scholarly journals Using Vocabulary Apps to Enhance Students’ Vocabulary Knowledge

2018 ◽  
pp. 306-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Ludwig

The fast and increasingly natural adoption of handheld devices such as smartphones and tablets into everyday life is a rapidly growing social phenomenon which is also believed to have vast potential for foreign language learning. The small-scale study presented in this article contributes to the discussion of whether handheld devices should be further integrated into or eliminated from the classroom by presenting part of the results of a small-scale study conducted in a German secondary English as a foreign language classroom. The study examined the impact of a mobile vocabulary learning app on secondary school students’ vocabulary performance, also giving some indications about the students’ development of foreign language learner autonomy. Although the results of the study showed an unexpectedly limited use of the app, they allow assumptions to be made about the reasons which prevented students from using the app more frequently which can influence future researchers’ and practitioners’ app choices. The first section of this article briefly outlines the theoretical framework of the study, particularly focussing on the potential of computer-assisted and mobile-assisted language learning for enhancing students’ foreign language skills and learner autonomy. The ensuing section then provides some background on investigating students’ foreign language vocabulary learning. This is followed by a presentation of the research design, including the main features of the app (Socrative) used in this study. The next section then critically discusses some of the major research results. The contribution concludes by summarising some of the outcomes of the study and outlining some gaps for further research.

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 210-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Rahimi ◽  
Samira Mouri

This study aimed to explore the impact of computer-assisted language learning on Iranian EFL students’ vocabulary learning. Participants of the study were 76 students – 29 males and 47 females – learning English as a foreign language in Parto, Sadr, Poyesh and Andishe Institutes in Ahvaz who were selected after taking the Nelson English Language Test as a proficiency test. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group was taken as control and the other as experimental group. Both groups participated in the teacher-made test of vocabulary, Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT), and Word-Associates Test (WAT) as pre-test. During class sessions the control group was taught the vocabulary, in the conventional way, through the printed textbook while the experimental group taught by the software version of the same book. Three ANCOVAs were run to compare the performance of experimental and control groups after the treatment period. The results of the ANCOVAs revealed that using vocabulary learning software was more effective than using printed book on vocabulary learning, vocabulary breadth, and vocabulary depth of the participants. The results of the present study could help EFL course book designers, foreign language institutes, educational planners, material developers, teachers, and learners to provide a better context for EFL learning. Keywords: computer-assisted instruction, computer-assisted language learning, information communication technology, vocabulary breadth, vocabulary teaching software.  


Author(s):  
Hapsari Dwi Kartika

This paper explains why learner autonomy is taken into account in language learning where English is a foreign language for the learners particularly in Indonesia. The definition of learner autonomy and its advantages to language learner in EFL contexts will be described within this paper. Many scholars from psychological education and English teaching and learning had proved that language learning can be improved by certain strategy. They revealed the correlation between the autonomous learning with students’ success in learning with different aspect. The definition of autonomy is similar to many different words such as self-regulated and self-determined. Finally, the writer suggests how teacher can promote the autonomous learning atmosphere in the classroom.Keywords: strategy, promoting autonomy, EFL context, Indonesia


Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 459-463
Author(s):  
Sam Morris ◽  
Sarah Mercer

In our June 2019 LAB session on Teacher/Advisor Education for Learner Autonomy, our featured interview was conducted with Sarah Mercer, Professor of Foreign Language Teaching and Head of ELT at the University of Graz, Austria. Sarah has published a wealth of papers in the field of language and teacher psychology, and co-edited many books including, most recently, New Directions in Language Learning Psychology (2016), Positive Psychology in SLA (2016), and Language Teacher Psychology (2018). Sarah was awarded the 2018 Robert C. Gardner Award for Outstanding Research in Bilingualism in recognition of her work. We were delighted that she was able to share her knowledge on the topic of language learner and teacher well-being with us during the session.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 02 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tutku Basöz ◽  
Dilek Tüfekci Can

