The Trend of Mobile-assisted Language Learning from 2014 to 2018

In order to trace the development of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in recent years, this paper analyzes their characteristics and research trends for research papers published from 2014 to 2018. The studies were published in international journals listed in the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). The goal of the study is to understand the trends, research focus, methodologies and current hot issues of publications. The results show that the publication of periodicals is on the rise. Students' perceptions of mobile learning techniques and language skills are the most common subjects of study. The most commonly used mobile technology devices are smartphones, mobile phones and personal digital assistants, while the most common target language is English as a foreign language.