Abstract
Every generation of students has different characteristics that reflect the conditions of the time period they were growing in. It is important for educators from all fields of study, especially English language teachers, to understand the generational differences and the learning preferences of students in order to create productive learning environments. In today’s technology driven era, students have different learning needs in comparison with their predecessors. To enhance language learning in the new generation, it is recommended to use mobile technology in class. Mobile devices and applications offer a wide range of activities that support language learning. The aim of this study was to discover if the students using mobile devices in the class got higher scores in tests than the students using traditional methods. The methods included pre- and post-tests, as well as a questionnaire survey. The results of this study reveal that the use of a mobile application had a positive effect on students’ achievement results as far as the vocabulary learning was concerned. The students using the app seemed to retain more words than the students in the control group. Furthermore, the results of the questionnaire showed that using the app was more enjoyable for students than the traditional teaching methods. In addition, it contributed to collaborative learning. However, the results also indicate that being a Generation Z student does not make him/her automatically interested in using mobile applications in the process of language acquisition. Considering the small number of participants, further studies are planned to confirm the results from the current preliminary study.
Highlights
Today’s students represent a generation that grew up with new technology
The values of the post-test scores were higher. It proves that both groups improved their vocabulary learning, but the group that employed the mobile application in the process of vocabulary achievement learned more than the control group
The results of this study reveal that the use of the Kahoot application has a positive impact on students’ achievement results as far as vocabulary learning is concerned
Summary
Today’s students represent a generation that grew up with new technology. As a result of this ubiquitous environment, students these days think and process information differently from their predecessors. This is because the thinking patterns of the new generation have changed [1]. Schroer [2] agrees with this statement and claims that a highly diverse environment and a student’s interaction with it make schools more diverse than ever. This new generation of students, having grown up with highly sophisticated media, is granted more Internet savviness than their forbearers
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