Xiao, J. (2017). Application of mobile learning system in phonetics teaching. ACM International Conference Proceeding Series (19-23).
This conference presentation evaluates the effect of an Android-based mobile app (English Liulishuo) upon the English pronunciation of 34 Chinese university students of unspecified L2 English competency level. Using their mobile phones, over fourteen weeks, three times per week for 15 minutes each time, participants accessed the app to practice their pronunciation. A control group of 33 received the same classroom instruction but only practiced English pronunciation 15 minutes a week in class. The experimental group significantly outscored the control on a post-test comparison and attributed their enhanced performance to use of the app.
Xiao, J., & Luo, Y. (2014). The speech evaluation method of English phoneme mobile learning system. Workshop presentation WARTIA, IEEE Workshop (pp. 546-550).
This paper investigates the effectiveness and accuracy of an Android-based L2 English phoneme learning platform. In conjunction with class instruction, 32 students of unspecified L2 English competence level in a Chinese university were requested to use the program out of class on their mobile phones a half-hour per day for ten weeks. Significant improvement was demonstrated on a pre-/post- treatment pronunciation test. There was also a high degree of correspondence between the automatic evaluation of the program and that of three human correctors. The majority of the participants thought the program was useful and convenient.
Xiao, J., & Wang, J. (2019a). Effectiveness of mobile learning in college English vocabulary teaching under multimodal environment. ACM International Conference Proceeding Series (pp. 93-97).
This conference presentation investigates the effectiveness of a mobile-based L2 English vocabulary app (Baicizhan) with a group of 62 university students of unspecified L2 English competency level. Participants were supposed to access the app via their smartphones on their own time for 14 weeks, at least three times per week for 20 minutes. A control group of 63 received the same classroom instruction without the use of the app. The experimental group significantly outscored the control on a post-treatment vocabulary test. Nearly all the Baicizhan users believed that it had helped them increase their vocabulary size.
Xiao, J., & Wang, J. (2019b). An empirical study of mobile learning in promoting English vocabulary teaching in multimodal environment. Asia-Pacific Conference on Education, Philosophy, Management and Business (ACEPMB 2019) (pp.1-4). Francis Academic Press, UK. [in Chinese]
This is the Chinese version of Xiao & Wang (2019a).
Xie, Y., Chen, Y., & Ryder, L-H. (2019). Effects of using mobile-based virtual reality on Chinese L2 students’ oral proficiency. Computer Assisted Language Learning, xx, 225-245.
This American paper investigated the effect of Virtual Reality tool usage (Google Cardboard, Expeditions) upon the L2 Chinese oral proficiency of twelve advanced-level university students. Over a semester, every two weeks, pairs of students prepared and delivered six oral tour-guide presentations, four using the VR tools and two without. Based on the evaluation of each presentation, participants’ content, vocabulary and total scores when using VR tools scored statistically significantly higher than when not using VR tools. Other dimensions including fluency, pronunciation and grammar scored similarly with or without these tools.
Xin, J., & Affrunti, R. (2019). Using iPads in vocabulary instruction for English language learners. Computers in the Schools. Interdisciplinary Journal of Practice, Theory and Applied Research, 36(1), 69-82.
This American study investigated the effect of flashcards combined with iPad usage upon the L2 English vocabulary acquisition of five L1 Spanish third graders diagnosed as being at risk. Over eight weeks, in two-week cycles, the children learned thirty-six words first presented via flashcards then using two mobile apps (Learning Touch, First Sight Words Pro). Participants were tested on nine words for recognition, word meaning, and word application at the end of every two-week cycle and again in a one-week-delayed post-treatment test. Substantial progress was made during the intervention and on the post-test.
Xodabande, I. (2017). The effectiveness of social media network Telegram in teaching English language pronunciation to Iranian EFL learners. Cogent Education, 4(1), 1-14.
