The Role of Auditory Input Enhancement through Whats App in EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning and Retention

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of teaching vocabulary using auditory input enhancement via whats app on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and retention. For this purpose, 85 students were participated and those 56 students whose scores were one standard deviation above or below the mean on Preliminary English Test (PET) were selected and they were assigned into one experimental and a control group. Then they were given a 40 multiple choice vocabulary test as their pretest. The 10-session treatment followed by teaching vocabulary using auditory input via Whats app in one experimental group and the control group had their conventional way of teaching. After the treatment, a vocabulary posttest was administered to groups in order to compare the participants' performance and to examine if or not the given instruction had any meaningful effect on their vocabulary achievement. After about 10 days after the posttest, the same vocabulary posttest was administered again to check the learners’ vocabulary retention. The analysis of the test scores through an independent sample t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that auditory input enhancement through Whats app had a statistically significant effect on vocabulary learning and retention of Iranian EFL learners.