The effectiveness and acceptability of mobile apps

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the limitations and stated research gap of the source papers, classified as general, spanning 3 journals.

Supporting evidence — 3 representative gaps

• The Influence of Cultural Context on the Mastery of Arabic Vocabulary (2026) · Journal of Islamic Religious Studies · doi

  Despite its contributions, this study has several limitations that should be acknowledged. First, the study employed a literature review design relying exclusively on secondary data obtained from books, journal articles, and scholarly publications. As a result, the findings were limited to conceptual interpretation and synthesis rather than direct empirical observation or experimental investigation. The absence of primary field data limited the study’s ability to measure the practical effectiveness of culturally contextualized vocabulary instruction in specific educational settings. Second, the reviewed literature predominantly focused on Arabic language learning within formal and academic environments. Therefore, the findings may not fully represent vocabulary acquisition processes occurring in broader sociolinguistic or informal learning contexts. Cultural practices and communication patterns in different educational and geographical settings may also influence the applicability of the findings. Third, the study did not quantitatively examine the degree of influence exerted by cultural context on vocabulary mastery because the analysis emphasized qualitative interpretation and thematic synthesis. Consequently, the study could not determine statistical relationships between cultural dimensions and vocabulary achievement outcomes. Future research may therefore employ experimental, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches to investigate the effectiveness of culturally contextualized vocabulary instruction more comprehensively. the reviewed studies. Differences Another limitation concerns the variation of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches among in research settings, participant characteristics, and instructional models may have influenced the consistency of findings synthesized within this literature review. Nevertheless, these variations also provided broader insight into the diverse ways cultural context contributes to Arabic vocabulary learning.

  generallimitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: vocabulary cultural literature settings learning review limited interpretation synthesis experimental effectiveness culturally contextualized instruction educational
• Evaluation of listening activities in arabic language teaching textbooks used in Turkey in light of the CEFR criteria (2026) · Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education · doi

  This study had various methodological and scope limitations. The research examines only a single Arabic teaching set called Miftâh’ul-Arabiyye. This limits the generalizabil- ity of the findings to other Arabic teaching resources. The study focused solely on listen- ing activities at the A1 and A2 levels and did not cover other levels. Therefore, it cannot provide a comprehensive evaluation of all the levels of the CEFR. Methodologically, the research employed the manual document analysis method and did not use digital text analysis tools or corpus-based analysis methods. This limits the systematic and objective nature of the analysis process. Additionally, this study focused only on listening skills and did not examine the interaction between listening and other language skills. From a research perspective, this study reflects only the researcher’s viewpoint and does not include feedback from teachers and students. This situation prevents us from evalu- ating the effectiveness of the implementation. The study analyzed only the content of the book and did not collect data regarding the implementation and outcomes of the teaching process. A significant limitation of this study is its insufficient consideration of cultural and linguistic contextual factors. The CEFR was originally developed for European languages, so its direct application to languages like Arabic, which belongs to the Semitic language family, may cause problems. Arabic’s right-to-left writing, lack of vowels, phonetic structure (sounds not found in European languages), grammatical features (root-template system), and cultural context may not be fully compatible with the CEFR’s European-centered approach. Additionally, listening materials depicting Arkan Asian. J. Second. Foreign. Lang. Educ. (2026) 11:10 Page 17 of 20 everyday situations, social interaction patterns, and communication norms specific to Arab culture differ from the European-focused examples in the CEFR. Thus, adaptation is necessary when applying CEFR criteria to Arabic teaching materials.

  generallimitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: arabic cefr teaching european focused levels listening languages limits process additionally skills interaction language implementation
• Teachers’ Experiences With Mobile Apps for Arabic Language Learning: Insights From Islamic Schools in Palu, Indonesia (2026) · Journal of Language Teaching and Research · doi

  The effectiveness and acceptability of mobile apps in Arabic language teaching, especially in a specific cultural and regional context, require thorough investigation. There is a need for context-sensitive research on the use of mobile applications in Arabic language learning in Islamic schools. The study identifies a gap in the understanding of the challenges and barriers encountered during the use of mobile applications in Arabic language learning.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: effectiveness acceptability mobile apps arabic language teaching especially

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