Mobile-assisted language learning

Abstract

As mobile technologies become more widely used in our everyday lives, it is perhaps not surprising that they have attracted the attention of language teachers as a means of providing learning opportunities that learners can take advantage of at a time and place that suits them. Mobile learning has the potential to not only increase the amount of time that individual learners spend engaged in language learning activities (Stockwell, 2010), but also to reduce the psychological distance that be associated with more formal language learning situations (Bax, 2003). There are, however, a number of concerns that need to be taken into consideration when incorporating mobile learning. The smaller screen and limited input methods which are often associated with learning with mobile devices, for example, have an effect on the amount of information which can be provided to learners and the types of tasks and activities that learners can be expected to undertake. In addition to the physical characteristics, learners still exhibit some psychological barriers regarding learning which need to be overcome in order to make mobile learning come more into the mainstream, such as the distinction between private time and study time, and the difficulties associated with studying in public places, such as while commuting. This chapter will discuss the complexities of mobile learning, looking not only at the potential advantages of learning a language with mobile devices, but also outlining the factors which need to be kept in mind when learning through mobile devices. It also includes a discussion of the possibilities that current and emerging mobile technologies may have on the language learning process.