Event Title
A Qualitative Meta-analysis of MALL Research and Design on Curriculum Integration
Document Type
Event
Start Date
28-6-2017 10:00 AM
Description
Abstract:
This study performed qualitative meta-analysis on 195 recent papers about Mobile Assisted Language Learning to identify recurring themes, lessons about MALL affordances, lessons for instructional and academic research design, and for the resulting MALL design best practices. The researchers used qualitative analysis to synthesize the conclusions and recommendations of the studies. The meta-analysis produced many recurring images, which the researchers categorized into 20 themes. The most common occurred 73 times throughout the 195 papers. Themes included access, motivation, curriculum, instructor role, authentic experiences, student-centered learning, gamification, induction training, and contextual learning, plus several others mentioned as few as two times. Several studies noted discrepancies between how teachers and instructional designers expected MALL devices to be used, and how the students actually use them. Several of the MALL tests were surprisingly short, as little as 40 minutes, not accounting for the novelty effect (Hawthorne Effect) in which the newness of a task leads to temporary increases in performance. The three most significant issues identified by this meta-analysis were that 1) there are significant discrepancies between how teachers and instructional designers anticipate that MALL devices will be used and how the students actually use them; that 2) the issues of access, motivation, and curriculum are overarching issues that often have negative impact on learning outcomes; and that 3) many of the MALL studies approved for publication by blind peer review were of surprisingly short duration or had other obvious flaws suggesting poor research design. The researchers identify fundamental principles of MALL design, based on the research findings, and address research and pedagogy implications and best practices for MALL planning.
Keywords
MALL, CALL, Educational technology, Curriculum integration, Pedagogy, Meta-analysis, Hawthorne effect
Recommended Citation
Chwo, Shu-Mei Gloria, "A Qualitative Meta-analysis of MALL Research and Design on Curriculum Integration" (2017). Center for Global Curriculum Studies Symposium. 4.
https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/globalcurriculumsymposium/gcs2017/gcs2017_events/4
A Qualitative Meta-analysis of MALL Research and Design on Curriculum Integration
Abstract:
This study performed qualitative meta-analysis on 195 recent papers about Mobile Assisted Language Learning to identify recurring themes, lessons about MALL affordances, lessons for instructional and academic research design, and for the resulting MALL design best practices. The researchers used qualitative analysis to synthesize the conclusions and recommendations of the studies. The meta-analysis produced many recurring images, which the researchers categorized into 20 themes. The most common occurred 73 times throughout the 195 papers. Themes included access, motivation, curriculum, instructor role, authentic experiences, student-centered learning, gamification, induction training, and contextual learning, plus several others mentioned as few as two times. Several studies noted discrepancies between how teachers and instructional designers expected MALL devices to be used, and how the students actually use them. Several of the MALL tests were surprisingly short, as little as 40 minutes, not accounting for the novelty effect (Hawthorne Effect) in which the newness of a task leads to temporary increases in performance. The three most significant issues identified by this meta-analysis were that 1) there are significant discrepancies between how teachers and instructional designers anticipate that MALL devices will be used and how the students actually use them; that 2) the issues of access, motivation, and curriculum are overarching issues that often have negative impact on learning outcomes; and that 3) many of the MALL studies approved for publication by blind peer review were of surprisingly short duration or had other obvious flaws suggesting poor research design. The researchers identify fundamental principles of MALL design, based on the research findings, and address research and pedagogy implications and best practices for MALL planning.