A Meta-analysis Of The Effects Of Mobile Devices In L2 Vocabulary Acquisition

Vocabulary learning plays a vital part in language learning,and vocabulary acquisition has always been an important research topic in the field of second language(L2)acquisition.In recent years,mobile-assisted language learning(MALL)has been the concern of many domestic and foreign researchers,and a large number of related studies have been conducted.Many studies have shown that mobile devices have significant effects on L2 vocabulary acquisition,while there are also a few studies indicating that the results of mobile-assisted L2 vocabulary learning are insignificant.In this paper,the methodology of meta-analysis is introduced and employed and 27 cases of domestic and foreign empirical research from 2000 to 2016 are used as the data source.The random effect model is used to determine the effects of mobile devices on L2 vocabulary acquisition.What is more,the present paper also explores the impacts of the learning materials type,learners‘ language proficiency,learning model,and the duration of learning on learning outcomes.The results show that mobile devices have a positive effect on L2 vocabulary acquisition.And the subgroup analyses find that,firstly,for intermediate language proficiency learners,MALL can effectively promote L2 vocabulary acquisition,whereas for learners at the upper-intermediate and the beginning levels the effect is less significant;secondly,the learning outcome of cooperative learning model is obviously better than that of autonomous learning model;thirdly,there is no necessary connection between the duration of learning and the outcome of L2 vocabulary acquisition.