The Effectiveness of Mobile Language Learning Applications (MLLA) for Vocabulary Acquisition

This study investigates the psychological impact of corrective feedback on English as a Second Language (ESL) students' language anxiety using a quantitative research approach. Conducted among 80 intermediate-level ESL learners in Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan, the research examines how different types and frequencies of corrective feedback, explicit correction, metalinguistic feedback, recasts, clarification requests, and elicitation, affect learners’ emotional responses. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire incorporating items from the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients. The findings reveal that explicit correction and metalinguistic feedback are most strongly associated with elevated levels of language anxiety, while recasts result in significantly lower anxiety responses. A moderate positive correlation was also found between feedback frequency and anxiety levels, indicating that more frequent corrective input can exacerbate learners' emotional discomfort. These results highlight the need for pedagogical practices that balance effective error correction with emotional sensitivity. The study underscores the importance of using indirect feedback strategies and fostering a psychologically supportive classroom environment to enhance ESL learners' confidence and communicative engagement. References Aljasser, A. (2025). Investigating EFL students’ perceptions of feedback: A comparative study of instructor and ChatGPT-generated responses in academic writing. Education and Information Technologies, 1-22. Biju, N., Abdelrasheed, N. S. G., Bakiyeva, K., Prasad, K. D. V., & Jember, B. (2024). Which one? 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This paper sets out to provide a preliminary guidance on developing mobile language learning applications, with consideration for using multimedia. A set of initial findings are presented from a small-scale pilot learner study, along with other considerations from findings in the literature. These preliminary guidelines could be further developed in later iterations to provide an overall framework for developing and evaluating other multimedia elements in mobile language learning applications and possibly also other mobile learning applications that use multimedia extensively (e.g. musical learning).

Research shows many problems and ambiguities of second language acquisition (SLA), which have made learners and readers worldwide unsatisfied. Therefore, this study attempts to highlight theories and research that have comprehensive explanations of the problems and ambiguities of second language acquisition, which learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) face while learning a second or foreign language. After that, the study discusses a framework discussion on second language acquisition (SLA). It discusses the historical background of SLA research on different decades and the most notable views of different scholars throughout the past decades on second language acquisition. This study is a longitudinal research that identifies the advantages that could be an assist to English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Longitudinal research is always based on the qualitative method. This study's data is based on the qualitative method that collects views, opinions, materials, and earlier studies on second language acquisition (SLA). It reveals the most significant theories which precisely connected to second language acquisition (SLA) and largely to applied linguistics. The study resulted in that: (i) second language acquisition still has several doubts and ambiguities in its many different aspects, (ii). In this study, the researcher summarizes second language acquisition (SLA) research's main goals and draws comparisons on the scholars' dissimilarities between language learning and second language acquisition (SLA) on different perceptions that could give insights towards learning of second and foreign languages easily by the English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners.

The effective design and use of Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tools in developing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ writing skill and learner autonomy have remained great challenges for system designers, developers, and EFL instructors compared with that of the pencil-paper writing in the context of regular teacher-fronted classroom in Chinese higher educational institutions. The function of Corrective Feedback (CF) provided by the Pigai system, i.e. a webbased AWE tool in China (http://www.pigai.org/), can be reflected on the students’ writing scripts. To measure if AWE-based CF is beneficial to EFL learners in improving their writing skill as well as learner autonomy, a study was carried out based on the Pigai system in a web-based college English course which focuses on developing learners’ output abilities. The correlated data and feedback showed that the application of AWE-based CF, i.e. 10-minute online writing performance, did have a marked impact on EFL learners’ writing skill and learner autonomy. In this paper, the effects of using the AWE system and its CF on students’ efficacy in English writing as well as its pedagogical effectiveness will be discussed. Learners’ perceptions toward AWE-based CF and the effective use of AWE tools in EFL contexts will also be covered.

Vocabulary learning is an essential part of foreign or second language learning. This study aims at identifying the most and least common strategies that are used by Iraqi English as a foreign language (EFL) majors and English for academic purposes (EAP) learners. Also, determine the differences that are in EFL and EAP students’ vocabulary learning strategy (VLS) use as well as exploring EFL and EAP students’ views and difficulties. The study samples were 100 undergraduate learners (50 EAP learners and 50 EFL majors studying at Al-iraqia University, Iraq). There were two methods adopted; a validated Likert-scale questionnaire based on a developed version of Schmitt (1997) and further selected four of them for a follow-up semi-structured interview. The results of the survey indicated that EFL and EAP learners’ most common strategy was determination strategy, whereas, the least common strategy was metacognitive. The finding of the independent sample t-test of the five identified categories: metacognitive, determination, cognitive, memory as well as social, indicated that there was no significant difference between EFL and EAP learners’ in the frequency of the use of VLS. The results of the interview indicated that the majority of EFL and EAP learners’ valued the significance role of VLS.

