39Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
Xiaojun Chen
St. John’s University
Abstract: As mobile technologies become more affordable and more advanced in function,
researchers suggest that using mobile apps to assist English language learning are appropriate.
This three-step evaluation study (designing a theory-driven rubric, selecting apps, and evaluating
the apps) aims to investigate and evaluate the aordances of English language learning mobile
apps for adult learners. The results of this evaluation study contribute to the literature of mobile
learning targeting adult learners, and also broaden the knowledge body of integrating mobile
learning into English Language Learning (ELL) classes.
Keywords: mobile learning, language learning, adult learners, apps, evaluation
Chen, X. (2016). Evaluating Language-learning Mobile Apps for Second-language Learners. Journal of
Educational Technology Development and Exchange, 9(2), 39-51.
Evaluating Language-learning Mobile Apps for
Second-language Learners
1. Introduction
The demand for non-English speaking
population to acquire English language skills
has grown with globalization. The number
of English learners has increased rapidly
worldwide, including those in the United
States. The United States has a large number
of new immigrants, as it is an immigrant
country. Broken down by immigration status,
the 2014 survey conducted by the Center for
American Progress showed that the foreign-
born population was composed of 18.6
million naturalized U.S. citizens and 22.1
million non-citizens in 2012. More than two-
thirds of recent older immigrants (71%) did
not speak English well in 2006, compared
to just about one-third of long-term older
immigrants (31%). Late-life immigrants
with limited English skills depend heavily
on family members, putting them at risk of
isolation and depression (Wilmoth, 2012).
Furthermore, elderly immigrants who have
low motivation and confidence to learn
English, face challenges in using healthcare
and other social services (Leach, 2009). As
the number of immigrants has dramatically
increased through the decades, some issues
40
Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange
Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
and debates have inevitably been raised: (a)
whether or not immigrants, especially the rst
generation, should learn English, (b) ways to
teach immigrants with little English fluency,
and (c) possibilities to incorporate technology
into English teaching for those who are
skeptical of or have no experience using it.
On the other hand, technology has
changed every aspect of human life and
language learning is no exception. Technology
has ushered a new era of teaching and
learning. It makes learning engaging, exible,
and heuristic, and technology also boosts
productivity and efficiency (Halverson &
Smith, 2009). Researchers have investigated
new approaches of integrating computer-
assisted programs in language-learning
(Chapelle, 2009). Abraham (2008) conducted
a meta-analysis study to investigate the eects
of computer-mediated glosses in second
language learning. Golonka, Bowles, Frank,
Richardson, and Freynik (2014) reviewed
different types of technologies and their
effectiveness in foreign language learning.
In this review, they found that computer-
assisted pronunciation training proves to be
eective in improving pronunciation, as well
as providing effective feedback. Specifically,
in the area of vocabulary learning, Ma and
Kelly (2006) designed a computer-supported
language learning software to help Chinese
university learners of English. Cavus and
Ibrahim (2009) designed a study to examine
the mobile technology and texting effect
in language learning, and they found that
“students enjoyed and learned new words
with the help of their mobile phone” (p.78).
Hwang and Wang (2016) implemented a
situated computer game in six graders’ English
classes in order to test the effectiveness of
dierent guiding strategies in helping students
acquire English vocabulary. For reading
comprehension, researchers like Liu, Hwang,
Kuo, and Li (2014) designed content aware
learning environments on mobile platforms for
language-learners to advance learners’ reading
comprehension skills. In the area of improving
listening skills, Hsu, Hwang, and Chang
(2013) conducted experiments examining the
effects of an automatic caption filtering and
partial hiding approach to improve college
students’ listening comprehension. The
results of the study showed college students’
preferred the proposed approach compared to
the conventional approach with full captions.
As mobile technologies have become more
advanced in functions and affordable,
researchers suggest that using mobile apps
to assist English learning appears to be
appropriate (Hargis, Cavanaugh, Kamali, &
Soto, 2014; Hwang & Wu, 2014; Lin, 2014;
Liu, Navarrete, Maradiegue, & Wivagg, 2014).