Semiotics in foreign language learning has recently achieved some prominence as a theoretical foundation for language teaching and learning. Although there have been a number of research on the semiotics in foreign language learning, the practical use of semiotics in preschool classroom environment still remains unanswered. What is more, the effectiveness of computers on vocabulary learning among preschool children is still an obscure area, which attracts the attentions of researchers, scholars and practitioners. Thus, the present study aims to investigate whether there is a significant difference in preschool children’s vocabulary gain depending upon the computer assisted vocabulary instruction or the traditional vocabulary instruction both adopting a semiotic approach. The sample group of the study included 35 preschool children (5-years) who are studying at Balıkesir University Necatibey Faculty of Education Kindergarten. In this quasi-experimental study, the children were assigned to computer assisted vocabulary instruction group (16) or traditional vocabulary instruction group (19), which were the experimental and control groups. Before the experiment, the children were given a pre-test, which measured the number of target vocabulary the children had already known. While the experimental group learned the target vocabulary through computer-assisted instruction, the control group was taught the same target vocabulary via traditional vocabulary instruction. After the experiment, the same test was given to the children as the post-test. The results of the study showed that both instruction types were successful in teaching vocabulary and there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of their vocabulary gain. Keywords: Vocabulary learning; semiotic approach; computer assisted vocabulary instruction; preschool children; foreign language learning 


Jurnal KATA ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Alpino Susanto

<p>The learning of Vocabulary is important part in foreign language learning. The meanings of new words are very frequently emphasized, whether in books or in verbal communication. Vocabulary is considered as the central in language teaching and is of paramount importance to a language learner. Vocabulary is a basic of one learns a foreign language. Few  research indicate that teaching vocabulary can be considered as problematic, as some teachers are not really sure about the best practice in the teaching and sometimes not really aware how to start forming an instructional emphasis on the vocabulary learning (Berne&amp; Blachowicz, 2008). Through this article, the writer summarizes the related research that focus on the importance of vocabulary and explaining many techniques used by some English teachers and lecturer when teaching English, as well as writer’s personal view of the issues.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-195
Author(s):  
Alba Milena Flórez González

This action research study sought to incorporate students’ local identity as the set of traditions, language, history and norms of conduct as a potential element to enhance the foreign language learning process. The purpose of this study was to strengthen local cultural identity in high school students, facilitating a meaningful foreign language learning process and promoting the active participation of students in their local communities (Sharkey, Clavijo, & Ramirez, 2016), through inter-generational dialogue. The research questions proposed were: a) what were the perceptions students had about their local identity? and b) how did high school students strengthen their identity by writing chronicles in English class about their family history? Findings posit the impact of the study on students’ perception about their local identity, how they proudly identify themselves as Villanuevas (people from Villanueva), their active involvement in the community by fostering an intergenerational communication, the improvement on the students’ L2 competence as well as the impact of the sutdy on the researcher teaching process and its cross curricular influence. 


Author(s):  
Xue Shi

The study of vocabulary is essential in learning a second language. The traditional way of foreign language learning only allows students to learn what the teacher chooses to teach. Knowledge is force-fed by the teacher to the students, but this way cannot meet the needs of the students and society. The development of multimedia technology meets the demands for new ways of teaching language. The purpose of this study is to test whether it is effective to use computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in individualized learning and whether multimedia CAI techniques can improve vocabulary learning and memory. According to analysis of the experimental data, CAI-supported vocabulary learning is more effective than traditional methods. The results show that, through CAI, knowledge can be learned faster and retained longer in the students’ memory.


Author(s):  
Bendaoud Nadif ◽  
Driss Benattabou

Over the recent decades, there has been a growing research interest in placing learners at the heart of any enterprise pertaining to foreign language learning and teaching. Alongside the growth of new perspectives and theories in cognitive psychology and foreign language learning and teaching, research has shifted its focus from the teacher and learning outcomes to the learners and the learning processes. Correspondingly, researchers emphasize the significance of making the learning and teaching paradigms more supportive and responsive to learners’ needs and interests to fully play more active and participatory roles. Drawing on researchers’ contributions in the area of good language learner studies, this paper sets out to examine the relationship between the characteristics of GLLs and language achievement. For this purpose, a sample of (N = 98) senior Moroccan high school students took an EFL achievement test and responded to the GLL questionnaire as designed and developed by Constantinides (2013). Using a Spearman correlational coefficient test and regression analysis, results show that GLLs’ scores significantly correlate (r = .81) and reliably predict the respondents’ achievement test scores. The paper ends with a conclusion and some pedagogical implications to promote EFL learning and teaching.


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