Review of research on mobile‐assisted language learning in familiar, authentic environments

Abstract

Familiarity with learning contexts is important in the field of mobile‐assisted language learning (MALL). Several review studies on MALL have been published to date. However, scholars have not covered certain aspects of familiar contexts in their reviews, such as which learning/instructional methodologies support learning in familiar contexts or what the affordances of familiar contexts are for language learning. To address this gap, the authors in this study reviewed research articles related to MALL in familiar, authentic environments published in the past 10 years. The reviewed articles were from journals published in the Social Science Citation Index between 2009 and 2018. The main aim of this study was to review the published articles to understand (1) pedagogical approaches, (2) data collection, (3) locations, (4) affordances of authentic environments and (5) issues in MALL research. The results revealed that the most frequent items in reviewed articles were task‐based learning and communicative language teaching (pedagogical approaches); questionnaires, pretest and posttests and interviews (data collection); the local community and campus (locations); daily encounters, language learning and cognitive load (affordances of authentic environments); and small sample sizes and short‐term interventions (issues in MALL research). Based on the results, the authors in this study made several suggestions and provided implications for educators and researchers in the field about MALL in familiar, authentic environments.

Modelling the Relationship Between Chinese University Students’ Authentic Language Learning and Their English Self-efficacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Specifically, students’ AULL was a significant predictor of their ESE. As previous studies have identified the facilitating role of technology and authentic tasks in foreign language improvement (Shadiev et al, 2020 ), both the quantitative and qualitative results further confirmed that learners’ authentic language learning with technology could lead to improved confidence in language skills (Marden & Herrington, 2020 ). As Wu et al ( 2011 ) noted, even a small amount of authentic online interaction could boost students’ confidence in their language learning and allow them to communicate more comfortably in English.…”

“…The language tasks under the TBLT curriculum not only intend to provide learners with rich and authentic input but also allow learners to use the language and technology in productive and meaningful ways (González-Lloret & Ortega, 2014 ). Guided mainly by TBLT pedagogy, a wide array of technological tools, especially mobile devices, were used to create authentic environments for language learners (Shadiev et al, 2020 ). Mobile multimedia tools enable language learners to access and create various image, audio, or video materials with the target language in tasks that are meaningful, contextual, and situated.…”

Using image-to-text recognition technology to facilitate vocabulary acquisition in authentic contexts

“…New technologies are being widely employed in the language learning process, including vocabulary acquisition (Ros i Solé, Calic & Neijmann, 2010; Shadiev, Hwang & Huang, 2017; Shadiev, Liu & Hwang, in press). This is because technologies enable language learners to learn seamlessly – that is, link classroom learning with learning in the real world (Shadiev, Hwang & Liu, 2018; Wong, 2013).…”

The effectiveness of MALL and flipped classroom in teaching writing to the eleventh graders of SMA in Banyumas

“…Using MALL to encourage the learning of English language can reduce boredom and time and space constraints that traditional teaching methods usually cause. Since all people around the world use technology massively, it is necessary to use this tool for teaching and learning process instead of limiting it to unproductive activities (Gangaiamaran & Pasupathi, 2017;Wahyuni, et al, 2019;Shadiev, et al, 2020).…”