College english teaching in a digital environment: The experience of china

Abstract

The study aims to evaluate the efficacy of mobile applications within language education, as well as to understand how this technology affects language learning outcomes and student perceptions. The research methodology rests on the development and testing of mobile technology interventions for learning English in an educational setting. The study used a mixed approach to analyze the data. This included a language proficiency test, such as the College English Test 4 (CET-4). Additionally, attitudes towards the mobile assisted environment for learning English by conducting a qualitative survey using a 5-point Likert scale were assessed. Two popular applications in China (Keke English and Lanren English) were used according to the research objectives. The study involved a sample of 190 students studying English as a foreign language (EFL) at three public colleges in China. The distribution of language proficiency levels in both the control and experimental groups showed differences in the preliminary test, while the experimental group demonstrated a slightly higher level of language proficiency. After the intervention, in the experimental group, there were significant improvements in various aspects of language proficiency. The improvement is evident in the post-test results of the experimental group, as reflected by a t-value of approximately 13.249. This result suggests the effectiveness of the intervention. Negative percentages (≈-50.0% and ≈-16.7%) indicate a decrease in the proportion of students with the B1 (intermediate) level after the intervention. Thus, some students managed to reach higher levels of language proficiency (B2, C1). The practical significance of the research findings lies in their potential to improve the practice of language teaching, especially in the context of English language teaching in Chinese colleges.