CITATION OF THE ARTICLE...
Title: Reexamining the Effectiveness of Vocabulary Learning Via Mobile Phones
Journal: TOJET - The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology - Vol. 10, Issue 3
Authors' Names: Haisen Zhang, Wei Song, and Jack Burston.
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SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE
(i) The Aims of the Research are to:
... determine how mobile
phones are used in vocabulary learning and if it is more effective than the
traditional method, including its’ advantages and disadvantages, as well as the
implications when used for pedagogical practice.
(ii) Methodology
An experimental and a controlled group (Groups A and B, respectively) were
tested on their vocabulary. All participants had to memorize 130 specific
vocabulary items. Group A were sent five vocabulary items daily via SMS,
whereas Group B were given all 130 items on paper.
The participants were
assessed on their existing vocabulary skills before the experiment, and then in
a TOEFL-inspired test to determine whether their English vocabulary proficiency
had improved after the experiment. A week after, they were also tested on their
vocabulary-retention in a delayed test, then Group A had to comment on the
effectiveness of their learning experiences using mobile phones.
( (iii) Subject/sample
78 students from a university in metropolitan North China
participated in this study. The students were highly-motivated to improve their
vocabulary as they were to take the College English Test (CET).
(iv) The findings of the research
The pre-test revealed that Group B had more vocabulary knowledge compared
to Group A. However, Group A scored higher marks in the post-test. The delayed
tests found that Group A had a higher vocabulary retention rate than Group B.
The study revealed that
mobile phones can make vocabulary learning more effective, as they had fewer
items to memorize in a short time, and is also more convenient because they brought
their mobile phones everywhere they go. The five-vocabulary-items-per-day
method also did not overwhelm them, causing more effortless
vocabulary-recollection. More focus is applied when learning the vocabulary
items because they received them during their leisure time.
Mobile phone-usage for
vocabulary learning is also disadvantageous. Among them are not having enough phone-memory
to store all the vocabulary items sent, and they themselves are unable to
remember all the words received in the long-term. It was also difficult for the
participants to locate and determine which messages were from the teacher,
which consumes time and energy.
YOUR REACTION
(i) Does the research interest you?
This research greatly interests me, as it focuses on a technology that is
widespread in today’s modern world, and is therefore more accessible than most other
electronic gadgets. It seems that everyone is using mobile phones, even young
children, and they rarely go anywhere without it. The convenience and mobility
that mobile phones provide makes incorporating it into language learning a natural move. What interested me most about this research is that it
actually puts the theory into practice, and allows us to gauge the true pros
and cons of using mobile phones in vocabulary-building. I discovered that although mobile
phones were a promising medium for language learning, it nevertheless posed
more problems when using it in lessons than without. It is interesting that we
still have to rely on the traditional method even though more teachers are
verging away from it, seeing as technology is not fool-proof. In addition, this
research was enlightening because it proved that a gadget that is mostly used
for entertainment purposes can be used for educational ones too, if properly
regulated.
(ii) Do you think the research was well conducted?
I think that this research was well-conducted. The authors had very
specific objectives in mind and were able to gain the desired feedback from
their well-formulated tests to gauge the students’ vocabulary capabilities,
both via mobile phones and the traditional way. The findings were thoroughly
analyzed and took into account of the impact that some limitations may have on
the accuracy of its findings, such as the participants’ fluency in the
language, as English was a foreign language for them.
(iii) What is/are the implication(s) of the research in the teaching and learning of ESL (in the general and Malaysian contexts)?
This research acts as evidence of the necessity of blended learning if
one desires to integrate technology into language learning. As the research
reveals, using mobile phones alone is not practical, as there are many
weaknesses inherent in such a small and limited-use device, such as small
screens and word limits that hinder the receiving of vital learning data. This
research also hints that although it is less exciting and deemed old-fashioned,
the traditional method of receiving data through paper-mediums are established
for a reason: it is usually infallible compared to other mediums. If language
teachers wanted to incorporate any technology into their lessons, it must act
as a supplement to the traditional method: one that helps makes the lesson more interactive and interesting rather than
relying entirely on it to learn the English language.
In addition, this
research also revealed that learning vocabulary through mobile phones is
feasible, if it is done in small scales like the one exhibited in the
aforementioned research. Perhaps in the future, language students might be able
to bring their mobile phones legally for their language lessons or receive
special ones from the language teacher for vocabulary-building purposes. This
would definitely make them more excited to participate in vocabulary lessons
and inadvertently helps them improve their vocabulary skills.
Total words used:
Including proper nouns as individual words - 804
Proper nouns counted as one word - 789
