A Systematic Review on the Use of Emerging Technologies in Teaching English as an Applied Language at the University Level

Abstract

At present, emerging technologies, such as machine learning, deep learning, or various forms of artificial intelligence are penetrating different fields of education, including foreign language education (FLE). Moreover, the current young generation was born into the technological environment, and they perceive technologies as being an indispensable part of their everyday life. However, they mainly use technologies in their informal learning, but there is not much research into emerging technologies in FLE, namely in teaching and learning English as an applied language. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to identify, bring together, compare and analyze all of the technologies that are currently efficiently employed in foreign language teaching and learning, and based on the findings of the detected experimental studies, we provide specific pedagogical implications on how to use these technologies in the acquisition of English as an applied language at the university level. The methodology followed the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The results of the detected experimental studies revealed that there was a serious lack of the latest technologies, such as chatbots or virtual reality (VR) devices, that are being empirically employed in a foreign language (FL) education. Moreover, mobile apps are merely focused on the development of FL vocabulary. The findings also indicate that although the FL teachers might theoretically know about these latest technological devices, such as neural machine translation, they do not know how to practically implement them in their teaching process. Therefore, this research suggests that teachers must be trained and pedagogically guided on how to purposefully implement them in their FL classes to support traditional instruction in order to identify what skills or language structures could be developed through their use. In addition, it is also claimed that more experimental studies are needed to clearly the evidence and its usefulness in teaching a foreign language as an applied language.

Applying augmented reality multimedia technology to construct a platform for translation and teaching system

“…AR has the capability to simulate non-existent objects, enabling users to visualize and interact with virtual entities in the physical realm. This functionality offers educators a novel means of presenting learning materials and establishing an environment conducive to independent exploration [ 15 ]. AR's capacity to depict abstract content is particularly illuminating for educational purposes, underscoring its significant potential for development and application within the educational sphere.…”

Uso de herramientas y tecnologías emergentes en la enseñanza de la educación superior

“…En definitiva, la alfabetización digital ha pasado de ser una simple herramienta a un elemento esencial de la educación. Este enfoque, conocido como aprendizaje centrado en el estudiante (Alenezi et al, 2023), anima a los estudiantes a asumir una mayor responsabilidad por su propio aprendizaje (Klimova et al, 2023). Este modelo se basa en gran medida en la confianza en el papel profesional de los educadores (Chan, 2023).…”

“…Además de los cambios en la pedagogía, las universidades se han expandido más allá de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje y se han convertido en organizaciones complejas conectadas con el mundo social y empresarial (Klimova et al, 2023). Hoy en día, las instituciones académicas, además de sus objetivos tradicionales de investigación y enseñanza, tienen la misión clara de abordar la dinámica económica y el cambio social (Haleem et al, 2022).…”

Assessing the Usability of ChatGPT for Formal English Language Learning

“…These technologies are built on top of the advanced techniques like virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and natural language processing (NLP), gamification, etc. These technologies are more advanced to give a more immersive, effective, and personalized language learning experience [ 5 ]. Some of the common ELLT examples are listed in Table 2 along with their description and purpose.…”

“…To learn a language formally is an important skill in today’s global world, and emerging technologies have created new opportunities for language learners [ 5 ]. With the popularity of one of the emerging technologies, namely “Chatbots”, there has been strong increasing interest to use their potential for formal language learning, especially English [ 6 ].…”