Listening is one of the basic skills used in communication. English listening teaching resources expand in various ways as devices and applications change. Learners can access learning materials anytime, anywhere using a variety of mobile apps and software. There are several advantages for both teachers and students when using MALL in the teaching and learning process. The recent research study aimed to analyze effectiveness of MALL in teaching foreign language, in addition, using MALL in order to overcome issues while listening. In accordance achieve the goal of the current research study several research studies regarding to effectiveness of MALL and listening challenges, ways of solving them analyzed and discussed.
The recent research study concluded as positive perception of using MALL on advancing listening skills of EFL learners.
Keywords: listening skills, listening issues, MALL, developing listening, EFL learners.
Undoubtedly, there are many important problems in the process of learning English as a foreign language. The skills of teachers and learners, the methods and tactics used, the media that meet the demands of teachers and learners have an impact on these issues. However, they work as a team to achieve a common goal by interacting and communicating to share and communicate their expertise. The most important skills are speaking and listening.
These skills are very important when it comes to verbal or direct encounters. At least two people are involved in the encounter. The person who uses speech to convey information is called the speaker and the person who uses listening to receive information is called the listener. In a conversation between speaker and listener this is reciprocal.
Teachers' attitudes and assumptions about listening skills have changed over time but ESL listening practices have not. ESL teachers often hold the mistaken belief that listening is a passive, one-way and personal practice. They also show that educators think that speaking and listening should be taught independently, that speaking and listening are skills that are learnt automatically. Listening comprehension tactics are used to demonstrate that listening is an active, two-way and consciously considered cognitive process.
Although it is a basic language skill, listening is sometimes overlooked in the classroom by foreign and second language teachers. When you listen, you create meaning using the most current information you have at hand or in front of you. This process depends on various external sources to obtain the given input. It is very important to develop good pronunciation, vocabulary, word stress and syntax. Simply put, teaching listening involves developing learners' language and listening skills; both of which are essential for learning English [1].
The ability to listen well requires basic auditory discrimination and auditory grammar, as well as the ability to select and recall important information and to relate it to everything that involves understanding or the link between speech and interpretation. Understanding what is heard requires listening for auditory cues, understanding the purpose of the speech event, activating a schema, assigning literal meaning, assigning intended meaning, understanding the demand on short- and long-term memory, and remembering key details and important details [2].
Language instructors look for materials and activities that will allow their students to improve their listening skills in a practical way. Mobile applications that provide interactive activities such as simulated conversations and audio recordings for students to develop and assess their listening comprehension skills can be used to help students become better listeners. In EFL sessions, learners are expected to grasp grammatical concepts quickly because these concepts are often taught in short bursts. It is unrealistic to expect students to become competent listeners in the little time allocated to the lesson. Mobile applications that focus on listening exercises help to bridge the gap between learners' expectations and the limitations of face-to-face instruction [3].
Language teaching and learning is no exception to the fact that technology has had a significant impact in almost every profession. To manage successful learning in any classroom, educational media can be a great help. The impact of technology in learning environments, especially in language learning contexts, should not always be overlooked. There are various technologies and developments in the field of education that can be utilized in the teaching and learning process. One of these advances and technologies is the use of mobile phones as a facilitation tool and the use of mobile technology has increased significantly in recent years [4].
In addition, a variety of real-world resources in a variety of accents, settings and conditions not easily accessible in the classroom can be accessed through mobile devices. EFL learners can benefit from the flexibility to learn whenever and wherever they want, without time and space constraints. Technology for mobile learning can support learning that is personally tailored, socially constructed and goes beyond the confines of a typical classroom.
One strategy for developing listening skills is to teach it in the context of how technology has evolved. It is therefore becoming increasingly important to incorporate technology into listening lessons. When it comes to English language teaching, especially when it comes to listening skills, the use of MALL can positively influence learners' perspectives and attitudes because it can also function outside the classroom, freeing the instructor from the need to rely solely on traditional classroom teaching methods. [5].
Mobile devices such as mobile phones are more suitable for language learners than stationary computing equipment because they are portable, socially engaging, context-sensitive, contextual and individual. It can be argued that learners have fewer time and space constraints when it comes to accessing learning resources and interacting with their teachers and peers. Thus, MALL activities support the negotiation of meaning, the provision of comprehensible outputs and comprehensible inputs.
But hearing is essential to learn and perform well in English, which is why MALL research emphasizes hearing so much. Using mobile phones and other mobile technologies to support language learning is known as mobile-assisted language learning and is particularly useful where flexibility and contextual learning are advantageous.