This Iranian study evaluates the effect of a mobile-based instant messaging app (Telegram) upon the L2 English pronunciation of B1-level language institute students, all L1 Persian speakers. Five times per week for four weeks, 14 participants received a targeted vocabulary word for pronunciation practice while a control group of 16 received a different set of words for vocabulary acquisition. The experimental group significantly outscored the control on an immediate pronunciation post-test of the words studied by the experimental group. No significant improvement in pronunciation was found in the experimental group from the post-test to delayed post-test four weeks later.
Xodabande, I., Asadi, V., & Valizadeh, M. (2022). Teaching vocabulary items in corpus-based wordlists to university students: Comparing the effectiveness of digital and paper-based flashcards. Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning, xx, 1-24.
This Iranian study evaluated the relative effectiveness of digital vs paper-based flashcards in learning 1600 general and 963 academic L2 English words by L1 Persian university students of unspecified English competence level. An experimental group of 38 used digital flashcards via their smartphones while a control group of 33 used paper flashcards. Over a semester, participants were asked to spend at least 20 minutes daily, five days a week, studying the targeted vocabulary items. The experimental group significantly outperformed the control on three different immediate post-tests and as well as on the same three tests administered again four months later.
Xodabande, I., & Atai, M. (2022). Using mobile applications for self-directed learning of academic vocabulary among university students. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 37(4), 330-347.
This Iranian study evaluated the effectiveness of a mobile-based L2 English vocabulary app (AWL builder), which 20 university students accessed via smartphones to improve their receptive knowledge of Coxhead’s Academic Word List. Participants self-evaluated their English proficiency level at pre-intermediate to upper-intermediate. Their learning outcome was compared to a matched control group of 18 who studied the same vocabulary using a printed textbook. For a semester, all participants studied entirely out of class on their own. While both groups improved significantly on a pre-/post-test comparison, the experimental group significantly outscored the control on an immediate post-treatment and two-month-delayed post-test.
Xodabande, I., Atai, M., & Hashemi, M. (2024). Exploring the effectiveness of mobile assisted learning with digital flashcards in enhancing long-term retention of technical vocabulary among university students. Journal of Computers in Education, xx, np.
This Iranian study compared the effectiveness of paper-based versus mobile-based flashcards (Anki) on the learning of English technical chemistry vocabulary by intermediate-level L2 English university students, 23 under each condition. For ten weeks, each group was required to spend twenty minutes five days per week learning ten assigned words. The Anki group, which did so using unspecified mobile devices, significantly outscored the paper flashcard users on both an immediate and six-week delayed post-test.
Xodabande, I., & Boroughani, T. (2023). Mobile-assisted focus on forms in English for academic purposes instruction: Investigating the impacts on learning academic words. Frontiers in Psychology, xx, 1-8.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of an Android mobile-based quiz app (Anki) on L2 English vocabulary acquisition compared to learning from a printed list. Over three months, Iranian language institute students of intermediate-level English competence studied the New Academic Word List, 480 words in 16 sets. Participants freely chose their learning method, with 22 using Anki via their mobile phones and 15 opting for printed lists. Both groups significantly improved their receptive, productive and contextual vocabulary knowledge on a pre-/post-test comparison. However, the experimental group did more so than the control group, with a large effect size for receptive performance.
Xodabande, I., & Hashemi, M. (2023). Learning English with electronic textbooks on mobile devices: Impacts on university students’ vocabulary development. Education and Information Technologies, 28(2), 1587-1611.
This Iranian study evaluated the effectiveness of a mobile-based version of an L2 English course book (4000 Essential English Words 1) compared to its printed version (with accompanying CDs). Over a semester, on a weekly basis, 50 university students of unspecified L2 English proficiency level used their smartphones to access the mobile version while 45 used the printed version. Both groups significantly improved their vocabulary knowledge from pre-test to post-test, but the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group on the post- and three-month delayed post-test. Experimental group participants generally expressed positive reactions to the treatment.
Xodabande, I., Iravi, Y., Mansouri, B., & Matinparsa, H. (2022). Teaching academic words with digital flashcards: Investigating the effectiveness of mobile-assisted vocabulary learning for university students. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-11.
