Input-provision/Output-elicitation MALL Program and Iranian Preintermediate EFL Learners' Vocabulary Enhancement

Abstract

This study probed the effectiveness of text messaging device for vocabulary enhancement of Iranian preintermediate learners in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. To this end, 37 EFL male learners were selected (through convenience sampling) as the participants of the study and randomly assigned to three groups. The treatment lasted for 16 consecutive sessions (two sessions each weak & 10 vocabulary items per session); overall, participants received 160 vocabulary items during the entire treatment period. Subsequent to treatment, a posttest was administered in order to measure learners’ vocabulary retention. Besides, in the last phase of the study, the attitudes of students toward Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) were investigated via conducting a semistructured interview and administering the MALL Attitude Questionnaire. The analysis of posttest data through Kruskal-Wallis test revealed that the Input-provision/Output-elicitation MALL group participants, who received the proposed input and produced output through cellphones, outperformed the other two groups. Moreover, the Input-provision MALL group, who received input via cellphones and produced output on paper, outperformed the Traditional group, who received input and produced output on paper. In addition, the analysis of the data gathered through MALL Attitude Questionnaire and semistructured interview revealed that almost all the participants held a positive attitude toward MALL. Finally, the results pointed to no significant relationship between students' attitudes toward MALL and their posttest vocabulary achievement.