Factors Influencing Learners' Motivation in Mobile-Assisted Language Learning: A Case Study on Four Chinese EFL Learners

Abstract

As mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has become increasingly popular among learners of English, their motivation in using mobile technologies to learn the language has attracted the attention of researchers. This study investigates possible factors that may influence learners' motivation in MALL in natural learning environments. A case study was conducted involving four Chinese adult EFL learners who used a mobile application named MintReading for eight weeks. Weekly learning journals and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect in-depth data from each participant. The results indicated that the following affected learners' motivation as they were learning: (1) interesting and useful reading content; (2) language difficulties; (3) affordance of mobile technologies; (4) motivational design of the application. On the other hand, their interaction with an online community, that of the social media app WeChat, failed to contribute to their learning motivation. Discussions of the research findings are based on self-determination theory, and implications and limitations of this study are also addressed.

Toward Technology-Based Education and English as a Foreign Language Motivation: A Review of Literature

“…On the other hand, higherproficient learners use dictionaries for learning a language, and their motivation does not include learning for exams or meeting their needs. Yang (2020), in another study, found out that the learners' motivation is affected by task difficulty, mobile technologies, the attractiveness of materials, and motivational objectives of the mobile applications. However, they did not find any significant difference between WeChat as a social media and the English language learning motivation.…”