This Iranian study investigated the acquisition of academic English (psychology) vocabulary by intermediate-level L2 English university students. Over 15 weeks, 50 minutes per week, a group of 31 used their smartphones/tablets to access a mobile flashcard app (New Academic Word List) to learn 361 academic words. A second group of 30 did likewise using printed flashcards while a third group of 25 studied the same words from a printed list. On a pre-/post-test comparison, the mobile flashcard group significantly outscored the printed flashcard group, which significantly outscored the wordlist group.
Xodabande, I., Pourhassan, A., & Valizadeh, M. (2022). Self-directed learning of core vocabulary in English by EFL learners: Comparing the outcomes from paper and mobile application flashcards. Journal of Computers in Education, 9(1), 93-111.
This study compared the effectiveness of digital versus paper flashcards for the learning of English vocabulary by Iranian high school students. Over an academic year, 30 min a day, five days per week, participants of unspecified L2 English competence level learned 1801 words taken from the New General Service List. An experimental group of 36 did so via their smartphones using a mobile-based vocabulary app (Lexilize Flashcards) while a control group of 19 used paper flashcards. A pre-/post-treatment vocabulary test showed that both groups made significant progress, but the experimental group more than the control.
Xu, Q. (2020). Applying MALL to an EFL Listening and speaking course: An action research approach. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 19(4), 24-34.
This Chinese study investigated the effectiveness of a mobile-accessible tutorial app (Keke) upon the L2 English listening and speaking skills of 61 advanced-level university students. Participants accessed the app out of class on a weekly basis for 16 weeks. Listening exercises included word ordering and dictation practice, speaking exercises included shadowing and audio recording based on listening material. On a pre-/post-test comparison, students made significant progress in listening, but not in speaking. Their improvement was primarily manifested in positive attitudes and increased willingness to participate in MALL activities.
Xu, Q., Dong, X, & Jiang, L. (2017). EFL learners' perceptions of mobile‐assisted feedback on oral production. TESOL Quarterly, 51(2), 408-417.
This Chinese study evaluated the perceptions of 35 B1-B2-level L2 English university students regarding the instructor provision of feedback on their oral production via a social networking app (WeChat). Over 10 weeks, students watched 5 three-minute soap opera videos, which stopped short of the ending. Working in WeChat groups of seven, they had two weeks to retell and create an ending for each video, which they then orally recorded and submitted to the WeChat group. Upon students’ completion of the video-based tasks, the teacher gave written and oral feedback on their oral production. Students regarded the treatment very favorably.
Xu, Q., & Peng, H. (2017). Investigating mobile-assisted oral feedback in teaching Chinese as a second language. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 30(3-4), 173-182.
This Chinese study explored the use of an online social communication website (WeChat) to provide out-of-class speaking practice and oral correction to a group of 13 advanced-mid/advanced-high L2 Chinese students. Using their own smartphones, students completed nine speaking assignments during a 12-week semester, which they recorded and submitted via WeChat. Two native-speaker research assistants provided oral feedback, again via WeChat. Corrective feedback was centered on overt correction, mainly targeting grammar and vocabulary. Positive feedback mostly concentrated on content and vocabulary. A post-study questionnaire revealed positive student attitudes toward mobile-assisted feedback.
Xu, Q., & Peng, H. (2022). Exploring learner motivation and mobile-assisted peer feedback in a business English speaking course. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38(4), 1033-1045.
This Chinese study describes how 61 intermediate-level L2 English university students with different motivational levels participated in mobile-assisted peer feedback provision, as well as the characteristics of the feedback they provided. Based on questionnaire responses, participants were identified as exhibiting high, mid or low motivation (HM, MM, LM). Over 16 weeks, students completed oral assignments to which they gave and received peer feedback via a mobile-based learning platform (MosoTeach). The general trend demonstrated that the higher the student's motivation for peer feedback, the longer the peer feedback. Whatever the motivational level, positive feedback was much more frequent than corrective feedback.