Performance, cognitive load, and behaviour of technology‐assisted English listening learning: From CALL to MALL
Abstract
This study examines differences in English listening comprehension, cognitive load, and learning behaviour between outdoor ubiquitous learning and indoor computer‐assisted learning. An experimental design, employing a pretest‐posttest control group is employed. Randomly assigned foreign language university majors joined either the experimental group (outdoor ubiquitous learning), with 80 participants (26 males and 54 females), or a control group (indoor computer‐assisted learning), with 80 participants (27 males and 53 females). The experiment lasted 3 weeks. Both groups were administered a test of English listening proficiency before and after the experiment along with a questionnaire of cognitive load postexperiment. Prior English listening proficiency forms a covariate for the multivariate analysis of covariance. Results show (a) students in the experimental group exhibit significantly better English listening comprehension after the experiment compared to the control group; (b) students in the experimental group reported significantly lower cognitive load than the control group; (c) English listening comprehension and cognitive load exhibited a statistically significant negative relationship; and (d) outdoor ubiquitous learning enhanced self‐reported learning interests and interactions more than indoor computer‐assisted learning. Contributions and significances of this study are presented based on these results. Finally, implications for teaching practices are proposed.
Lay Description
What is already known about this topic:
- Context‐aware technique applied in u‐learning is an alternative to language learning.
- Outdoor u‐learning systems with global positioning system facilitated students' learning, for they were more convenient for students to acquire knowledge and enriched the learning content by combining with various sources.
- Comparing with indoor computer‐assisted language (CAL), outdoor u‐learning probably generates more cognitive loads to learners.
- U‐learning had lower cognitive load than traditional learning; it did not focus on English learning or compare with CAL.
What this paper adds:
- Although some previous studies have discussed the effects of outdoor u‐learning in English listening, few studies investigated the effects of outdoor u‐learning in English listening comparing with indoor CAL.
- Likewise, few studies explored cognitive load created by outdoor u‐learning in English listening. Much fewer studies examined cognitive load created by outdoor u‐learning in English listening comparing with indoor CAL. Therefore, contributions and significances of this study are made on those issues.
Implications for practice and/or policy:
- Because the outdoor u‐learning group had lower cognitive load and higher English listening comprehension, indoor English instruction with u‐learning can be established for enhancing learning performance. However, learners need to beware of possible interference from mobile devices such as a small screen and inadequate typing space.
- Although outdoor mobile devices probably generated some cognitive loads, they also enhanced the students' learning interests, which did not cause too many cognitive loads. Therefore, how to maintain and facilitate students' interests towards outdoor u‐learning is very important.
