Research Methods for the Study of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning

June 2022

This special issue of Research Methods in Applied Linguistics (RMAL) invites submissions that focus on the study and advancement of methods and approaches in mobile-assisted Language Learning (MALL) research

Guest editors:

Huifen Lin is a professor at the Foreign Languages and Literature department at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. She received her Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University with a specialization in educational technology. 

Liou Hsien-Chin is a professor at the Foreign Languages and Literature Department of Feng Chia University in Taiwan after she retired from National Tsing Hua University in 2013. She received her Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a specialization in second language acquisition and teacher education (SLATE) in 1989 and started her career at Tsing Hua. 

Special issue information:

This special issue of Research Methods in Applied Linguistics (RMAL) invites submissions that focus on the study and advancement of methods and approaches in mobile-assisted Language Learning (MALL) research. In response to the widespread use of mobile devices and technologies, researchers and practitioners have been exploring their capabilities and potential to facilitate second/foreign language learning/teaching, resulting in a large amount of empirical research. These exciting explorations and findings have also given rise to a number of meta-analyses that endeavor to synthesize the voluminous body of research. As the meta-analytic studies have shown, although innovative technologies have great potential for second/foreign language learning and instruction, how to study them appropriately and rigorously poses many challenges for MALL researchers. Are research approaches or methods typically used to study CALL or conventional face-to-face learning appropriate to study MALL? Should current methods or approaches in MALL research be refined, adjusted, or even abandoned?

For this special issue, we invite submissions that focus on research methods in MALL. Submissions can address all aspects of research methods, including, but not limited to, the development of a theoretical framework, sampling, research design, instruments, tools, data analysis, and so on. Methodological syntheses that summarize and critique the methods of MALL research on different topics such as vocabulary, pronunciation, speaking, writing, etc. are also welcome. We also invite proposals that assess the current practices and reporting standards of research syntheses in MALL. The manuscript may be prepared in one of the four article types: empirical article, review article, brief report, or method tutorial and can adopt a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method design. To align with the scope and aim of the journal, the special issue will only accept manuscripts that discuss MALL from the perspective of research methods, and authors are expected to make clear the methodological innovations and contributions. Substantive studies that focus on the findings on a selected MALL topic, albeit valuable, will not be considered.

One example methodological innovation is to develop a data collection technique that captures users’ learning experiences or behaviors. Previous studies have proposed the use of observation, but this has proved to be a challenge for MALL, which is typically designed for extramural studies. Another example topic is the validation of the assessments of the effectiveness of the instructional interventions implemented in MALL settings. Previous meta-analyses have demonstrated that in most MALL studies, learning gains are measured via in-house instruments, and no evidence was reported on the validity and reliability of the assessment tools. Furthermore, while validated tests are available that are appropriate for other settings, they may not be optimal choices for MALL studies given the unique instructional features of MALL. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate how to measure treatment effects accurately and reliably in MALL studies.

Manuscript submission information:

Interested authors may also refer to the RMAL website and author guidelines for details concerning the scope of the journal and the submission process. Please also see freely available publications on the RMAL website for examples of the topics and types of articles this journal publishes. Interested contributors are invited to send an abstract of no more than 300 words with a title by August 1, 2022 to Dr. Huifen Lin at huifennthu@gmail.com.

Learn more about the benefits of publishing in a special issue: https://www.elsevier.com/authors/submit-your-paper/special-issues

Interested in becoming a guest editor? Discover the benefits of guest editing a special issue and the valuable contribution that you can make to your field: https://www.elsevier.com/editors/role-of-an-editor/guest-editors