The impact of mobile application features on children’s language and literacy learning: a systematic review

Abstract

Mobile touchscreen applications present new opportunities for children's language learning. This systematic review synthesizes the evidence on the impact of features of mobile applications on children's language learning. Experimental studies published from 2010 onwards with children aged 3 to 11 years old were included. Of the 1,081 studies screened, 11 studies were identified, which examined four features of mobile touchscreen applications: inbuilt narration, real-time conversation prompts, augmented reality (AR), and hotspots. Inbuilt narration had a positive impact on story comprehension and word learning compared to reading alone but not shared reading with an adult. Real-time conversation prompts improved the quality and quantity of adult-child talk, and AR supported language learning ostensibly via increased motivation. No evidence was found for an impact of text-relevant hotspots. Limitations of the existing literature are discussed, and a strong case is made for further research in the area, particularly that which builds on learning theory and existing qualitative research.New technologies can provide new opportunities for gaining language and literacy skills for adults and children. The field of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has generated promising insights on language learning using digital technologies for adult learners (Lin & Lin, 2019;Sung, Chang, & Yang, 2015), and emerging research on mobile, touchscreen devices such as tablets and smartphones with adults and children suggests that these now ubiquitous tools can support language skills too (Godwin-Jones, 2017;Neumann & Neumann, 2017). Looking beyond questions of whether such technologies can support learning, new empirical research is exploring how, by examining which specific features of mobile touchscreen devices have an impact on language learning (Jin,

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