The role of short text messaging in Iranian EFL vocabulary learning and motivation

Abstract

Although the penetration of mobile phones in Asian countries keeps climbing, little research has explored the application of the short message service (SMS) in vocabulary learning in Iranian young adult learners. This study aims to examine the role of SMS on vocabulary acquisition and motivation of Iranian students. Sixty young female learners in Pre-Intermediate level were randomly distributed into two groups and they were given a list of words to make sentences with. The experimental group sentences were corrected by the teacher through SMS and the control group sentences were checked in their notebooks. Later, the post-test was administered. Utilizing the paired and independent sample t-test, and descriptive statistics, the data were analyzed. The results revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group (Sig= 0.01,sig<0.05). The findings also revealed that both learners and parents had positive attitude toward using cell phones in vocabulary learning.