scholarly journals Supporting listening comprehension by social network-based interaction in mobile assisted language learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 295-309
Author(s):  
Timothy Read ◽  
Agnes Kukulska-Hulme ◽  
Elena Barcena
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Direct Extraction ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Third Phase ◽  
Metacognitive Processes ◽  
Motivation And Learning

Listening comprehension is challenging for students because it is more than just the direct extraction of meaning from sound. The literature reflects the need to develop relevant strategies. Teachers typically try to help students structure their learning into three phases: before (pre-), during, and after (post-) listening, emphasizing different cognitive and metacognitive processes. In this paper, the role of MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) is proposed as a way to support this learning process and specifically to scaffold its third phase. A study was carried out with an app that the authors have developed for listening to audio news recordings. There are two versions of this app; the first is a standalone program which the students use on an individual basis. The second links to Facebook to enable students to summarize, share and discuss what they have listened to, thereby refining and consolidating their comprehension. A research question in this study addressed the role of a social network in a MALL app in terms of motivation and learning habits. The results of the study provide pedagogical insights into the answer and the value of including social network-based interaction in a MALL app for the development of listening comprehension.

The role of second language in higher education: A case study of German students at a Dutch university

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidy Zijlmans ◽  
Anneke Neijt ◽  
Roeland van Hout
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Main Language

AbstractThis article reports on an investigation of the challenges and benefits of university students taking a degree course in a language other than their mother tongue. Our study was conducted from the point of view of the non-native students themselves, and our primary concern was the role of language. We investigated the academic achievement of German students studying in a Dutch-English academic environment. Dutch is the main language of instruction, and English the main language of the literature used. In search of predictors for successful learning of Dutch (our first research question), LexTALE tests were administered to determine linguistic competence in the students’ first language, German, and their second language, English. In addition, we collected data on their educational background and language learning history. None of the LexTALE scores stood out as ‘the’ predictor for success in learning Dutch; German was a slightly better predictor than English. The best predictor appeared to be the students’ general educational level, expressed in mean grades for final exams in secondary education. We then studied the role of proficiency in the foreign languages needed for academic success. Language data on L3 Dutch were gathered at the start and were compared to study results after the first six months and at the end of the first year. The level of Dutch as a second language correlated with study results, expressed in ECTS; the correlation was even higher with mean grades on exams. This indicates that language proficiency does play a role in study success.

Understanding Learner and Instructor Attitudes Toward and Use of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Ana Gimeno-Sanz ◽  
Valentina Morgana ◽  
Julie Van de Vyver
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Target Groups ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Research Areas

This chapter offers insights into the benefits and drawbacks of adopting mobile learning in language education, both from a theoretical as well as a practical point of view. A survey was designed to explore pedagogically sound practices and provide a better understanding of the current and future role of MALL on language learning, specifically in higher education (HE). Comparison between the two target groups (learners and teachers) produced results to aid in aligning and narrowing distances between the learners' independent usage of MALL in informal learning and the instructors' perception of how mobile apps can or should be integrated into the language curriculum. The chapter proposes a number of research areas that require further exploration in MALL and with a set of recommendations in terms of embracing MALL practices in language learning and teaching.

Toward Mobile Assisted Language MOOCs

2015 ◽  
pp. 225-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Read ◽  
Elena Bárcena
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Access To Education ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Technological Context ◽  
Digital Equivalent

MOOCs are presented in this article as a fundamental change in the access to education in the world. While not necessarily a completely new invention, the technological context was ripe for them to take off and become established as an important step forward in providing open education for a large number of people. It is argued that MOOCs, if correctly structured and managed, can harness the best of both formal and informal learning, to help students develop their receptive, productive and interactive language competences. It is, therefore, possible to talk about Language MOOCs, or LMOOCs, as a sub-field within MOOC research and practice. Activities that revolve around collaboration and peer review, resting upon basic linguistic notions of the target language, while arguably not as fruitful or enjoyable as direct interaction with native speakers, can still greatly motivate students to experiment with new language and become more proactive than they would in other learning environments. Furthermore, while focussing on the mistakes of other students, they are implicitly reviewing and refining their own comprehension and production. If mobile assisted language learning, or MALL, is talked about as the application of mobile technology to language learning, then given the potential of such technology to increase both the access of students to LMOOCs and also provide them with complementary tools for the courses, we can begin to talk about Mobile Assisted LMOOCs, or MALMOOCs. In this chapter, the nature of LMOOCs is discussed together with the potential role of mobile devices, argued to be the digital equivalent of the Swiss army knife, offering a rich and flexible way of interacting with the real world based upon the array of sensors present and the apps that can be installed on them.

