Effects of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL)-Delivered Explicit Metacognitive Intervention on Chinese EFL Students' Receptive Skills and Metacognitive Awareness

Background Study

In the field of English as a foreign language education, receptive skills such as listening and reading play a vital role in learners' academic success and professional development. These skills not only improve language comprehension but also facilitate language production.

Objectives

Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the general and specific effects of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL)-delivered explicit Metacognitive Intervention (MI) on Chinese undergraduate students' receptive skills in listening and reading, as well as their metacognitive awareness of this intervention.

Methods

A semester-long quasi-experimental research design was employed. Sixty-two out of the 75 intermediate-level Chinese college students majoring in International Business, who studied English as one of their university courses, participated in the study. They were from two intact classes with relatively homogeneous English proficiency at the intermediate level, as determined by a CET-4 pre-test and aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR B1). The experimental group (n = 30) received MALL-delivered explicit MI, while the control group (n = 32) was taught using the MALL-delivered conventional instructional approach. Instruments used for data collection included the CET-4, the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ), and the Metacognitive Awareness Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI).

Results

After applying the Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in overall listening and reading performance, including the Short News and Passage sections in listening, as well as all major dimensions of metacognitive awareness except Mental Translation. Furthermore, the group significantly outperformed the control group in overall reading post-test scores.

Conclusions

MALL-delivered explicit MI demonstrates potential as an effective approach for enhancing students' receptive skills, particularly in reading, and for significantly improving their metacognitive awareness of listening and reading strategies. The statistically post-intervention gains, observed even after applying Holm–Bonferroni correction, underscore the pedagogical potential of integrating mobile technologies with strategy-based instruction. These findings suggest that educators should adopt MALL-delivered explicit MI to empower students to actively shape their learning experiences.