Vocabulary learning is an essential part of foreign or second language learning. This study aims at identifying the most and least common strategies that are used by Iraqi English as a foreign language (EFL) majors and English for academic purposes (EAP) learners. Also, determine the differences that are in EFL and EAP students’ vocabulary learning strategy (VLS) use as well as exploring EFL and EAP students’ views and difficulties. The study samples were 100 undergraduate learners (50 EAP learners and 50 EFL majors studying at Al-iraqia University, Iraq). There were two methods adopted; a validated Likert-scale questionnaire based on a developed version of Schmitt (1997) and further selected four of them for a follow-up semi-structured interview. The results of the survey indicated that EFL and EAP learners’ most common strategy was determination strategy, whereas, the least common strategy was metacognitive. The finding of the independent sample t-test of the five identified categories: metacognitive, determination, cognitive, memory as well as social, indicated that there was no significant difference between EFL and EAP learners’ in the frequency of the use of VLS. The results of the interview indicated that the majority of EFL and EAP learners’ valued the significance role of VLS.

In the era of eLearning 4.0, many researchers have suggested that multimodal input helps to enhance second language (L2) vocabulary learning. However, previous studies on the effects of multimodal teaching have failed to yield definitive conclusions. Furthermore, only few studies on the multimodal input of vocabulary learning have aimed at junior high school students and have focused on explicit vocabulary instruction in class. To explore the effects of multimodal input on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ vocabulary learning and summarize effective methods, this study adopts a mixed-method approach. Based on dual coding theory and cognitive load theory, the teaching materials in this study were designed using the resources provided by the multimodal corpus iWeb and other websites. A total of 60 junior high school students who learned EFL and had a similar English proficiency level were divided into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). Target words were selected through questionnaire I. During the experiment, the CG learned from monomodal materials while the EG received multimodal input, and an immediate post-test was delivered to the two groups. Questionnaire II was distributed in the EG, and five students of the EG were randomly selected for an interview. One week later, a delayed post-test was conducted on the EG and CG. The results showed that the EG performed better in the post-test but did worse than the CG in the delayed post-test. The results of the questionnaire and the interview suggest that students held both positive and negative attitudes toward the multimodal input approach in vocabulary learning. The study concludes with some implications for choosing a multimodal input approach in vocabulary learning, along with a number of suggestions on how to optimize its positive influence and minimize its negative effects.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of incidental unfocused prompts and recasts on improving English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' grammatical accuracy as measured in students' oral interviews and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) grammar test. The design of the study was quasi-experimental with pre-tests, immediate post-tests and delayed post-tests. From three intact advanced EFL classes, three groups were formed: recast (n = 20), prompt (n = 20) and control (n = 20). Teachers in the two experimental groups responded to student grammatical errors with, respectively, recasts or prompts, while the grammatical errors of the control group were ignored and content feedback only was provided. The overall accuracy was measured by means of oral interview scores given by two trained raters and the grammar section of paper-based TOEFL. One-way repeated measures ANOVAs with post-hoc comparisons indicated that both prompt and recast groups significantly outperformed the control group, and the prompt group performed better than the recast group both in the immediate and delayed post-tests. Although attempts were made to make learners aware of the purpose of corrective feedback (CF), these findings show prompts which pushed learners to notice and self-correct their grammatical errors were more facilitative in improving their grammatical accuracy than recasts. Overall, these results suggest that the understanding, noticing, mental processing and active repair that prompting brings about are key factors in improving adult EFL learners' general oral accuracy. Implications for more effective unfocused prompts and recasts are also discussed.

Using online annotations to support error correction and corrective feedback

Numerous studies were devoted to use of games in vocabulary learning in English as a foreign language (EFL) tertiary courses, which reported significant improvements of vocabulary learning when using computer games. This study used a mixed-design research method comparing the effectiveness in EFL vocabulary acquisition. Data was collected from randomly selected participants who were randomly assigned to the interactivity-prone computer game (Group 1), the less interactive-prone computer game (Group 2) and the pencil-and-paper (Group 3) assisted EFL vocabulary learning approaches. The first group learned EFL vocabulary through interactivity-prone computer game Hujiang Fun Vocabulary, the second group learned EFL vocabulary assisted with less interactive computer game Baicizhan, and the third group learned EFL vocabulary via the traditional pencil-and-paper approach. It was concluded that (1) The interactivity-prone computer game was more effective than the less interactivity-prone computer game in EFL vocabulary learning; (2) The computer game-assisted EFL vocabulary learning was significantly more effective than the traditional pencil-and-paper approach; (3) Males outperformed females in computer game-assisted EFL vocabulary learning. It was suggested that future research focuses on both design features of educational computer games and cross-disciplinary research into computer game assisted EFL vocabulary acquisition.