scholarly journals A longitudinal study on language learning vocabulary in L2 Spanish

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Pardo-Ballester
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Hybrid Courses ◽  
Input Modality ◽  
Blended Courses ◽  
Test Formats ◽  
Listening Tests ◽  
Video Format

Some learners perform better on listening tests that include visual input instead of only audio (Wagner, 2008) while others have found no difference in the performance of participants in the two test formats (Batty, 2015). These mixed results make it necessary to examine the role of using audio and video in listening comprehension (LC). This study examines the effect of input modality on the learning of new vocabulary with intermediate L2 learners. The study gave four versions of the same text: a baseline in audio format, a baseline in video format, a redundancy-enhanced version in audio format and a redundancy-enhanced version in video format. Three hundred sixty two intermediate learners of Spanish participated in this study over a period of three consecutive semesters. Results about input modality indicated audio or video does not seem to matter in responding correctly to the vocabulary items. However, the redundancy-enhanced version in audio and video formats helped learners to respond correctly to vocabulary items when enrolled in face2face-blended courses compared to online-hybrid courses.

scholarly journals Mobile Assisted Language Learning in Intensive English Course for Freshmen Year Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Made Agus Mandala Putra ◽  
Made Hery Santosa
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Contextual Learning ◽  
First Century ◽  
Traditional Learning ◽  
Intensive English ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Use Of Technology

Learning on twenty first century has influenced the use of technology especially as contextual learning media in the classroom. Moreover, digital generation students have already known the role of technology and have adapted it successfully. Therefore, it was very important to introduce attractive and active learning by using authentic activities and one of these activities was called Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL). This learning brought the world’s information only to the students’ smart phone. In contrast to traditional learning in the classroom, the students did not fully gain knowledge in the classroom. In fact, the implementation of MALL could give students’ freedom to learn in terms of time and place. The result of this research showed that students had obstacles in learning especially in terms of activities and the used of teaching media. Students needed authentic learning media that could improve their four skills.

scholarly journals The Role of Instructing Substitution as a Kind of Grammatical Cohesion on Its True Identification and Creation of Modal, Reporting and Conditional Contexts

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 298
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Hasannejad ◽  
Nader Assadi ◽  
Mehdi Mirzaei
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Language Proficiency Test ◽  
Experimental Group

<p><em>In an effort with a two-fold research question regarding the role of teaching substitution as a kind of grammatical cohesion on the true identification of confusing substitution elements with cohesive or noncohesive roles in different contexts and also the production of modal, reporting and conditional contexts through clausal substitution acquaintance, the following procedures were taken. First 120 male and female EFL students were selected from Iranshahr Azad University. Having administered the language proficiency test, researchers selected 80 students as intermediate subjects according to their TOEFL band scores. First, pretests of cohesion identification (substitution) and production of modal, reporting and conditional environments were administered to both control and experimental groups. Then, the experimental group was exposed to the teaching of the above-said cohesive device. Finally, post-tests of substitution elements identification and modal, reporting and conditional contexts production through clausal substitution familiarity were administered. The results showed that cohesive device treatment helped students on the true identification of substitution elements. Another finding proved that EFL students may have no difficulty in learning certain rules or classification of rules and application of their clausal substitution knowledge in creating modal, reporting and conditional contexts. Our findings can have implications for the field of language learning and teaching by deepening our understanding of the nature of the cohesive devices used by Iranian intermediate EFL learners in the process of reading comprehension and also applying their knowledge of cohesive devices not only in reading skill but also in speaking and writing skills to have more fluent and accurate speakers, writers and successful readers.</em></p>

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