language learners´ selection of MALL resources. In this research, 95 Chinese postgraduate students from four university levels took part in a questionnaire, and eight of them in an interview. The results show that “passing exams” was the top reason for using MELR and expanding one’s English vocabulary was the aspect learners aimed to improve. The portability of mobile devices enabled learners to use MELR during short time intervals 1 , which suggests that MALL applications should target this behaviour. However, as a type of supplementary material, few students used MELR for more than one hour per day, and they were not regularly and actively involved in using MELR. Few learners were able to select suitable MELR to meet their current English learning needs, and they relied on recommendations from social media and authoritative education experts. Due to the importance of vocabulary, mobile dictionaries and vocabulary learning applications were the learners’ favourite type of MELR. As the participants suggested, enjoyment and interactivity were the two driving factors behind MELR selection and use. On the basis of Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME, Koole, M. (2009). A model for framing mobile learning. In M. Ally (Ed.), Mobile learning: Transforming the delivery of education and training. Athabasca: Athabasca University Press, 25–47) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM [Davis, F. D., (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. Management Information Systems, 13, 319–339]; TAM 2 [Venkatesh, V., & Davis, F. D. (2000). A theoretical extension of the technology acceptance model: Four longitudinal field studies. Management Science, 46(2), 186–204]), a new theoretical model for better understanding the complex nature of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) and the importance of learners in the self-directed, non-formal English language learning setting is proposed in this study.

The Use of Instagram as a Mobile-Assisted Language Learning Tool

The present study sought to explore how English language learners (ELLs) used Instagram, a popular social networking site, for language learning purposes and to reveal their attitudes towards and experiences in using it as a mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) tool. Special interest was also placed on whether there were any distinct ELL profiles in using Instagram for independent and informal language learning. In this mixed-methods study, both quantitative and qualitative data were concurrently collected through an online comprehensive survey consisting of three sections. Ninety-seven Instagram using ELLs took part in this study. Basic descriptive statistics and a cluster analysis were conducted on the quantitative data, and a thematic analysis on the qualitative data. The results showed that Instagram has the potential to help ELLs to improve overall language skills in general, and vocabulary and communication skills in particular. Further, ELLs’ experiences in using Instagram as a MALL tool for informal language learning were largely positive. Additionally, two different language learner profiles (i.e., novice and experienced) emerged based on Instagram use habits and orientations. Overall, this study indicated that social networking platforms and MALL applications can be used as an effective mobile language learning tool.

Enhancing Reading Skills for Saudi Secondary School Students through Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL): An Experimental Study

This study addresses the issue of integrating mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) systems into L2 reading instruction in the Saudi secondary schools in order to improve the reading comprehension skills of struggling EFL students. The focus is to find out whether students’ language performance is accelerated by using MALL together with teacher instruction versus conventional instruction alone. In order to assess the effectiveness of MALL systems and activities in improving reading comprehension skills in EFL contexts, an experimental study was carried out where 120 participants of grade ten students in four public secondary school of Riyadh District in Saudi Arabia were randomly divided into two groups: experiment and control. Reading skills of the participants’ were measured by pre-test and post-test by a panel of three national experts. The comparison between the experimental group and the control group pinpoint that MALL materials and systems improve reading comprehension skill among EFL students. The findings indicate clearly that there was a significant difference between MALL users and nonusers in favour of the experimental group (p < .05). It can be then generalized that MALL systems and applications in general provide a motivating learning environment for teaching reading which has its positive implications on improving the reading skills of students.

Pengembangan Mobile-Assisted Language Learning Menggunakan User Centered Design

This paper aims to develop a mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) application for English intensive course (EIC) using user centered design method. This method consists of four steps: 1) specify context of use; 2) specify user and organizational requirements; 3) produce design solution; and 4) evaluate design against user. The result shows that users (students) feel that the MALL application can help the students to study and comprehend the EIC material. Students can use the MALL application for self-study, inside and outside the classroom, whether in idle or mobile. For the lecturers, the MALL application is very helpful in teaching and learning process.