Both instructors and students can benefit greatly from the application of MALL in the educational process. For example, it increases students' enthusiasm and interest in learning, is portable and easy to use, provides additional practice opportunities, provides immediate feedback or reinforcement, and is accessible both inside and outside the classroom. In conclusion, there are advantages of using MALL for teaching EFL languages.
Mobile learning is the combination of e-learning with mobile computing, offering rich interactive learning environments, advanced search functions, remote access to resources and powerful support for efficient learning and performance-based assessment. Numerous proponents of this technology have pointed out different links between MALL and some of these organizations, as can be seen when we review the literature and related work on the theoretical educational foundation on which MALL is based [6].
Given the inevitable integration of mobile technology into our lives, we can say that the majority of Iranians already know this from their daily lives. Individuals can be seen using their phones while lying in bed, sitting in a lecture theatre or walking around the street. But given its non-educational applications, it is not surprising that its value as a teaching tool is not so evident. One of the many creative and fascinating methods of meeting students' needs is to use the mobile phone as a learning tool. M-learning seems to be very important in supporting students' demands for English language education, especially in the classroom.
Research objective
Therefore, current research study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of MALL in teaching English to foreign learners, in addition, on evolving listening skills.
Methods and Materials
In order to achieve objective of the recent research study, some scientific research studies were analyzed and discussed.
|
Author |
Year |
Objective |
|
|
1. |
Phuc T. H. |
2023 |
The objective of the current research study was effect of mobile apps on teaching and learning foreign language |
|
2. |
Rezaee A. A., Alavi S. M., Razzaghifard P. |
2020 |
The aim of the research study was examining effectiveness of Mobile-based dynamic assessment and the development of EFL students' oral fluency |
|
3. |
Rezaee A. A., Alavi S. M., Razzaghifard P. |
2019 |
The objective of the current research study was to investigate impact of mobile-based dynamic assessment on improving EFL oral accuracy |
|
4. |
Helal E. A. |
2023 |
Aimed to analyze effectiveness of a Proposed Program Integrating MALL |
|
5. |
Nabilou M., Aboutalebi M., Soltani S. |
The objective of the study was examine effect of Using Mobile Listening Applications on Listening Skills |
|
|
6. |
Phetsut P., Waemusa Z. |
2022 |
Aimed to analyze effectiveness of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) |
Results and Discussion
Phuc's research in 2023 aimed to examine how mobile applications influence language teaching and acquisition. The main aim of the project was to evaluate the usefulness and applicability of Mobile Assisted Language Learning Portal (MALLP) for teaching English as a second language (ESL) to English Language Learners (ELLs). A pre-intermediate level General English course at a university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, provided 186 participants for selection through cluster sampling. The study utilized a mixed-methods strategy consisting of reviews, post-review, trial experiments, needs analysis, interviews and examinations. According to the results, the majority of the participants (65 %) showed a strong interest in the use of mobile applications in language learning. Due to MALL, the language proficiency level of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. Seventy per cent of the individuals in the experimental group were regular users of the MALL, indicating significant engagement and usage habits. Through the interviews, the experimental group had good views of the SC and emphasized its accessibility, its fascinating qualities, its ease of access to resources and its ability to increase confidence and language skills. The post-test findings showed that the experimental group scored higher than the control group (97.8 % vs. 36.6 % pass rate).
The average post-test score of the experimental group was 33.76, which was significantly higher than the average post-test score of the control group (28.52 points). The findings suggest that integrating mobile applications such as MALLP into language teaching can lead to improved language acquisition outcomes and increased student engagement. Additional research in public university settings is needed to better understand the benefits and drawbacks of mobile app-based language acquisition [7].
According to Rezaee A. A., Alavi S. M., Razzaghifard P in 2020, the study described in this article examined how oral fluency among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners can be improved through mobile-based dynamic assessment (MbDA). Three groups of forty participants each (two experimental groups and one control group) were randomly assigned to 120 pre-intermediate EFL learners for the study. Eight communication tasks were performed by participants in the experimental groups using dynamic assessment in two different situations (MbDA via text chat and MbDA via voice chat). The dependent variables were speech rate, length of normal pauses, frequency of repetition and reformulation. Participants receiving MbDA in the experimental groups involved in the study showed a significant improvement in speech fluency compared with those in the control group [8].
