Abstract
While the positive role of engagement in students’ learning achievements has been well documented, limited studies have examined whether or how learner engagement would vary with their achievements over time, especially within an unstructured digital learning context. This paper using a purposive sampling method reported an exploratory study on how English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduate students with lower and upper proficiency levels (LP and UP) behaviorally engaged in their self-initiated mobile-assisted English learning (MAEL) beyond the classroom. Participants were senior-year undergraduate students from universities in central China. Quantitative analysis based on 409 questionnaires showed that there were significant differences in both how long and how often students participated in MAEL across proficiency levels, with LP learners investing more time on a more frequent basis than UP learners. However, there was no significant effect of language proficiency on the number of students’ MAEL resources employed. Besides, EFL proficiency was also found to play a mediating role in students’ learning preferences despite their common interest in receptive learning practices. Qualitative data from 36 follow-up semi-structured interviews revealed students’ cognitive and emotional rationales behind these learning behaviors. This study might offer some fresh insight into the complexity of foreign language learner engagement with self-initiated mobile-assisted learning in Chinese higher education.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all the 1023 participants for their contributions to this study. Special thanks go to the 36 kind respondents in the interview. We are also grateful to those colleagues and friends who help to share and forward the survey under the pandemic. Finally, we want to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions on this paper.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Survey Directions:
This is a 12-item questionnaire survey concerning your self-directed mobile-assisted English learning (MAEL) experience based on the past four weeks. We appreciate your attention and participation. Please be aware that: Participating in this survey is completely voluntary and the data collected here will be used only for research purposes under anonymity. If you are uncomfortable with any item at any stage of the survey, please feel free to quit. By submitting the questionnaire, you consent to your participation and the use of data in this survey. Thank you!
Appendix 2
A guide for the Interview:
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1.
Is MALL your major learning style?
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2.
When and where do you usually start your MAEL?
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3.
What kind of learning resources do you use for MAEL? Can you give me some examples?
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4.
What do you usually do with it/them? Why?
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5.
How do you practice it (e.g. listening) using the resource?
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6.
Why do you not practice … (e.g. speaking) often?
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7.
Is there anything else that leads to your (dis)engagement in MAEL?
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Do you have any additional comments?
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Huang, C., Wang, T. & Li, Y. Mobile-assisted English learning beyond the classroom: Understanding the effects of language proficiency on Chinese undergraduate students’ behavioral engagement. Educ Inf Technol 29, 737–762 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12301-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12301-7