Independent language learning is paramount for those wishing to develop proficiency in a second or foreign language. Language learners often have few opportunities to communicate and interact actively in their target language. In this two-phase study, a chatbot was developed to assist second-language learners at a tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with independent language learning. I employed a questionnaire (N = 128) followed by semi-structured interviews (N = 12) to gain holistic insight into learners' experiences with the chatbot. The results suggested that the participants enjoyed interacting with the chatbot both in and out of class and perceived that it improved their English skills. These findings have implications for language teachers and the future development of chatbots. Copyright © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

This article reports on the results of a qualitative interpretive pilot study investigating the role of comic strips on tertiary ESP learners’ motivation and discipline-specific language learning. The participants were 10 third-year students enrolled in two discipline-specific English courses at a university in Hong Kong. The results show that integrating multimodality through comic strips helped to transform the traditional delivery of instruction and also motivated and facilitated learners’ understanding of discipline-specific concepts and vocabulary. Participants also indicated that technology contributed to more student agency and fostered language creativity as they expended more effort in their learning. The findings suggest the need for ESP teachers to explore technology and integrate creativity and multimodality in the delivery of discipline-specific course content. Copyright © 2021 Asian ESP Journal.

In higher education, understanding discipline-specific vocabulary can be challenging. Insufficient vocabulary can be a major challenge for students as they begin their university studies. This study examined university undergraduate English language learners' discipline-specific vocabulary retention when they used an in-house developed mobile app, Books vs Brains@PolyU, in Hong Kong. A total of 159 second language (L2) students from four disciplines participated in the study, and they completed a pre- and posttest consisting of 120 words in four difficulty levels in their chosen disciplines. The results suggested that participants acquired more vocabulary words at the intermediate and advanced levels than at the beginner and elementary ones. The findings improve the understanding of MALL and vocabulary acquisition using apps to facilitate and support learners' academic studies. Copyright © 2020 The Author(s).