Many studies about integrating technology
and mobile learning in language learning has
focused on K-12 students (Cheung & Hew,
2009; Hwang & Wang, 2016; Liu, Navarrete
& Wivagg, 2014; Sandberg, Maris & de Geus,
2011) or college students (Cavus and Ibrahim,
2009; Ma & Kelly, 2006). However, there
is a gap in the literature in applying mobile
learning to adult language learning. This paper
aims to contribute information in bridging
this gap. Immigrants from older generations
are facing more challenges learning English,
and it will be valuable to help them nd and
use mobile apps that can address their specic
learning needs, linguistically and culturally.
This also applies to English learners in non-
English speaking countries who would like
to improve their English language abilities.
Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate
English-learning mobile apps (application
software) and their affordances in second
language learning, especially on helping adult
learners with limited English proficiency
acquire English skills.
41Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
Evaluating Language-learning Mobile Apps for Second-language Learners
2. Theoretical framework
This section describes the evaluation
framework for this study: (1) evaluating
the apps according to theories of language
acquisition, and (2) evaluating the apps’
pedagogical coherence with focus on content
quality and application usability. Two theories
of language acquisition, social interactionist
theory and Krashen’s (1982) affective filter
hypothesis, guide the evaluation of eciency
and validity for each selected mobile
application. Social interactionist theory
helps assess the relevance and cognitive
development of the language learning process;
Krashen’s affective filter hypothesis helps
determine whether the app is able to pique
users’ interest and meet their psychological
needs when they are learning a second
language.
2.1. Social Interactionist Theory and
Aective Filter Hypotheses
According to the social interactionist
theory, caregivers play a critical role in
adjusting languages to facilitate the use of
innate capacities for language acquisition.
This theory is geared towards first language
acquisition, and also has inspired intuitive and
natural learning patterns in second language
acquisition. Specifically, interactionists
study the language that mothers and other
caregivers use when caring for infants and
young children, paying special attention
to the modifications they make during
these social interactions to assist children
in communication. Based on the social
interactionist theory, a well-designed
language-learning app would embody the
features of interactive guidance given by
mothers or other caregivers. Such an app
would provide legitimate and comprehensible
input of the target language in order to help
language learners in acquiring a second
language. In addition, similar to the gradual
development of children’s cognitive skills,
adult English-language learners’ ability can
develop over time with massive and intensive
interactions. Therefore, the simulation of
the interaction process embodied in an app
is a key factor to stimulate learners. Such
stimulation can engage learners to access and
respond to the contextualized input. Thus,
important is to examine whether or not an app
is providing feedback or allowing users to
self-correct their responses in learning tasks
within the app. Based on Krashen’s affective
filter hypothesis, language learners can be
distracted by emotional factors in the language
learning process. Krashen suggests that low
motivation, low self-esteem, and debilitating
anxiety prevent comprehensible input from
being used for acquisition. In other words,
when the filter is up, it impedes language
acquisition. On the other hand, positive aect
is necessary for acquisition to take place,
but not sufficient on its own. Thus, a well-
designed mobile app would lower the aective
filter so that users can actively participate in
the given tasks. Such interactions can reduce
learners’ anxiety and self-consciousness, in
addition to enhance the likelihood of learning.
Thus, motivation is an important aspect to be
considered when evaluating the mobile apps
for language learning.
2.2. Pedagogical Dimension of Mobile
Learning
Mobile apps are designed to provide
content to their users, thus the rationale for
evaluating such applications would need to
be grounded in instructional design theories
and frameworks. Reeves (1994) outlined
fourteen dimensions in evaluating different
forms of computer-based education including:
epistemology, pedagogical philosophy,
underlying psychology, goal orientation,
experiential value, teacher role, program
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Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange
Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
flexibility, value of errors, motivation,
accommodation of individual differences,
learner control, user activity, cooperative
learning, and cultural sensitivity. In the past
two decades, this evaluation framework
provided guidelines for researchers and
instructional designers to investigate and
develop instructional materials for computer-
based programs. This evaluation framework
has also been adopted into more specic areas
such as educational software and programs
(Rodríguez, Nussbaum, & Dombrovskaia,
2012), distance education (Eskey & Roehrich,
2013), Massive Online Open Courseware
(Admiraal, Huisman, & Pilli, 2015), and
instructional apps (Lee & Cherner, 2015).
