Evaluating the Needs and Preferences of Post-Secondary ESL Writing Students and Teachers for the Development of Mobile Peer Review Applications

Author

• Anne-Marie Calton, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Byfield, Lavern

Abstract

The rapid advancement of cell phones and mobile applications has had a profound impact on educational settings, yet research on mobile educational technology, specifically in the context of English as a Second Language (ESL) writing instruction, is limited and fragmented. Previous studies have explored the digitalization of peer review practices using, for example, blogs, messaging, and sharing documents and showed overall encouraging results regarding the potential of further digitalizing peer reviews. However, no research so far has focused on the needs and preferences of both ESL writing students and teachers as a foundational step toward developing a dedicated mobile peer review application for ESL writing classrooms. This dissertation sought to fill that gap by evaluating the needs and preferences of post-secondary ESL writing students and teachers in the United States in relation to their personal as well as classroom cell phone use and by eliciting the potential for the future development of an ESL peer review application. In order to receive a more holistic picture, Marguerite Koole’s (2009) Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME) was used as the underlying theoretical framework of this dissertation. It provided an ideal theoretical lens for this research project as it was not only designed specifically for mobile educational settings, but also placed equal importance on the device, learner, as well as social aspect of a mobile educational setting. This dissertation aimed to answer the following research questions: What device aspects do ESL writing students and teachers prefer in a mobile learning application for ESL peer reviews? What learner aspects do ESL writing students and teachers prefer in a mobile learning application for ESL peer reviews? What social aspects do ESL writing students and teachers prefer in a mobile learning application for ESL peer reviews? An explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design was used by administering an online survey in the quantitative stage first, followed by one-on-one semi-structured online interviews in a qualitative second stage. The survey items were developed based on the FRAME model checklist for the planning and analysis of mobile learning environments. Follow-up interviews were conducted to further explain or elicit additional clarifying information from the survey responses. It was hoped that this design would lead to a more thorough understanding of how both participant groups perceive and envision mobile peer review technology in ESL writing contexts. The findings revealed that while both participant groups recognized the potential of mobile technology in ESL writing classrooms, students and teachers held different views regarding its implementation on several aspects. Students placed high value on language features as well as having control over their own learning pace and focus. Teachers on the other hand expressed concerns about relinquishing control and stressed ease of use as well as the ability to track individual student contributions of collaborative projects. The findings of this study help serve as a blueprint for future researchers and app developers who are looking to design and implement such an ESL peer review application as well as help guide practitioners who are looking to integrate such an application into their curriculum while ensuring that it is situated within a unified theoretical framework for mobile education.