scholarly journals Chatterpix Kids: A Potential Mobile App for Helping Primary ESL Pupils Improve Their Speaking Fluency

Author(s):  
Thirumangai Rajendran ◽  
Melor Md Yunus

The mastery of all four language skills has become one of the topmost priorities among English as a Second Language (ESL) learners worldwide. Despite multiple efforts taken to master the necessary skills, speaking remains to the most challenging skill for many Malaysian ESL learners. Previous studies suggest that Mobile-assisted Language Learning (MALL) for speaking has taken its first steps in Malaysian tertiary and secondary levels of education. However, there is still a paucity of research done on MALL at the primary level. The present case study therefore sought to fill in the gap by exploring how the ChatterPix Kids mobile app has helped 5 purposively selected Year 3 primary school pupils develop their speaking fluency. This was done through speaking practices conducted over 12 speaking lessons during the Movement Control Order (MCO) from their perspective. The pupils’ responses obtained through the semi-structured interviews were triangulated using the responses obtained from them through both a focus group and their parents’ feedback obtained through an open-ended questionnaire. The findings were thematically analysed. Seven themes were highlighted which indicate the crucial need to incorporate MALL for speaking among Malaysian primary school pupils. Further studies are recommended to be done on how ChatterPix Kids could be exploited when learning other language skills such as listening, reading, and writing. So far as the study’s limitations are concerned, there is a need to investigate how the pupils’ confidence could be sustained in the absence of the app when speaking in public.

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
M. Lavrenova

The article is devoted to the problem of formation orthoepic Ukrainian literary language skills of primary school pupils living in the conditions of dialectal environment. It was determined that the successful training of Ukrainian literary language to a large extent depends on the mutual influence of languages used by children in the early school. Psycholinguistic bases of forming cultural speech of primary pupils are analysed. The effectiveness of pedagogical conditions of formation primary pupils’ speech culture in the native language lessons was theoretically proved.


Author(s):  
Abdul Mutalib Embong ◽  
Azelin Mohamed Noor ◽  
Hezlina Mohd Hashim ◽  
Syahrul Alim Baharuddin ◽  
Norasyikin Binti Abdul Malik

This study reveals the currents social welfare which includes the uprising practice of Islamic charity, namely Infaq (voluntary alms giving), an instrument to help the unfortunate people (asnaf). It used qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews focusing on six themes with six respondents. They engage in Infaq during the MCO or Movement Control Order. The results showed that there was a rise of contemporary fame of Infaq among Malaysian middle-class Muslims and charity body or organisation that specialise in sedekah/Infaq programmes . These parties make use of the platform of social media to record their activities and raise funds activity to help the needy who demand immediate and non-bureaucratic donations especially in a form of material help like food and daily necessities. This indeed has changed the course of how sedekah or Infaq used to be done back then. More Muslims who perform these Islamic charities display their efficiency and transparency in their donations as in Islam, sedekah is as a spiritual ‘investment’ to the donors despite the hard time people face during pandemic. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 295 ◽  
pp. 05029
Author(s):  
Yujiao Zhang

Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) creates more opportunities for learners to access learning resources more easily and selfdirectly without time and place limitation. Thus, this study aimed at developing MALL materials to support the English oral communicative learning of Thai airport immigration police officers based on needs analysis and exploring the quality of MALL materials to support English oral communicative learning of Thai Airport Immigration police officers.The instruments of this study were the semi-structured interviews with the officers in order to conduct needs analysis, and the IOC (Item-Objective Congruence) form for experts to validate the materials developed, and the questionnaire to assess the officers’ opinions after using the materials to explore the quality. ADDIE model was applied to guide the overall process of developing the materials. The findings indicated that the self-instructional MALL materials laded in WeChat public platform that consisted of two units, Arrival and Departure, and ten lessons that were under each unit, both of which were accordance with the airport immigration officers’ needs. Moreover, the evaluation based on the officers’ opinions revealed that the MALL materials had high quality of content, rational organization, pleasant presentation and convenient functions of the platform.