The Effect of a Suggested In-service Teacher Training Program Based on MALL Applications on Developing EFL Students' Vocabulary Acquisition

Recently, Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has received much attention as a means to improve the performance of students in all language aspects. Learning vocabulary is not an exception as many applications have been designed to foster students' vocabulary acquisition. However, little attention has been paid to the preparation of teachers who should be aware of and competent in using such applications in order to attain the intended educational objectives. Consequently, the present study sought to train ten EFL secondary school teachers on the use of some MALL vocabulary applications and to investigate the effect of the teachers' use of such applications on their students' vocabulary acquisition. The training program entailed the use of four outstanding vocabulary learning applications: Quizlet, Digital Vocabulary Notebook, Digital Video Games and Online Dictionaries. A pre-post vocabulary test and an observation checklist were designed and implemented to measure the effect of the suggested training program. Results of the study indicated (1) the effectiveness of the suggested in-service teacher training program as teachers successfully integrated these applications in their vocabulary instruction and (2) a significant improvement in the students' vocabulary acquisition as a result of using MALL applications. It was recommended to provide teachers with an adequate training on the use of MALL technology to enable them to exploit the potentialities of such new applications and, eventually, to improve the students' vocabulary acquisition.

Learning Foreign Languages Using Mobile Applications

Aim/Purpose: This study examines how the use of a Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) application influences the learners’ attitudes towards the process of learning, and more specifically in voluntary and mandatory environments. Background: Mobile devices and applications, which have become an integral part of our lives, are used for different purposes, including educational objectives. Among others, they are used in the process of foreign language acquisition. The use of a MALL application to learn foreign languages has advantages and drawbacks, which are important to understand, in order to achieve better learning results, while improving the enjoyment of the process. Methodology : The study population included people who participated in a foreign language course and used Duolingo application on a mobile device in parallel. One group consisted of high school pupils, who were obliged to use the application and filled in before and after questionnaires. The other group consisted of people who took face-to-face courses, and chose to use the same Duolingo application voluntarily, in order to assist their studies. The second group answered another questionnaire tailored to more experienced users. The findings were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22, and a model was examined with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. Contribution: This paper helps to understand the perceived advantages and drawbacks of using a MALL application by students both in mandatory and voluntary environments. Findings: Most of the participants found the MALL Duolingo application enhanced the learning process. The gamification characteristics, ease of use, ubiquity and self-learning facilities had a stimulating effect on the process of learning, and contributed to the willingness to continue using the application and to recommend it to others. However, some statistically significant differences were found between the groups, referring to the characteristics of the application, among them ubiquity, lack of human feedback and simplicity of use. Recommendations for Practitioners: The research findings can contribute to both teachers and students who conduct and participate in foreign language courses, by helping them examine the possibility of combining mobile learning with a traditional face-to-face course. Moreover, the findings can assist developers of mobile learning applications, in order to include gamification options in the process of learning. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers in the fields of mobile applications and m-learning need to understand the factors enhancing the learning process, in order to develop the next generations of m-learning applications. Impact on Society: Mobile devices have become an accessory that almost every person in the world uses. Its ubiquitous characteristics allow using it everywhere and anytime. This is an opportunity to facilitate education to people all around the world. Gamification of m-learning applications can promote and encourage the use of these applications. Future Research Further examination is needed in different cultures, in order to understand if the findings are universal.

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) Applications for Interactive and Engaging Classrooms: APPsolutely!

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) Applications for Interactive and Engaging Classrooms: APPsolutely!

Using VISP (VIdeos for SPeaking), a Mobile App Based on Audio Description, to Promote English Language Learning among Spanish Students: A Case Study

Audio description has proven to be beneficial in foreign language learning (Moreno & Vermeulen, 2013, 2014). Taking a step further, we developed a mobile assisted language learning application called VISP (VIdeos for SPeaking), which uses the techniques of audio description to promote accuracy and fluency in oral production. In this work we present the results from a case study carried out with 16 Spanish Erasmus students of English as a foreign language, during the first semester of 2014-2015 at the Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication of the Faculty of Arts of Ghent University, who tested the pilot version. Based on these results we present some proposals for improvement and future research.