As Smith and Ragan (2004) pointed out
examining the content, task, and context of
the instructional materials or programs was
important. Thus, evaluating the quality of the
content provided by apps is important. Given
that the apps are for used for learning, it is
vital to assess the pedagogy coherence of
language skills within the learning activities.
Apps are software installed on mobile devices,
thus evaluating the usability, customization,
and sharing options provided by such app
is valuable. In summary, seven elements
are identified to evaluate language-learning
mobile apps: content quality, pedagogical
coherence on language skills, feedback
and self-correction, motivation, usability,
customization, and sharing. Table 1 below
highlights each section of these seven areas.
Category Least Suitable (1-3) Average (4-7) Most Suitable (8-10)
Content Quality:
Content should
provide opportunities
to advance learners’
English skills, with
connection to their
prior knowledge.
Content fails to help
achieve learning
goals or autonomous
learning.
Content helps
achieve the
learning goals,
but is neither
autonomous
learning nor
related to prior
knowledge.
Content helps achieve
the learning goals,
autonomous learning,
and relating prior
knowledge to new
content.
Pedagogical
Coherence: The skills
provided in the app
should be consistent
with the targeted
learning goal.
Skills (especially
listening and speaking
skills) reinforced
in the app were not
consistent to the
targeted skill or
concept.
Skills (especially
listening and
speaking skills)
reinforced were
prerequisite of
foundation skills
for the targeted
skill or concept.
Skills (especially
listening and speaking
skills) reinforced were
strongly connected
to the target skill or
concept.
Table 1. Language-learning Mobile Application Evaluation Rubric
43Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
Evaluating Language-learning Mobile Apps for Second-language Learners
Category Least Suitable (1-3) Average (4-7) Most Suitable (8-10)
Feedback and self-
correction: Learners
should be provided
with feedback
to conduct self-
evaluation.
Feedback is limited
to correct learner
response.
Feedback is specic
and allows for
learners to try again
in order to improve
learning performance.
Feedback is specic,
which results in
improved learners’
performance; data is
available to learners
and instructors.
Motivation: Elements
are embedded to
engage and motivate
language learners to
use the app.
No elements are
embedded to
encourage learners’
self-directed
learning.
Limited elements
are embedded to
encourage learners’
self-directed learning.
Elements are
embedded to
encourage learners’
self-directed learning.
Usability: Learners
are provided with
clear indicated menus
and icons to easily
navigate through the
app.
Menus and icons
are not clearly
indicated, no on-
screen help and/
or tutorial are
available, and
learners need
constant help to use
the app.
Menus and icons are
clearly indicated, but
no on-screen help
and/or tutorial are
available. Learners
need to have an
instructor in order to
review how to use the
app.
Menus and icons
are clearly indicated
and on-screen help
and/or tutorial are
available so that
learners can launch
and navigate the app
independently.
Customization:
Learners have their
individualized needs
met including font
size and customizable
settings to personalize
their learning.
Text size cannot be
adjusted, and few
customizations are
provided.
Text size can be
adjusted according
to user’s needs, and
some customizations
are provided.
Text size can be
adjusted to suit
diverse needs, and
customizations and
more individualized
options are provided.
Sharing: Allowing
learners to share their
learning progress,
issues, or concerns in
learning.
Limited
performance
data, or learner’s
progress is not
accessible.
Performance data
or learner progress
is available in the
app, but exporting is
limited.
Specic performance
summary or learner
progress is saved in
the app and can be
exported to a teacher
or an audience.
Table 1. Language-learning Mobile Application Evaluation Rubric
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Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange
Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
3. Methods
After establishing the app evaluation
rubric in Table 1, three further steps were
taken: (1) selecting and categorizing apps, (2)
analyzing and describing each app, and (3)
evaluating the selected apps with the designed
rubric.
The first step is to identify and select
English-learning-oriented apps available both
at the App Store and Google Play by searching
the keyword “ESL.” In the App Store, search
results yielded 500 apps for “ESL” with
357 of them being free. On Google Play, the
registered apps were 250 in total and 232
of them were free to download. Filtered by
the reviews and ratings, a total of 7 English
learning apps (see Table 2) were selected.
