Evaluation of a MALL system integrating instant translation and shared annotation for ESL reading on PDA.

Abstract

The extensive reading course is one of the best ways for ESL learners to improve their reading ability by large quantities of texts. However, the shortage of the vocabulary makes the extensive reading difficult. Hence, this study developed a CALL system in PDA, which integrated instant translation with annotation, and shared vocabulary annotation functions to support the extensive reading course. An experiment was conducted to analyze the usage of the system and evaluate learners’ acceptance, including attitude and satisfaction. The experimental results show more than fifty percent of students agree the novel reading method can improve their learning motivation. More than seventy percent of student is satisfied with the system and more than sixty percent of students agree the system is ease of use. Moreover, the system used to collaborative reading did promote reading comprehension apparently. The average achievement of groups is higher than individual average achievement on reading comprehension.