Effects of Technology-Enhanced Language Learning on Second Language Acquisition: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

A meta-analysis was conducted in this study to synthesize research on technology-enhanced language learning published from 1990 to 2015. The purpose of this meta-analytic review was twofold, namely to investigate the effectiveness of improving students’ second language acquisition with the assistance of technology, and to identify variables that might moderate the effectiveness. Relevant empirical studies reported in journal articles, conference proceedings, theses, and dissertations were screened for their eligibility, and 84 were included as the primary studies for this meta-analytic review, comprising a combined total of 6,296 participants. The results revealed a large mean effect size of 0.993 for the primary studies, suggesting that technology interventions exert a remarkable positive effect on students’ learning of a second or foreign language. The results further indicated that technology interventions might generate greater impacts than non-technology integrated instruction, particularly when involving small samples of participants recruited from higher education, with the instruction being delivered via general-purpose applications on mobile phones. These findings provide concrete evidence in favor of technology use and offer practical implications for guiding future practice.

Keywords

• meta-analysis
• second language acquisition
• technology use
• technology-enhanced language learning