In second language acquisition (SLA), vocabulary learning can be a great challenge for some English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Virtual Reality (VR) technology has unleashed its potential in language education, but insufficient attention has yet been paid to its impact on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning. To bridge this gap, we conducted a quasi-experiment based on a self-developed VR platform, in order to investigate the effects of VR on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning. A total of 68 college students participated in this study and were assigned to either the experimental (VR players) or the comparison (video watchers) group. The results revealed that the VR players significantly outperformed the video watchers in terms of vocabulary learning. The VR environment contextualized vocabulary learning by providing an authentic language learning experience, a strong sense of presence, and instant interaction and feedback, whereas the VR players’ learning motivation still needed to be strengthened. Analysis of semi-structured interviews further demonstrated that most of the students valued the potential of the VR-assisted learning approach, while some of them still held mixed feelings about it. This study provides some suggestions for both language instructors and technical experts in terms of task design, platform optimization, and material development.

The study examined the effect of self-paced use of smartphones as mobile learning tools on English as a foreign language (EFL) vocabulary learning. Ninety-three Taiwanese college students were assigned to two vocabulary learning groups. An independent-samples t-test performed on the groups' vocabulary pretest scores showed no significant difference between the two groups in terms of entry ability of English vocabulary at the outset of the experiment. During the 15-week treatment, the experimental group studied vocabulary through the mobile vocabulary learning application program whereas the control group studied the same learning materials in a paper-based format. After the study, the vocabulary post-test was administered to the two groups and their vocabulary scores were analysed and compared. The data showed a significant difference emerged between the groups, while the experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group. In addition, results of a post-treatment questionnaire given to the experimental group indicated positive learner attitudes towards mobile-assisted vocabulary learning.

This study explores the immediate and delayed impacts of songs on implicit vocabulary learning in terms of spoken-form recognition (SFR), form-meaning connection (FMC), and collocation recognition (CR) of Iranian intermediate female english as a foreign language (EFL) learners. For this purpose, a total of 150 female EFL learners, aged from 11 to 15, were selected from Iran Language Institute in Shahrekord City. The participants were randomly assigned into four experimental groups and two control groups. Two experimental groups and one control group took the pre-test, while for the other groups there was not any pre-test. Two experimental groups and one control group received immediate post-test whereas for the other groups there was not any immediate post-test. Nevertheless, all the groups took a delayed post-test. The data were obtained over five 90-min sessions. The control groups did not listen to any songs. Two experimental groups and one control group completed the immediate post-test. After 3 weeks, all the groups took the delayed post-test. The outcomes of a two-way ANOVA revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental group which received both pre-test and the treatment and the experimental group which received treatment but no pre-test. Additionally, the outcomes of a three-way ANOVA indicated that the experimental groups outperformed the control groups, giving rise to the conclusion that the treatment had been positively influential in improving the learners’ vocabulary learning. Finally, the outcomes of a one-way MANOVA showed that experimental groups and control groups performed differently with respect to SFR, FMC, and CR. Based on the findings, some implications are presented for different stakeholders.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of two types of repeated reading (i.e., assisted and unassisted) on incidental vocabulary learning of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. In so doing, a sample of 45 intermediate EFL students from two intact classes of a language institute were selected as the participants. The two classes were randomly assigned to an unassisted group (N = 21) who were required to just read and an assisted group (N = 24) who were asked to read and listen to 24 short texts several times. The assisted group employed their smartphones to listen to the audio files of the short stories. The data were gathered via a researcher-made vocabulary test and vocabulary learning self-efficacy scale. The results of ANCOVA revealed that although both types of repeated reading contributed to enhancing vocabulary learning of the participants, assisted repeated reading led to significantly greater EFL vocabulary gains. Additionally, the findings revealed that both assisted and unassisted repeated reading improved vocabulary learning self-efficacy of the participants and there was not a significant difference between the two types of interventions. The findings of the present study have implications for EFL researchers and practitioners.

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