MALL: the pedagogical challenges

In this paper the development of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) over the past 20 years is reviewed with a particular focus on the pedagogical challenges facing its exploitation. Following a consideration of the definition of mobile learning, the paper describes the dominant mobile technologies upon which MALL applications have been based: MP3 players, personal digital assistants, and mobile phones. It then identifies the prevalent methodological approach that has underlain the great majority of MALL implementations: a behaviorist, teacher-centered, transmission model of instruction. However, though rarely implemented, MALL is equally capable of supporting more innovative constructivist, collaborative, learner-centered instruction, examples of which are examined. Besides being restricted by a pedagogical approach very much out of step with methodologies that have guided foreign language teaching for nearly four decades, MALL has also been constrained by access to technology. In part, this problem has been due to the necessity of acquiring mobile devices for student usage and the costs associated with mobile network and Internet connections. Even more so, the exploitation of mobile devices for language learning has been hampered by a lack of hardware standardization and entrenched operating system incompatibilities. The paper concludes that MALL has yet to realize its full potential and that achieving this aim is more a matter of pedagogy than technology. The financial and technological factors that have impeded the effective exploitation of MALL are likely to be resolved as operating system incompatibilities are overcome by market forces and students as well as teachers acquire suitable mobile devices for their own personal use. The future of MALL lies in the exploitation of the communication and multimedia affordances of mobile devices in ways that support collaborative, task-based learning both within and outside of the classroom.

Twenty years of MALL project implementation: A meta-analysis of learning outcomes

AbstractDespite the hundreds of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) publications over the past twenty years, statistically reliable measures of learning outcomes are few and far between. In part, this is due to the fact that well over half of all MALL-related studies report no objectively quantifiable learning outcomes, either because they did not involve MALL implementation projects, or if they did, learning gains were only based on subjective teacher assessments and/or student self-evaluations. Even more so, the paucity of statistically reliable learning outcome data stems from the short duration of projects and small numbers of students involved. Of the 291 distinct studies examined in this review only 35 meet minimal conditions of duration and sample size, i.e., ten experimental subjects over a period of at least a month. Sixteen of these suffer from serious design shortcomings, leaving only nineteen MALL studies that can reliably serve as a basis for determining the learning outcomes of mobile-based language applications. Of these studies, fifteen can be considered to report unequivocal positive results, with those focusing on reading, listening and speaking without exception evidencing a MALL application advantage. Four studies, all focusing on vocabulary, reported no significant differences.

The Reality of MALL: Still on the Fringes

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has existed now for nearly two decades with its application to foreign language instruction chronicled in some 340 implementation studies. For several years already, proponents have claimed that MALL is commonplace in foreign language instruction. In reality, with few exceptions, published studies of MALL implementations have not progressed much beyond pilot testing, i.e., design proposals, proof of concepts, limited experiments, class trials. Above all, what is most striking about published MALL implementation studies is the virtual lack of follow-up reports of curricular integration. In order to put MALL applications into perspective, this paper is organized into three sections. The first gives an overview of published MALL implementation studies, the second provides a comparative analysis of MALL applications, and the last addresses the issue of MALL curricular integration. On the basis of this review, the paper concludes that MALL remains marginal in terms of the number of students and courses involved, the duration of implementations, the language skills targeted, the kinds of learning activities undertaken and the methodological approach used. Nonetheless, it also maintains that the necessary technological base and pedagogical expertise are in place to bring MALL in from the fringes to the core of foreign language teaching.

The Use of Current Mobile Learning Applications in EFL

Technological developments in ubiquitous computing and wireless communication together with the adoption of mobile multimedia devices and applications have translated into huge opportunities for English as a foreign language (EFL). Operating systems like Google's open source Android, Apple's iOS, and Microsoft's Windows 7 are getting more sophisticated and now have the potential to dramatically change this field. These handheld devices support individual and collaborative learning and offer the opportunity to develop technology that will assist students to learn anytime and anywhere and a large amount of applications for mobile phones, tablets and i-pod players has already been widely employed in EFL.Mobile learning (m-learning) refers to the use of mobile technologies for educational purposes. These devices can offer learning opportunities that are: spontaneous, informal, contextual, portable, ubiquitous, pervasive, and personal (Kukulska- Hulme et al., 2011). Thus, as Pilling-Cormick and Garrison (2007) explained, learners take primary responsibility and control of their learning process, including setting goals and evaluating outcomes. They are no longer the passive recipients of education, but consumers making choices in the learning market.However, although the stimuli from multi-channels (sound, image, interaction, etc.) may be very advantageous for the learner, mobile technologies also require the thoughtful integration of EFL pedagogy. In this paper, we intend to examine both the qualities and limitations of some mobile applications available by assessing their features from a pedagogic and technical point of view with the aid of a quality rubric. The results here presented are the starting point for the development of MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) applications for EFL teaching/learning as part of the work carried out by linguists and IT engineers within the context of the SO-CALL-ME project in Spain.