Few studies in this sector have examined language assessment, especially dynamic assessment (DA), although many have emphasized the advantages of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in the growth of learners' language acquisition. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate how mobile-based dynamic assessment (MDA) affects the oral accuracy of English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners. To achieve this, two experimental groups of forty participants each and a control group of 120 Iranian learners were formed. Learners in the experimental groups completed eight communication tasks using EDA in two different contexts (text chat environment and voice chat environment). The students' vocal performances were videotaped and analyzed to assess the accuracy of the speech output. The results of the data analysis showed that the experimental groups receiving MDA outperformed the control group by a significant margin in the post-test. The results show how effective MDA is in improving the oral accuracy of foreign language learners [9].
Through a proposed program involving podcast reciprocal listening and mobile assisted language learning (MALL), this study aimed to improve Egyptian first-year EFL Biotechnology Faculty students' speaking proficiency, vocabulary and higher order thinking skills (HOTS). The study utilized a pre-test and post-test experimental design. Forty students constituted the study group; they received curriculum-based training from the researcher in the autumn term of the 2021–2022 academic year. The study materials included assessments of higher-order thinking skills, vocabulary acquisition, fluency, and a rubric to assess the HOTS of the study participants. The findings showed that the pre- and post-test scores of the study group students differed statistically significantly and the post-test scores were higher. The proposed method was shown to be effective in increasing HOTS, vocabulary knowledge and oral fluency of the study group students [10].
Due to the rapid development of digital technology, mobile devices are widely used in foreign language teaching and learning. However, in school contexts in Thailand, nothing is known about how effectively speaking accuracy can be increased by using a mobile application in EFL classrooms. It is imperative to examine a teaching technique based on dynamic assessment and mobile assisted language learning (MALL) in EFL contexts in Thailand. This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of a mobile-based intervention designed to improve the speech functioning of Thai EFL learners. As part of a dynamic assessment procedure aimed at improving speech accuracy, thirty students at a secondary school in southern Thailand were given five verbal tasks to complete via intervention over WhatsApp. Quantitative data from the verbal pre- and post-tests were utilized to assess students' speech improvement using paired samples t-tests.
According to the results, the pre-test and post-test scores differed significantly after the implementation of the MALL-based intervention. EFL learners can improve their oral accuracy by using MALL-based interventions in Thai classrooms. Discussion on the implications and recommendations of the study is ongoing [11].
This study investigated the effects of using a mobile listening application on Iranian intermediate EFL learners' listening skills. Fifty male intermediate EFL learners aged between 15 and 20 years participated in the study. According to their performance in the placement test, the participants were divided into two groups. Thus, according to their general proficiency, the research participants were divided into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group received training using a mobile application to improve their listening skills, in contrast to the control group, which was given traditional techniques. In the collection of research data, 40-item multiple-choice pre- and post-tests were used.
The students of the experimental group performed better in the post-test than in the pre-test, as shown by the t-test results. This shows that the mobile application used as an application to improve listening skills increased the post-test scores of the language learners. However, the post-test findings of the two groups showed a statistically significant difference. The average of the experimental group was higher than the control group. Caution should be exercised when applying the results to learners of other nationalities because the participants were Iranian and affiliated with the Iranian Language Institute.
Nevertheless, the researcher believes that the findings of the study have important implications for teachers and learners, curriculum designers and methodologists, linguists and MALL/CALL specialists. The findings of the study aim to raise awareness of a more effective strategy to help language learners improve their listening abilities [3].
Conclusion
In addition, children in Kazakhstan are taught English as part of the basic curriculum from the first grade. However, this is not always successful. For those who wish to improve their English speaking skills, additional lessons in educational institutions are required.
Learners can customize their mobile devices with educational apps to help their own learning development and select materials that correspond to their skill level in terms of complexity. Language acquisition can be characterized by four linguistic abilities: speaking, reading, writing and listening. Hearing is recognized as a more effective way for people to learn new information than reading, which makes listening a very important social communication skill in many ways. However, listening comprehension tests are a common feature of English diplomas and emphasize the need to develop English listening skills.
Mobile learning technologies are developing very fast. Students' demand to learn other languages through gadgets and their interest in utilizing technology for English language learning will increase. In other words, the convenience and benefits of learning through mobile technologies are increasing. With the help of their mobile devices, students can use their free time to learn English anywhere. Using apps on their smartphones, students use apps to listen to English listening exercises while walking around the city, encouraging the integration of foreign language practice into authentic scenarios. Thus, mobile devices contribute to increasing the possibility of listening outside the study hall.
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