The Effects of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning on Language Acquisition and Integration Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Integration Courses in Germany

Kassaballi, Zouhier (2026): The Effects of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning on Language Acquisition and Integration Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Integration Courses in Germany.

Abstract

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a low-cost intervention combining Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) with behavioral economics insights, specifically motivational framing and near-peer role models. Using a randomized controlled trial among 317 migrants and refugees in German integration courses across six cities, I examine whether such an intervention can shift learning behavior and improve German language proficiency. The intervention raised adoption of the official state-recommended app "Ankommen" from 5% to 46% and doubled daily mobile learning time from 15 to 30 minutes. Intention-to-treat estimates show treatment increased self-reported German proficiency by 0.3 standard deviations, while Complier Average Causal Effect estimates indicate actual MALL adoption improved language skills by 0.76 to 0.83 standard deviations. These findings demonstrate that a brief, replicable encouragement intervention can meaningfully complement formal language instruction at negligible cost, offering a scalable policy tool for integration programs across Europe.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Mobile-Assisted Language Learning, Migration, Integration, Language Acquisition, Randomized Controlled Trial
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C9 - Design of Experiments > C93 - Field Experiments; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education and Research Institutions > I29 - Other; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J15 - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants ; Non-labor Discrimination; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor > J24 - Human Capital ; Skills ; Occupational Choice ; Labor Productivity; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J6 - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers > J61 - Geographic Labor Mobility ; Immigrant Workers

References

Aldashev, A., Gernandt, J., & Thomsen, S. L. (2009). Language usage, participation, employment and earnings: Evidence for foreigners in West Germany with multiple sources of selection. Labour Economics, 16(3), 330-341.

BAMF. (2019). Das Bundesamt in Zahlen 2018. Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge.

Bleakley, H., & Chin, A. (2004). Language skills and earnings: Evidence from childhood immigrants. Review of Economics and Statistics, 86(2), 481-496.

Bleakley, H., & Chin, A. (2010). Age at arrival, English proficiency, and social assimilation among US immigrants. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2(1), 165-192.

Burston, J. (2015). Twenty years of MALL project implementation: A meta-analysis of learning outcomes. ReCALL, 27(1), 4-20.

Chiswick, B. R., & Miller, P. W. (2015). International migration and the economics of language. In B. R. Chiswick & P. W. Miller (Eds.), Handbook of the Economics of International Migration (Vol. 1, pp. 211-269). Elsevier.

Cho, K., Lee, S., Joo, M. H., & Becker, B. J. (2018). The effects of using mobile devices on student achievement in language learning: A meta-analysis. Education Sciences, 8(3), 105.

Dörnyei, Z., & Chan, L. (2013). Motivation and vision: An analysis of future L2 self images, sensory styles, and imagery capacity across two target languages. Language Learning, 63(3), 437-462.

Dustmann, C., & Fabbri, F. (2003). Language proficiency and labour market performance of immigrants in the UK. Economic Journal, 113(489), 695-717.

Eldridge, S. M., Costelloe, C. E., Kahan, B. C., Lancaster, G. A., & Kerry, S. M. (2015). How big should the pilot study for my cluster randomised trial be? Statistical Methods in Medical Research, 25(3), 1039-1056.

Foged, M., Hasager, L., & Peri, G. (2022). Comparing the effects of policies for the labor market integration of refugees. NBER Working Paper No. 30534.

Foged, M., Hasager, L., Peri, G., Arendt, J. N., & Bolvig, I. (2023). Language training and refugees' integration. Review of Economics and Statistics, forthcoming.

Foged, M., & van der Werf, C. (2023). The integration of refugees: Evidence from Denmark. Working Paper.

German Council of Economic Experts. (2022). Annual Report 2022/23. Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung.

Hassan Taj, I., Sulan, N. B., Sipra, M. A., & Ahmad, W. (2016). Impact of mobile assisted language learning (MALL) on EFL: A meta-analysis. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 7(2), 76-83.

Heller, S., & Slungaard Mumma, K. (2023). Learning to communicate: The effects of adult English language learning. NBER Working Paper No. 31702.

Kanas, A., & Kosyakova, Y. (2023). Language acquisition and the economic integration of refugees in Germany. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 49(11), 2880-2904.

Kosse, F., Deckers, T., Pinger, P., Schildberg-Hörisch, H., & Falk, A. (2020). The formation of prosociality: Causal evidence on the role of social environment. Journal of Political Economy, 128(2), 434-467.

Lochmann, A., Rapoport, H., & Speciale, B. (2019). The effect of language training on immigrants' economic integration: Empirical evidence from France. European Economic Review, 113, 265-296.

Muir, C. (2018). Motivation and mindset in the foreign language classroom. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Nottingham.

Muir, C., Dörnyei, Z., & Adolphs, S. (2021). Role models in language learning: Results of a large-scale international survey. Applied Linguistics, 42(1), 1-23.

Resnjanskij, S., Ruhose, J., Wiederhold, S., Woessmann, L., & Wedel, K. (2024). Can mentoring alleviate family disadvantage in adolescence? A field experiment to improve labor-market prospects. Journal of Political Economy, forthcoming.

Ruhose, J. (2013a). Education, language, and the integration of immigrants in Germany. Working Paper.

Sayman, S., & Öncüler, A. (2008). An investigation of time-inconsistency. Management Science, 55(3), 470-482.

Schmid, S. D. (2023). Language as a barrier? Immigration and language learning in Germany. European Sociological Review, forthcoming.

Schuss, E. (2018). The impact of language course attendance on the employment of refugees in Germany. IAB Discussion Paper No. 35/2018.

Sung, Y. T., Chang, K. E., & Liu, T. C. (2015). The effects of integrating mobile devices with teaching and learning on students' learning performance: A meta-analysis and research synthesis. Computers & Education, 94, 252-275.

Thompson, A. S., & Vásquez, C. (2015). Exploring motivational profiles through language learning narratives. Modern Language Journal, 99(1), 158-174.

Yao, Y., & Van Ours, J. C. (2015). Language skills and labor market performance of immigrants in the Netherlands. Labour Economics, 34, 76-85.