Although constructivist theories have shown learning is accelerated by involvement and meaningful lecturer–student and student–student interaction, these ingredients are mostly absent from large attendance lectures. A number of studies have already focused on more active ways of learning in large lecture classrooms, most often by using student response systems or “clickers”. This field study wishes to extend the current knowledge base by providing an overview of how students and lecturers experience technology in large enrolment courses. An intervention introducing meaningful use of mobile technology in large attendance lectures was therefore set‐up and different aspects were evaluated: interaction and involvement, pleasantness and need for future implementation of an intervention. Participants were 185 bachelor students of Applied Psychology and three lecturers. A mixed method design was used, combining an online questionnaire consisting of multiple choice questions using a 5‐point Likert response scale and open ended questions, with focus group interviews. Focus groups with both students and lecturers provided additional data. Results showed that students experience increased involvement and interaction, that they found the didactical use pleasant and that they were convinced of the need for future use of mobile technology in daily education practice. Focus group interviews with students confirmed these findings under the condition that the used technology was integrated functionally in the lecture. The involved lecturers reported on positive effects and showed themselves to be favorable toward using handheld, mobile technology in large attendance lectures to boost interaction and involvement, even though they admitted to feeling unease about surrendering a level of control over the pedagogic setting.

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This study investigates whether participation in classroom interaction and a specific type of affective priming using parents’ pictures had positive effects on ethnic minority children’s L2 vocabulary acquisition. A quasi-experimental study was set up in which preschoolers-at-risk were engaged in a task-based intervention with different types of affective priming while they were participating in, or overhearing, classroom interaction in the L2. The results of the study indicated significant main effects of (1) the children’s prior proficiency in the second language and (2) their participation in productive classroom interaction on their vocabulary acquisition. A significant interaction effect was found for overhearing and school disliking. For affective priming, no significant effects were found. This present study provides evidence that both participating in, and overhearing, productive classroom talk are powerful ways to boost young children’s L2 vocabulary acquisition.