Mobile Phones-Assisted Practice and Note-Taking in Foreign Language Oral Production

Abstract

In foreign language instruction, students are often exposed to computer-mediated testing in international exams and language courses; however, regular classrooms are not equipped with computer labs to offer a lesson coherent with that testing procedure. To fill this gap, mobile-assisted language learning emerges as a portable option for computer-mediated learning and testing. Hence, this action research aims to study the implementation of mobile phones-assisted practice, combined with note-taking, as test-wise and test-management strategies, to tackle the needs of 218 participants who were taking an English as a foreign language program at a Colombian university. In the diagnostic stage, learners expressed that the most difficult computer-assessed skill was speaking, due to lack of confidence and suitable strategies. Findings revealed an improvement in students' oral performance, collaboration levels, and high acceptance of mobile phones-assisted practice as a test preparation tool that facilitates autonomy, metacognition, and peer-feedback.