Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in EFL: A Systematic Review
Main Article Content
Muhammad Nazeer Jalili
Fahim Rahimi
Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has become an important approach in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education because smartphones and mobile applications can support learning beyond classroom time and location. This review synthesizes published review-level evidence on the effects, instructional uses, challenges, and research limitations of MALL in EFL contexts. The study uses a structured narrative review of accessible systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and pedagogical framework studies published between 2021 and 2025. Sources were selected when they focused on mobile-supported language learning and reported findings relevant to EFL outcomes, implementation, or instructional design. The reviewed evidence indicates that MALL can support EFL achievement, particularly vocabulary learning and reading comprehension. Meta-analytic studies report positive overall effects, including Hedges' g = 0.88 for mobile language applications and d = 0.91 for MALL interventions targeting EFL proficiency. However, the certainty of evidence remains limited by high risk of bias, short intervention periods, limited random allocation, and few delayed post-tests. MALL should be used as a pedagogically designed complement to classroom teaching rather than as a replacement for teachers or conventional instruction. Effective implementation requires clear learning objectives, active practice, feedback, teacher support, equitable access, and valid assessment. This review is interdisciplinary because it connects applied linguistics, educational technology, instructional design, and digital equity.
Burston, J. (2015). Twenty years of MALL project implementation: A meta-analysis of learning outcomes. ReCALL, 27(1), 4–20. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344014000159
Burston, J., & Giannakou, K. (2022). MALL language learning outcomes: A comprehensive meta-analysis 1994–2019. ReCALL, 34(2), 147–168. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344021000240
Chen, Z., Chen, W., Jia, J., & An, H. (2020). The effects of using mobile devices on language learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(4), 1769–1789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09801-5
Chengli, L. (2025). Mobile-assisted language learning in tertiary EFL education: A decade of systematic evidence (2015–2025). Arab World English Journal. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol16no4.20
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2012). Mobile-assisted language learning. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The encyclopedia of applied linguistics. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0768
Li, R. (2022). Effects of mobile-assisted language learning on EFL/ESL reading comprehension. Educational Technology & Society, 25(3), 15–29. https://www.j-ets.net/collection/published-issues/25_3
Lin, J. J., & Lin, H. (2019). Mobile-assisted ESL/EFL vocabulary learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 32(8), 878–919. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1541359
Mahdi, H. S. (2018). Effectiveness of mobile devices on vocabulary learning: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 56(1), 134–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633117698826
Mihaylova, M., Gorin, S., Reber, T. P., & Rothen, N. (2022). A meta-analysis on mobile-assisted language learning applications: Benefits and risks. Psychologica Belgica, 62(1), 252–271. https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.1146
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., ... Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 10, Article 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01626-4
Putri, S. E. (2025). The influence of using MALL on EFL students' language learning. International Journal of Language and Literature, 9(1), 93–105. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijll.v9i1.98091
Stockwell, G. (2022). Mobile assisted language learning: Concepts, contexts and challenges. Cambridge University Press.
Sung, Y. T., Chang, K. E., & Yang, J. M. (2015). How effective are mobile devices for language learning? A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 16, 68–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.09.001
Wang, C. (2023). Mobile-assisted language learning intervention and its effect on English language proficiency of EFL learners: A meta-analysis. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1305.05
Wang, X., Hamat, A. B., & Shi, N. L. (2024). Designing a pedagogical framework for mobile-assisted language learning. Heliyon, 10(7), e28102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28102
Muhammad Nazeer Jalili , Khurasan University
Muhammad Nazeer Jalili is a lecturer in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in the Department of English Language and Literature at Khurasan University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics at Nangarhar University. His academic and professional interests include Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), applied linguistics, academic research, and scholarly publishing.
Fahim Rahimi , Nangarhar University
Fahim Rahimi is a Professor and Head of the Postgraduate Program in the Department of English at Nangarhar University, Afghanistan. He holds a PhD in English and has extensive experience in English language teaching, applied linguistics, research, and academic publishing. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Nangarhar University Social Science Journal.