Those apps could also be categorized in three
groups: (1) vocabulary apps designed as
bilingual dictionaries or tools that enhance
vocabulary skills,(2) language skills apps
designed towards the four modalities of
language proficiency (speaking, listening,
reading and writing), and (3) entertainment
apps featuring interactive content that engage
users in informal learning such as movies,
songs, and games.
Table 2. Selected Apps, Ratings and Categories
Note: All ratings were obtained on August 15th 2016.
App Name App Store Rating Google Play Rating Category
ShanBay Vocabulary
(www.shanbay.com)
5 stars
(15 ratings)
4.5 stars
(4075 reviews)
Vocabulary
Youdao Dictionary
(http://dict.youdao.com)
5 stars
(144 ratings)
4.4 stars
(36751 reviews)
Vocabulary
Duolingo
(www.duolingo.com)
4.5 stars
(869 ratings)
4.6 stars
(3,251,411 reviews)
Language Skills
Speak English Fluently
(www.liulishuo.com)
4.5 stars
(197 ratings)
4.2 stars
(10,179 reviews)
Language Skills
Speak English - Listen,
Speak, Compare
3.5 stars
(29 ratings)
4.0 stars
(30,355 reviews)
Language Skills
BrainPOP Featured Movie
(https://www.brainpop.com)
4.5 stars
(61 ratings
3.7 stars
(14,749 reviews)
Entertainment
VoiceTube
(https://www.voicetube.com)
4.5 stars
(46 ratings)
4.7 stars
(41,455 reviews)
Entertainment
45Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
4. Results and Discussion
In this section, the author describes the
analysis of each app and presents the rating for
each app according to the rubric.
4.1. Analysis of the Apps
4.1.1. Duolingo. Duolingo is a free language-
learning and crowd-sourced text translation
platform. As of August 15th2016, Duolingo
has provided a wide range of languages in
its learning materials including: Romanian,
Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Polish,
French, Arabic, German, Korean, Greek,
Chinese, Hungarian, Turkish, Italian, Czech,
Japanese, Hindi, Ukrainian, Vietnamese,
English, Indonesian, and Thai.
Duolingo provides extensive writing
lessons for novice users and oral practices
for advanced users. A dictionary function is
embedded in the app. Games are integrated in
almost every part of the app to engage learners
when learning new words. For example, users
would gain “experience points” (XP) as they
progress through the learning activities in
the apps such as completing a pre-designed
lesson. Skills are considered “learned/
accomplished” when the user completes all
of the lessons associated with the skill. Users
win one point for each correct answer, lose
one point for each error, and the lesson is
considered passed when they reach 10 points.
In addition, Duolingo provides feedback to
learners. The app also corrects answers when
learners make mistakes in practicing their
skills. It additionally provides useful tips for
learners to improve their language skills.
4.1.2. Speaking English Fluently (Liu-Li-
Shuo). “Speaking English Fluently,” is an
English-language learning app designed for
Chinese English language learners. As the
name suggests, liu-li-shuo focuses on training
English-language learners’ English speaking
skills. It provides conversational practice
covering a plethora of topics on different
subjects such as business, travelling, shopping,
and music. Liu-Li-Shuo features two main
modes: practice mode and game mode.
The “practice mode” enables users to
voice record themselves reading and listen
to materials that have been audio recorded
by native speakers of English. Learners can
compare their utterances to the modeled
pronunciation. The accuracy of intonation
and pronunciation are analyzed and marked
by the built-in system. Feedback is provided
to learners when they make mistakes in
practicing. For example, missed or unmatched
words/phrases become highlighted in dierent
colors, and auto-suggestions are generated
as immediate feedback to learners. Thus,
the app allows users to practice with real-
time feedback. Help is designed to support
learners in becoming familiar with English
speech patterns and manners of conversation.
In “practice mode,’ language learning happen
in contextualized situations by allowing an
individual to immerse oneself in real life
experiences. However, the app fails to give
learners further instructions on how to correct
and improve the unmatched words or phrases.
