More young Chinese have switched from studying English in the classroom to the palms of their hands, an emerging trend created by various apps such as Liulishuo and Baicizhan. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Fun incentives

Consulting agency for the mobile internet sector, iiMedia Research, published a report on the paid knowledge market in China in December 2017, estimating that 188 million Chinese users were paying for online learning services by the end of 2017.

Leading internet startup service provider, 36 Kr, estimated in May 2017 that the business volume for the Chinese knowledge sector would exceed 30 billion yuan for the year.

And English-language learning accounted for a large percentage of that total.

"It is obvious that some English learning apps have gained popularity by providing users with an enjoyable learning experience and a satisfying learning outcome," says Ye Hua, an associate professor at the department of sociology and social work at Sun Yat-sen University.

"It is becoming a trend among young Chinese people to study English using apps," Ye says.

Zhai Xuesong, a postdoctoral researcher at the school of educational technology at Beijing Normal University, says that when people learn in fragmented time slots, they usually prefer to use "infotainment" platforms. The majority of apps therefore provide users with interactive learning materials such as movies, novels, and other entertainment-based learning models such as voice-recognition, which stimulate people's interest and keep them engaged.

Besides offering incentives, Mint Reading and Cheese Pie Listening both use online chat groups for students to communicate with their teachers and ask questions－adding another level of interactivity into the passive learning process.

"The teachers always respond to our questions very quickly," says Shen Qi, a student in tourism, hotel and event management at the University of Queensland, Australia, who uses learning apps for both listening and reading courses. She recently paid Mint Reading for a second 100-day reading course.

Passing her language exams last June, however, the 24-year-old Hangzhou native found that to learn English properly, she still had a long way to go before she could fully understand what her professors were teaching in class.

And despite her English-speaking learning environment, Shen often felt embarrassed to ask her peers questions about language. Instead she found she could more easily understand grammar issues using the Chinese explanations provided to her by her online teacher.

"I pretty much enjoy the atmosphere these online courses create for us," she says.

"Every time you raise a question in the group chat, not only the teacher will explain it clearly, but my classmates will also join the discussion. What you learn is always beyond your expectations."

Shen also enjoys sharing her new skills with friends and family on WeChat, where she draws inspiration from people's encouragement.

"Learners who share their learning outcomes with family and friends online find it enhances their productivity," says Zhai.

He believes that the online learning community is helpful for fragmented learning, one of his findings from his years of studying the phenomenon of "ubiquitous learning".