10.28945/3703 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 037-057
Author(s):  
Kham Sila Ahmad ◽  
Jocelyn Armarego ◽  
Fay Sudweeks

Aim/Purpose: To develop a framework for utilizing Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) to assist non-native English migrant women to acquire English vocabulary in a non-formal learning setting. Background: The women in this study migrated to Australia with varied backgrounds including voluntary or forced migration, very low to high levels of their first language (L1), low proficiency in English, and isolated fulltime stay-at-home mothers. Methodology: A case study method using semi-structured interviews and observations was used. Six migrant women learners attended a minimum of five non-MALL sessions and three participants continued on and attended a minimum of five MALL sessions. Participants were interviewed pre- and post-sessions. Data were analysed thematically. Contribution: The MALL framework is capable of enriching migrant women’s learning experience and vocabulary acquisition. Findings: Vocabulary acquisition occurred in women from both non-MALL and MALL environment; however, the MALL environment provided significantly enriched vocabulary learning experience. Future Research: A standardised approach to measure the effectiveness of MALL for vocabulary acquisition among migrant women in non-formal setting


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Lee Pui Weng ◽  
Melor Md Yunus ◽  
Mohamed Amin Bin Embi

Research on language learning strategies in Malaysia has been carried out extensively since mid 1990s. However, these studies have not covered the language learning strategies among native pupils in suburban primary school in Mukah, Sarawak. The main objective of the study was to identify the language learning strategies used by English as Second Language (ESL) learners. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire with 20 outstanding Year 5 ESL Iban learners in one of the suburban schools in Mukah, Sarawak. The instrument used in this study include a Language Strategy Use Questionnaire adapted from Language Strategy Use Inventory by Cohen, Oxford and Chi (2002). The adapted version of Language Strategy Use Questionnaire consists of 60 statements concerning the four major English language skills, namely listening, speaking and reading as well as acquisition of vocabulary and grammar. Data was analyzed through mean, frequency, percentage and standard deviation. The findings revealed that these learners were moderate users of listening, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary strategies and low users of speaking strategies. There were variations in responses with regard to the use of language learning strategies among primary school learners. The pedagogical implications of the findings are also discussed. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 73-77
Author(s):  
Natiq Saeed Ghayyib

The study is an attempt to investigate the four acquisition skills in fifth-primary pupils of Iraqi Kurdistan in reading from the teachers' viewpoints.  The sample of the study selected were (12) primary schools in Sulaimaniyah province in Iraq and its suburbs as parts of Sulaimaniyah Education Directorate in terms of (6) schools for male and (6) schools for female. Then, a questionnaire of (20) items was designed. The study aims at determining the four acquisition language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) of Iraqi Kurdistan students for the fifth-primary-school pupils in reading subject from the teachers' viewpoint and, then, arranging the skill according to its importance. The findings of the study proves that there is an influential factor that is the Glorious Quran , as they have sort of acquaintance on the Arabic language through reading and listening to the Glorious Quran.


Author(s):  
Revathi Viswanathan

With the advancement in technological tools and devices, language teachers can foster learning of communication skills through mobile devices. There is a growing interest among students to use the latest gadgets for getting connected with their peers. It must be admitted that the usage of these devices would bring in a real revolution in the teaching and learning process. It has been widely accepted that mobile learning promotes students' active participation. Teachers also now understand that one of their responsibilities is to create more opportunities to make their students practice language skills. Although numerous researches has been done in the field of English Language Teaching in India, research on mobile assisted language learning is still in an infancy stage. In this chapter, the author discusses the possibility of offering training through mobile apps, based on research she conducted recently.


2022 ◽  
pp. 67-89
Author(s):  
Shanru Yang

In a mobile society where information and knowledge become accessible to anyone, anywhere, and anytime on the internet, online education has been transformed fundamentally. By the end of 2020, Mandarin Chinese was taught to over 20 million people in over 180 countries around the world. By critically reviewing 15 recent studies from 2013 to 2021 on mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in teaching and learning Chinese as a second or foreign language (CSL/CFL), this chapter emphasizes the need for pedagogical diversity in goals, practices, and context. In the second theme of ‘connectivity', the new theory of online education connectivism is applied to evaluate the official Chinese language learning mobile app named ‘e-Learn Chinese'. In the final theme of ‘sustainability', it demonstrates an ecosystem of MALL through an ecological perspective based on a critical discussion of the mostly reviewed ten mobile language learning apps, which could innovate sustainable pedagogies in a life-long learning society.


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