Review How effective are mobile devices for language learning? A meta-analysis Yao-Ting Sung * , Kuo-En Chang, Je-Ming Yang National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan article info Article history: Received 16 September 2014 Received in revised form 12 September 2015 Accepted 25 September 2015 Available online 30 September 2015 Keywords: Mobile-device-assisted language learning Meta-analysis abstract Language learning has undergone rapid changes over the past several years, from computer-assisted learning to the more recent mobile-device-assisted learning. Although mobile devices have become valuable language-learning tools, the evident substantial contribution of mobile devices to language learning have not yet been investigated. The present meta-analysis of 44 peer-reviewed journal articles and doctoral dissertations that were written over a 20-year period (1993e2013), with 9154 participants, revealed that mobile-device-assisted language instruction has produced a meaningful improvement with an overall mean effect size of 0.55. Different effect sizes for moderator variables, such as learning stages, hardware use, software used, intervention settings, teaching methods, intervention durations, learning skills, target languages, and L1/L2, were also reported. The results are discussed, together with their implications for future research and practices on the use of mobile devices in language learning. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................ ................................................ 69 1.1. Integrating computers with language learning and instruction ...................................................... 69 1.2. The features of mobile devices and their applications in language learning ........................................... 69 1.3. The activity-theory based framework for MALL .................................................................... 70 1.4. Goals of the current meta-analysis .............................................................................. 71 2. Methods ............................................................................................................ 71 2.1. Data sources and search strategy ................................................................................ 71 2.2. Search results ................................................................................................. 72 2.2.1. The initial screening stage .............................................................................. 72 2.2.2. Screening for experimental and quasi-experimental studies ................................................. 72 2.2.3. Screening for inclusion in/exclusion from the meta-analysis .......................... ...................... 72 2.3. Selection and coding of variables ................................................................................ 72 2.3.1. Research name ......................................................................................... 72 2.3.2. Research participants ................................................................................... 72 2.3.3. Treatments ........................................................................................... 72 * Corresponding author. Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling National Taiwan Normal University 162, Sec. 1, Ho-Ping E. Rd., 10610 Taipei, Taiwan. E-mail address: ntnusung@gmail.com (Y.-T. Sung). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Educational Research Review journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/edurev http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.09.001 1747-938X/© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Educational Research Review 16 (2015) 68e84