Mobile-Assisted Language Learning

Abstract

Nowadays every aspect of humans' life, including education, is affected by technological advancements. Given this, teaching and learning have gone through various changes and are now space- and time-independent in the sense that they can happen at any time anywhere. MALL as a type of IT-based instruction has been popular in many developed countries, while in the developing countries the attitude and requirements for its implementation are not yet ready. In the present chapter, an attempt has been made to review the definition of MALL, synchronous/asynchronous learning, learners' perception of MALL, the status of MALL in developed and developing countries, and finally the challenges facing developing countries for implementing MALL in their educational systems. It also tries to give an insight into the cross-cultural differences affecting the use and implementation of MALL and admits there are further avenues to explore variables mediating the application of new technologies in different cultural settings. In the end, some solutions and recommendations for future research are offered.