Effectiveness of Mobile Assisted Vocabulary Learning Applications (MAVL) as a self-learning tool for ESL learners in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The advancements in mobile technologies have changed how teaching and learning processes are conducted in the higher education sector. Mobile-Assisted Vocabulary Learning (MAVL) is a part of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) which is now a demarcating element in the ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom for the language improvement of the learners. MAVL applications are used widely in international language education, yet in Sri Lanka, language learners are limited to printed materials which are not enough to maximize their updated vocabulary knowledge. MAVL applications are used among Sri Lankan ESL learners hardly less than printed material to learn vocabulary and enhance it, which creates the research gap in this study. The research aims to introduce professional and practical MAVL applications to enhance vocabulary, introduce MAVL applications as a helping tool, and enhance their vocabulary and writing competence. The research has experimented with a mixed-method approach, with a sample of twenty ESL learners and five ESL teachers from the university sector. The questionnaire, interviews, and two tests were conducted for the data collection. The results revealed that students found the MAVL application practical, motivating, and helpful. Further, the participants had the potential to use the applications independently, and it made teachers conduct lessons efficiently in the classrooms. The results illustrated that MAVL applications contained positive attitudes toward making mobile-assisted vocabulary improvements. It can be concluded that using MAVL Applications as a self-learning tool would improve ESL learners' vocabulary and the teaching-learning process.