The Effectiveness of Smartphone and Tablet PC Apps for Japanese Language Learning

Abstract

The emergence of smartphones and tablet PCs in the second decade ofthe 21 sf century has furthered possibilities for mobile learning. Thecharacteristics of smartphones and tablet PC devices such as affinity,portability, accessibility and the availability of low cost applications(apps) with various functions have transformed these devices into arealistic means of learning. In fact, it has been reported that manysecond language (L2) learners have used such language learning appsand evaluated them positively. The adaptation of mobile apps for L2language education and training has been actively implemented by notonly individual users but also educational and business sectors in manycountries. Thus, this study explores the effectiveness of smartphone andtablet PC apps for Japanese language learning, focusing on learners ofJapanese at a university in Australia. The types of Japanese languagelearning apps that students have used and their usage are examined, inorder to investigate the effectiveness of such apps. This study aims toprovide helpful information to L2 educators and learners about theadaptation of mobile devices to assist their language teaching andlearning.