As a result, learners who fail many times and
still cannot get the pronunciation correct may
feel frustrated and demotivated.
The other mode is “challenge mode”
where learners choose their preferred
topics and engage in a predetermined
dialogue. Learners can play different roles
in each situation and read aloud the words
provided. When learners finish recording
the conversation using the script in the app,
the app’s built-in rating system rates their
performance and prompt them with the next
challenge if the participants’ performance
matches the standards of the current level of
diculty. If the current level is not matched,
learners are directed back to the practice
Evaluating Language-learning Mobile Apps for Second-language Learners
46
Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange
Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
mode. Users can earn participation credit
towards badges. In addition, learners can share
their ideas and questions with other users.
The ranking system has made practice and
play more desirable: more frequently the user
plays, the higher the user’s rank will become.
In this case, the app successfully lowers the
affective filter (Krashen, 1982) and helps
learners to place more eort on language drills
both voluntarily and naturally. Last, but not
least, menus and icons are clearly indicated
within this app; however, the app has limited
customizations options available and has no
on-screen help or tutorials.
4.1.3. Youdao Dictionary. Youdao Dictionary
is a multilingual dictionary app, offering
free and instant full text translation services.
Collins Cobuild Advanced English-Chinese
dictionary is built into the Youdao Dictionary
App. The app also offers daily bilingual
articles that are broken down by sentences,
to help English language learners expand
their knowledge on vocabulary, quotes,
idioms, Internet buzzwords, and trending
stories. Youdao Dictionary is a cloud-based
app, so learners can save their progress and
seamlessly synchronize their learning process
on any available devices anytime. The cloud-
embedded feature also provides books,
forums, and classes for users to “discover”
more in-depth content.
The navigation in Youdao Dictionary
is sleek and simple. Users can expand their
dictionaries according to their needs and
choose audio pronunciations. Furthermore, the
exemplar sentences embedded in the app oer
pronunciations from native speakers, and users
can choose their preferred tones and styles
in the settings. However, this app provides
limited assessment and motivation options,
and lacks interactive activities and monitoring
mechanisms.
4.1.4. VoiceTube. VoiceTube, as its name
suggests, is an app that allows users to learn
English via YouTube videos. It boasts a
cornucopia of English content with over
15,000 videos including TED talks, TED-ED,
CNN News, and more. Content listed in the
app is classified into three levels: beginner,
intermediate, and advanced. Users can also
use key-words to search learning materials.
The built-in player and dictionaries are
tailored toward Chinese English language
learners, where they can check the new words
in the subtitles by pressing down the word on
the screen for a few seconds in order to review
the word later. Learners can pause, fast-
forward, and rewind the videos. Learners can
also change the size of the subtitles and speed
of the audio in order to accommodate their
current learning level. The learners’ process
can be recorded. The apps’ navigation is
clearly displayed, and learners can customize
their preferred viewing settings. However, this
app fails to oer any assessment or feedback
for users to monitor their learning progress,
and provides very limited sharing features.
4.1.5. Shanbay Vocabulary. Shanbay
Vocabulary is geared towards Chinese English
language learners. It enjoys a reputation for
its eectiveness in building vocabulary. Users
are asked choose a “vocabulary book” geared
toward the topics they want to spend time and
effort in learning such as the GRE, GMAT,
Merriam-Webster’s Vocabulary, and Builder.
Users also can choose their daily learning
plan, for example, “review 100 words, or
learn 40 new words,” and subsequently the
glossaries are divided into groups according
to the learner’s daily learning plan. The
vocabulary learning process has two phases,
“self-assessment mode” and “quizzes.” In
the self-assessment mode, learners are asked
to evaluate and rate their familiarity with the
word they are learning, so users can lter out
the words they have already mastered. When
47Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
finished, learners can log the day’s learning
progress, where they are then awarded
a medal, as a way to motivate continued
learning. In quiz mode, users can check their
understanding of the words they recently
learned, and the app will record the answers to
help them monitor their learning progress. Its
interface is simple and very easy to navigate.
Users can form groups and join communities
readily, and they can showcase their learning
process and carry out discussion with peers.
However, no visuals are used in learning.
