In search of the effectiveness of MALL： a case study about smart phone based EFL learning in a Chinese vocational college

Li Wei Wang

【Abstract】In this paper， a case study of MALL in a vocational college in JiangSu province in China is provided. Three classes of freshmen of this college were selected to learn English in three alternative methods： traditional paper-based learning for Class 1， voluntary mobile learning with a mobile app for Class 2 and free learning （either paper-based or mobile learning） for Class 3. In this study， we kept our focus mostly on Class 2. Different learning channels were open for these participants to choose the best suitable way for their own learning. Most participants in class 2 and 3 demonstrated positive feedbacks for learning with the mobile app “Smart Phone Class”. The possible correlations among different learning channels were illustrated for a systematic consideration of EFL with mobile technology. Weakness and possible improvement were also listed for further research and implementation in vocational education system of China.

【Key words】vocational education； smart phone； EFL； MALL

【作者簡介】LiWei Wang， Changzhou Hygiene Vocational Technology College.

1. Introduction

In recent years， the ownership of mobile devices esp. smart phones among vocational college students has increased at an impressive rate， mobile assisted（MALL） has been widely applied. MALL has opened a new opportunity and direction in language learning and teaching （Balance， 2012）， and students may be willing to adopt MALL which may reinforce learners autonomous learning on their mobile devices （Chen， Y.， Carger， C. L.，& Smith， T. J. 2017）. Meanwhile， little attention had been directed to EFL learners activities and behaviours in informal settings to support vocational English learning. Therefore， all factors of inadequate infrastructures， inadequate confidence of learning， inadequate accessibility and so on to learning resources leaded to low willingness and effectiveness to learn English under vocational institutional circumstance. To encourage students to learn English and provide wide accessibility and availability for English learning， a mobile app “Smart phone class” （SPC） was designed and developed particularly for freshmen in a nursing college. The practice intended to charge motivation for English learning in vocational colleges as well as examine the effectiveness of MALL by smart phones in vocational educational context.

2. This study

The research was a comparative study of certain number of freshmen who majored in nursing. Before the research， all the freshman students （8 classes） provincial high entry examination marks are collected as the reference. Meanwhile， a pre-test was given to all enrolled students. And according to their pre-test average scores， three classes， of approximately same average scores were chosen， which included 153 students in total， 2 terms were covered.

In our study， the core pedagogical concept of “learner-centre” was highly employed. Different learning channels were established for learning in formal and informal settings， such as traditional teaching and learning in the classroom， learning through videos on blog sites， group discussions conducted via QQ （Chinese social software）. The “Smart Phone Class” was considered as an extra channel and employed for students language learning in informal settings after class， anywhere outside the classroom， such as on campus， at dorm， at home， at canteens and so on. During the research， eight English units were delivered to the chosen classes by the same teacher using same teaching materials and teaching methods. At the end of each unit， students were required to review the contents using same revision materials with assigned revision methods. Class one students were required to use textbooks， in-class notes， and paper exercises. Class two students were required to use methods backed by mobile applications on smart phones， including “Smart Phone Class”， SMS （Short Message Service）. Class three students were encouraged to choose either traditional revision methods or m-learning ones out of their own preferences. Along with “Smart Phone Class”， PPT slides of each class and course –related videos were shared on the colleges LMS， and notices， task reminders and test scores were pushed to learners via SMS. To go beyond the simple content-delivery model， as well as to make up for the deficiency of our mobile application “Smart Phone Class”， communicative learning was carried out through mobile QQ to promote engagements. Group discussions via mobile QQ were conducted with Class Two and Three， with 102 students joining in.

3. Evaluation and Outcomes

According to our data analysis， 90 % of students preferred to use SPC because they think they can easily use their smart phones to chick materials and no important information would be missed； while 10 % of students still voluntarily chose traditional revision methods because of the apps contents lack of attraction and adequate authentic materials. Besides， comparing the mid-term test results and final provincial achievement test scores， students who employed m-learning methods finished more revision exercises than those who chose traditional revision methods. And the time they spent on revision almost doubled those who chose traditional revision methods. What is more， their increase in test scores was dramatically higher than the traditional control group. One

4. Possible Future development

This study sought to examine the contribution of mobile educational application in EFL in vocational education context. In term of app “SPC”， this mobile technology enhanced participants autonomous learning on their mobile devices， brought to better results for most subjects， proved to be an effective means for flipped classroom； however， how to set a seamless language learning context， how to systematically document mobile learning behaviors， how to maintain learners interests are challenges for our future study.

References：

[1]Balance， J. O. Mobile language learning： More than just “The platform”[J].Language learning &Technology;，2012，16（3）：21-23.

[2]Chen， Y.， Carger， C. L.， & Smith， T. J. Mobile-assisted narrative writing practice for young Engilsh language learners from a funds of knowledge approach[J].Language Learning & Technology，2017，21（2）：28–41.