Mobile assisted language learning (MALL) has recently aroused the attention of educators and researchers worldwide with the popularity of mobile devices. Chinese educators have made committed efforts to innovate teaching methods by integrating mobile technology into regular language courses. Nevertheless, these tireless efforts were mainly documented in Chinese, failing to reach a wider international relationship. This paper thus offers a comprehensive analysis and synthesis of MALL studies published from 2015 to 2020 in leading mainland Chinese journals. Thirty six studies from CSSCI journals were examined in terms of theoretical frameworks, methodologies, emerging themes as well as the key findings. The results indicated that diverse theories or pedagogical frameworks were applied to inform their studies but there were still a significant number of studies failing to specify any theories. Regarding methodologies, researchers tended to prefer the mixed research designs by providing both quantitative and qualitative data. Furthermore, the three major themes were identified, including learning outcomes, learning processes as well as technology acceptance and perceptions. The positive effects of MALL were largely reported from different perspectives although limitations still exist. Based on the results, implications for educators and suggestions for further MALL studies were provided in the end. 

Qinqin Luo, Min Shi. Empirical Studies on Mobile-Assisted Language Learning in China: A Review of Selected Research. Frontiers in Educational Research (2022) Vol. 5, Issue 13: 45-57. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2022.051309.

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