Enhancing Foreign Language Learning Outcomes and Mitigating Cultural Attributes Inherent in Asian Culture in a Mobile-Assisted Language Learning Environment

Rustam Shadiev, Xun Wang, Yuliya Halubitskaya and Yueh-Min Huang
Additional contact information
Rustam Shadiev: School of Education Science, Nanjing Normal University, No. 122, Ninghai Road, Nanjing 210097, China
Xun Wang: School of Education Science, Nanjing Normal University, No. 122, Ninghai Road, Nanjing 210097, China
Yuliya Halubitskaya: School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Nanjing Normal University, No. 122, Ninghai Road, Nanjing 210097, China
Yueh-Min Huang: Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan 70101, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: To achieve sustainable language learning, we designed a foreign language learning activity that extended traditional lectures in classrooms to informal learning in the real world using mobile technology. Chinese undergraduate students participated in our learning activity. We tested whether our learning activity could enhance their language learning outcomes through employing a single group pretest post-test design. We explored how the participants perceived the usefulness of the activity to foster language learning by administering a questionnaire survey. Finally, we investigated whether our learning activity could mitigate the cultural attributes inherent in Asian culture through interviews with the participants and their instructors. Our results demonstrated that participant learning outcomes improved during the learning activity. The results also showed that the perceptions of most participants of the value of the exercise were high. In the interviews, the participants and the instructors revealed that they felt the learning activity was useful and interesting. They also claimed that the learning activity helped mitigate cultural attributes, such as shyness, reservedness, passiveness, inhibition, lack of confidence, risk-avoidance, test-oriented learning, reliance on teachers for knowledge, and memorization. Based on these results, we provide some implications and useful suggestions for educators and researchers.

Keywords: MALL; learning outcomes; cultural attributes; learning strategy; Asian culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/14/8428/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/14/8428/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:14:p:8428-:d:859444

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().