The Cognitive Effects of MALL Combined with Feedback in EFL/ESL: A Meta-analysis

The Cognitive Effects of MALL Combined with Feedback in EFL/ESL: A Meta-analysis

This study is a meta-analysis on the effect size (ES) of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) combined with constant feedback in EFL or ESL, encompassing the years 1994 to 2022. The database searched for primary quantitative studies was that of Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). The initial search results revealed approximately 700 research articles, but the final number was reduced to 15 after applying step-by-step inclusion criteria. The weighted mean ES (Hedges’s g) between the comparison and experimental groups is 1.73 (SE: 0.35), which is very large, although the individual ES’s range widely from 0.10 to 6.20. The weighted mean ES between pre-tests and post-tests is 3.05 (SE: 0.44), which is also very large, but they are widely scattered, too, ranging from 0.67 to 8.13. Among the ES’s influenced by five moderator variables (MVs: language area focus, linguistic level, age, country, and intervention duration), only three MVs show statistically significant results. Under the MV linguistic level, there are two contrasting subgroups: The intermediate ES is 3.37, much larger than that (0.68) of the low subgroup. Under the MV age, there are two highly different subgroups: The ES of ages from 17-29 to 19-45 is 4.14, much larger than that (0.87) of ages 18-22. Under the MV country, there are two different subgroups: The ES of Iran is 2.25, which is much larger than that (0.61) of Taiwan/China. The results as a whole indicate that the ES of MALL combined with constant feedback is much larger than those of MALL in general and overall instructed second language acquisition.