4.1.6. Speak English. As described in its self-
introduction, Speak English is an app that
helps learners improve their English speaking
skills naturally and easily. In the beginning,
the app asks the learners to select his/her
language among 12 language options. It then
reveals tips and illustrates tutorials for using
this app based on the language chosen by
the learner. Learners can reset the language
selection at any time and go through the
tutorial again. As far as content in the app,
two types of sessions are oered for beginners
and advanced speakers respectively. Beginner
sessions provide basic pronunciation lessons
and drills using simple phrases. It also covers
numbers, times, and dates. Basic vocabulary
is introduced with modeled pronunciation
and animated illustrations. In contrast, the
advanced sessions focus on more professional
and practical topics including small talk,
presentations, job interviews, traveling,
customer service, and sales pitches.
This app operates in three steps. First, the
user listens to the English native speaker, then
repeats what he/she said, and the learner’s own
voice is recorded. Then users can compare
how well they did. However, there is no
feedback other than modeled pronunciation.
Although many different languages are
available for the tutorial, no bilingual
support has been rendered in the exercise.
Furthermore, the animated illustrations are too
simple to clearly understand their meaning,
and therefore, the app fails to keep users
interested. Lastly, the pre-set sentences in the
app are monotonous, decontextualized, and no
platform is provided for sharing or monitoring
one’s learning progress. The interface is
neat and clear, but only limited options for
customizing are available.
4.1.7. BrainPOP Featured Movie. BrainPop
Featured Movie provides daily animated
lms produced by BrainPOP, a well-respected
educational organization. It contains a
variety of topics and quizzes geared towards
elementary school children in the upper grades.
The movies it oers feature both auditory and
visualized explanations with English subtitles,
and demonstrates the academic subjects in an
engaging manner. Related videos are provided
next to the featured movie for users to go
deeper into the topic if they are interested.
Before and after viewing the movie, users
can take quizzes to preview the main ideas
and important details covered and check their
understanding on what they have seen. It gives
the user time to try again if the answer is not
correct. Quiz results are saved so that users can
monitor their progress. BrainPop’s navigation
is simple for users to nd videos on particular
topics, with large and brightly colored buttons
for each subject area. While watching videos,
users can pause, fast-forward, and rewind.
Videos load quickly and have good sound
quality. However, no interactive activities are
bundled with this app, and content as well as
functions are limited in the free version.
4.1.8. Summary and next step. After breaking
down the components of each app, the apps are
then evaluated. The evaluation focuses on the
seven aspects as listed in the evaluation rubric:
content quality, pedagogical coherence on
language skills, feedback and self-correction,
motivation, usability, customization, and
sharing. Evaluation results are discussed in
the next section.
Evaluating Language-learning Mobile Apps for Second-language Learners
48
Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange
Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
5. Results and Discussion
Seven selected apps were evaluated based
on the rubric in Table 1. A review on each
of the apps was conducted. A summary of
the evaluation report for each application is
provided below.
Table 3 shows the evaluation results of
the selected language learning mobile apps.
Three raters, one with a Ph.D. in instructional
technology and two with Master’s degrees
in Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL), rated each app
independently using the rubric in Table 2.
Three raters’ ratings were averaged to get
the final rating for the apps in each criteria
category.
The ranking of the evaluated apps is:
Dulingo, Speaking English Fluently, YouDao
Dictionary, VoiceTube, Shanbay Vocabulary,
Speak English, and BrainPopFeaturedVideo.
The following section outlines the key
descriptions of each app:
• Dulingo provides its novice users with
extensive written lessons, as well as
dictation and oral practice for its advanced
users. It provides feedback and corrects
the answers when users make mistakes.
It also provides useful tips for learners to
improve their language skills.
