Hasani, Hamid

A systematic review of published literature in MALL focusing on language skills from 2010 to 2021

Commensurate with today’s trend, one of the most novel methods of language teaching and learning is MALL. Irrespective of the untold number of carried out studies in this field, the need for systematic review regarding four basic language skills synchronously was tangible and detected. To accommodate such an exigency, the present study systematically reviews 31 authentic and germane studies in the field of MALL from 2010 to 2021 so far as to extract the research trends of the disseminated literature, detect the publication trajectory in the area of mobile learning, and categorize the results to confirm or reject the effectiveness of such a mediated language learning context. Five central themes of research topics, methods, designs, type of devices, and theoretical frameworks are the pillars of research questions and each study is scrutinized according to these five motifs. Accordant with the results, the subsequent four salient conclusions are given rise: 1) practical subject matters such as participant-focused, provider-focused, technology and, case study overshadow theoretical topics such as introductory, educational theory, and concept, 2) researchers are inclined to carry out their studies by dint of quantitative research method and experimental design to a great extent, 3) smartphones is the focal point of researchers interest and it is frequently utilized in selected papers, 4) theoretical frameworks are not that much common among papers due to the MALL field novelty. Additionally, and according to the categorization of the results, the effectiveness of mobile implementation while teaching four basic language skills is decided. The results of the present study pave the way for teachers, policymakers, and material developers to design a more well-thought-out language learning curriculum to alter the long-standing language learning journey into a more captivating and constructive one. These conclusions are construed and justified throughout the closing chapter. In the end, several recommendations are stated to set a ground for future research. Keywords: Teaching and learning English, Mobile-assisted language learning, Systematic review, Four language skills, Smartphone