An Study On English Listening And Speaking APPs' Interactivity Design And Application Effects

Quite a few domestic English learners have long been bothered with English listening and speaking skills where they struggle much and gain little.The main disadvantage of traditional English listening and speaking pedagogy is the language learning environment that lacks interactivity,which make matters worse.With the popularity of portable smart devices and mature of mobile network,learning English through mobile apps comes into being.Meanwhile,apps that are especially for improving listening and speaking skills spring up,which are called English listening and speaking apps.This way of language learning has produced enhanced interactivity in the whole language learning process and it creates an ideal second language acquisition environment from Social Constructivist Theory's perspective.The enhanced interactivity includes the one in language learning and human-computer interaction when learners use English listening and speaking apps.In this way,the apps' function design related to interactivity will affect learners' using experience and learning outcomes.Therefore,researches on English listening and speaking apps' interactivity function design help to find if there is any defect so that app developers can optimize the apps purposefully.Hence,based on Social Constructivist Theory and Affordance Theory related to human-computer interaction design,the researcher of this dissertation tries to make a research on 5 representative domestic English listening and speaking apps in terms of their interactivity function design,including that of language learning and of human-computer interaction.This research is done in the way of questionnaire survey,case analysis and quantitative scoring.The respondents of the questionnaire survey are the college English learners on campus.A questionnaire survey on the chosen learners is used tohave an idea of the application situation and usage feedbacks on English listening and speaking apps' interactivity functions.When it comes to the case analysis,it refers to the illustration of the 5 chosen apps' interactivity function design based on the criteria which are set up according to the theories and then the quantitative scoring is made.Finally,according to the outcomes of the questionnaire survey,the case analysis and the quantitative scoring,the researcher will summarize the research results of the 5chosen apps' interactivity function design including their design features,differences and problems.Suggestions will be made by the researcher accordingly from Social Constructivist Theory and Affordance Theory's perspective as reference in order to help app developers improve the design of English listening and speaking apps.