Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in the Federation Wallonia-Brussels. Towards an effective use of MALL
(2015) Eurocall 2015 - Critical Call — Location: Padova, IT (26.August.2015)
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- Since language learning and social change can be considered as interdependent on several aspects, we observe that more and more private but also public initiatives now support new teaching and learning methodologies with the learner at the centre of his learning and the teacher who acts as a facilitator in the process (Pérez-Paredes & Sánchez Tornel : 2009). If this learner-centered way of learning was first developed in the private sector, it is nowadays also fostered by public institutions with, for example, the CEFRL (Council of Europe: 2009). The change in methodology corresponds to an evolution of our today collaborative society where critical thinking and autonomy override knowledge (Depover, Quintin & Strebelle : 2013). This social transformation seems clearly linked with the implementation of new technologies that provide our society with adequate tools to fit its evolution. Looking at the growing use of mobile technologies in everyday life, it appears essential to study and develop the use of such technologies in language learning. Using first CALL then MALL, schools follow the trends and try to adapt to this rapid shift in society. While CALL has been developed for a few decades now, mobile learning is still a young field and before we start evaluating its efficiency in Belgium, there is a need to discuss the state of the current situation, particularly as we know that Belgium is slightly behind the trends regarding the use of mobiles – in 2013, only 35% of the Walloon citizens had a smartphone (Agence Wallonne des Télécommunications: 2013). Therefore, our study aims first at listing the different uses of MALL in secondary schools in Belgium, more precisely in the Federation Wallonia-Brussels, and at linking them in our analysis with the level of IT knowledge of the actors in education and their attitudes towards these mobile technologies. These data will be collected thanks to a quantitative survey distributed in secondary schools to directions, teachers and pupils. Our poster intends to present the frame of the survey but also some primary findings on the topic. We intend then to cross the results of the survey with a state-of-the-art review on the topic and to establish an inventory of the official documents integrating technology in education in the Federation Wallonia-Brussels. Davis’s technology acceptance model (1989), which examines the relation between the perceived usefulness, the perceived ease of use and the user acceptance of information technology, will be used to structure our study and analysis, and will prepare for the second stage of our work. This consists in evaluating the efficiency of MALL in its actual use and further developing and improving the use of mobile technologies in EFL learning in our schools. AGENCE WALLONNE DES TELECOMMUNICATIONS. (2013). Baromètre TIC 2013 : l’usage des technologies de l’information et de la communication en Wallonie. Online : http://www.awt.be/contenu/tel/dem/AWT-Barom%C3%A8tre_g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral.pdf. Last consulted on 19.02.2015. COUNCIL OF EUROPE. (2009). The Common European framework of reference for languages : Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.
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Van de Vyver, J. (2015). Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in the Federation Wallonia-Brussels. Towards an effective use of MALL. Eurocall 2015 - Critical Call, Padova, IT. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/63446