• Speaking English Fluently provides
contextualized situations for language-
learning by allowing a user to immerse
Dulingo
Speaking
English
Fluently
Youdao
Dictionary
VoiceTube
ShanBay
Vocabulary
Speak
English
BrainPop
Featured
Movie
Content
Quality
8 9.5 9.5 9.5 4 6.5 4
Pedagogical
Coherence
9 9 6.5 8 6.5 6 6.5
Feedback and
Self-correction
8 7 4 3 8 5 7
Motivation
8 8.5 7 6.5 4 5 7.5
Usability
7 5 8 7 6.5 7.5 6
Customization
3 2.5 4.5 8.5 3 4.5 3
Sharing
7 6 7 4 4.5 2 2
Total
(out of 70)
50 47.5 46.5 46.5 36.5 36.5 36
Table 3. Evaluation Results of Selected Apps
49Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
oneself in real life experiences. However,
the app fails to provide learners with
further instruction on how to correct and
improve the unmatched words or phrases.
As a result, learners who have failed many
times in getting the correct answer may
feel frustrated and unmotivated.
• Youdao Dictionary is a cloud-based
app, so users can save their words and
seamlessly synchronize their learning
process on any available devices anytime.
The cloud-embedded feature also provides
books, forums, and classes for users to
“discover” more in-depth content. Its
navigation is sleek and simple. However,
this apps provide limited assessment and
motivation, and lacks interactive activities
and monitoring mechanisms.
• VoiceTube, as its name suggests, is an
app that users can learn English via
YouTube videos. All content is classied
into three levels: beginner, intermediate
and advanced. The learning process is
recorded and viewed in the form of charts.
The app’s navigation is clear. However,
this app fails to offer any assessments
and feedback for users to monitor their
learning progress, and only a few options
are available for sharing.
• In “Shanbay Vocabulary” users also
can choose their daily learning plans.
The vocabulary learning process has
two phases, self-assessment mode, and
quizzes. Its interface is simple and very
easy to navigate. Users can form groups
and join communities readily, where they
can showcase their learning progress and
carry out discussion with peers. However,
no visuals are applied in learning.
• Speak English provides three steps for its
users to follow. First, users listen to the
English native speaker and then repeat
what he/she said while recording. Users
can compare how well they performed.
However, there is no feedback other
than modeled pronunciation for users
to compare. Although many different
languages are available for the tutorial,
no bilingual support was rendered in
the exercise. Furthermore, the animated
illustrations are too simple to clearly
get their meaning across, and therefore,
fails to hold users’ interest. Last, the pre-
set sentences are monotonous as well
as decontextualized, and no platform is
provided for sharing or monitoring one’s
learning progress. The interface is neat
and clear, but only limited options for
customizing are available.
• BrainPopFeaturedMovie provides its
users with daily movies containing both
auditory and visualized explanations, in
addition to English subtitles. Its navigation
is simple, with large and brightly colored
buttons for each subject area, making it
easier for users to nd videos on particular
topics. However, no interactive activities
are embedded in this app, and content and
functions are limited for the free version.
In summary, this evaluation study
incorporates a theory-driven rubric in order
to assess the aordances of language learning
apps for adult learners. The results show that
there is no single language-learning app that
could provide a one-size-fits-all solution to
meet adult learners’ language learning needs.
However, this evaluation shows that mobile
learning apps provide multiple channels
and modalities for adult learners to practice
language skills. Through careful instructional
design, mobile apps can be integrated into
language-learning modules or curriculum for
adult learners to enhance their language skills.
Evaluating Language-learning Mobile Apps for Second-language Learners
50
Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange
Volume 9, No. 2, December, 2016
6. Significance of the Study and Future
Research
The results in this paper contribute to
the literature of mobile learning targeted at
adult learners and elderly immigrants. The
evaluation in this paper informs researchers
and instructors in related elds, allowing them
to develop in-depth and broad studies on the
idea of incorporating mobile apps into ESL
classroom and instructional design.
The research in this paper focuses on
using linguistic theories to evaluate mobile
apps. To explore more active and positive
learning tools, it is necessary to apply the
results from this study into practice to test
the applicability of improving ESL learning
outcomes for adult learners and elderly
immigrants. Case studies can be conducted
in subsequent research with elderly non-
English speaking immigrants using these apps.
Feedback gained from the evaluation and case
study can provide app developers with ideas in
order to enhance their products to better meet
users’ learning styles and needs.
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Contact the Author
Xiaojun Chen
Assistant Professor, School of Education,
Department of Curriculum and Instruction,
St. John's University
Email: [email protected]
