Narrative review and meta-analysis of MALL research on L2 pronunciation

Abstract

In this digital era, mobile devices have been increasingly popular among second language learning and teaching, and this has led to some meta-analysis aiming to analyze the effect size of mobile assisted language learning (MALL). This study aims to examine the overall effectiveness of MALL in second or foreign language pronunciation learning. With a narrative review and a meta-analysis, this study systematically synthesizes findings from 13 (quasi-) experimental studies carried out between 2016 and 2022, involving 746 participants. The narrative review shows commonly used mobile technologies in selected studies and complements with the effect size calculated in meta-analysis. Overall, there is a small mean effect size of 0.359 for the application of mobile devices to L2 pronunciation learning outcomes. In addition, moderator analyses revealed larger effects for (a) classroom setting, (b) pre-school learners and (c)secondary learners.

Keywords

MALL; pronunciation training; meta-analysis; teaching english as second language