The teaching of children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Arabic-speaking countries depends mainly on the traditional techniques which are limited and outdated. On the other hand, smartphone applications (apps) have become an essential part of the current life style. They are literally used to accomplish thousands of different tasks related…

Textual and visual app-based communication is standard everyday interaction. I argue that, as researchers, we have to be better equipped to include various ways of interacting digitally with participants in qualitative research interviews. In this paper, I do a methodological focused analysis of app-based textual interviews (n = 98) with young…

This study aimed to investigate the challenges faced by working students in patronizing library services in Nigeria and to propose tailored solutions to enhance their patronage. A descriptive survey research design was used to collect data from 110 working undergraduate students, which was then analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings…

Instant messaging applications integrated in smartphones have favored the emergence of new digital writing systems, which are characterized by the use of specific spellings called textisms. This study analyses the relationship between the use of textisms and spelling mistakes in academic texts. The methodology applied was descriptive, based on a…

One of the main obstacles for survey researchers--especially those conducting surveys in difficult contexts such as postconflict areas--is accessing respondents. In order to address this problem, this article draws on an ongoing research project to reflect on the utility of mobile phones to connect with hard-to-access populations in conflict…

Owing to the anytime-anywhere-anyhow nature of mobile learning, together with the ubiquity of affordably priced mobile phones, learning has become a mobigital practice, as termed by Sad and Göktas (2014). Consequently, language teaching/learning is gradually shifting from computer-assisted language learning to mobile-assisted language learning…

The progressive development of mobile smart phones and instant messaging create opportunities for use of cost effective collaborative learning platforms in higher education. This paper presents a mobile learning (mLearning) initiative within the higher education context of a developing country. This qualitative study follows a case study approach.…

This paper critically reviews literature on the role of Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) applications, such as WhatsApp, in supporting learning and teaching practice. Using formal qualitative synthesis as its methodology, and dialectical theory as an analytical framework, our main objective was to identify tensions, affordances, constraints, and…

This article reports the study of a novel way of raising tertiary-level students' native cultural awareness (NCA) via an informal mobile learning community. Through two cycles of action research at a teacher-education university in East China, the study drew upon the Community of Practice (CoP) theory to form a synchronous English chat group.…

Recently, electronic mobile devices have been widely used for attaining knowledge, asking questions and retrieving information. Mobile devices and their features have been in the glare of publicity for educational purposes. The WhatsApp application instant messaging platform has become the most popular mobile device application regarded as one of…

This article reports the initial findings of an MA in Applied Linguistics on the effect collaborative and individual strategic planning have on performance of an oral task by young learners of English as an L2 in Brazil. Strategic planning (Ellis, 2003, 2005) is an important concept within the task-based approach (TBA), as this condition may…

For the thirty-sixth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Anaheim, California. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…