Fusion of AI-powered Tools and MALL Apps for Teaching Academic Listening Vocabulary in Chinese EAP Classrooms: An Action Research Approach
With the rise of AI-powered tools, it has been proved that the application of AI could enhance L2 learners’ writing skills[1, 2]. Additionally, previous studies have revealed that Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) could improve L2 learners’ language skills[3, 4]. However, very few studies have examined students’ academic listening skills in both rapidly evolving fields. Academic listening skill is essential for English for academic purposes (EAP) students[5]. The lack of listening vocabulary is one of the main barriers that EAP students in China encounter in academic listening[6]. Therefore, in order to assist students in building academic listening vocabulary and mobile learning of listening vocabulary outside of class, a study of integrating AI-powered tools and MALL apps to academic listening vocabulary teaching for Chinese non-English major postgraduates was conducted. The study adopted an action research approach to examine the effect of the new teaching mode. A total of 165 non-English major postgraduates were involved in the teaching practice in a Chinese public university. By applying AI-powered tools and MALL apps, a teaching plan with diverse activities was designed to enrich EAP students’ linguistic knowledge and listening strategies. The data collected from questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, listening tests, vocabulary journals, and vocabulary quizzes leads us to a conclusion that the new teaching mode can enlarge non-English major postgraduates’ academic listening vocabulary breadth and depth and improve their academic listening skills to some extent. Not only does this study bring in students’ perceptions, but it also sheds light into how AI-powered tools and MALL apps can be effectively incorporated into EAP classrooms in the AI Era.
Keywords: Academic listening, AI, Listening vocabulary, MALL
REFERENCES
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[4] Q. Xu, "Applying MALL to an EFL Listening and Speaking Course An Action Research," Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 24-34, 2020.
[5] M. Rahimirad and M. R. Moini, "The Challenges of Listening to Academic Lectures for EAP Learners and the Impact of Metacognition on Academic Lecture Listening Comprehension," Sage Open, vol. 5, no. 2, 2015, doi: 10.1177/2158244015590609.
[6] W. Yan, Designing Classroom Activities for English Listening. Foreign Language Teaching and Researching Press., 2022.
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