EFL Vocabulary Learning Research Articles

Chatting with AI Bot: Vocabulary Learning Assistant for Saudi EFL Learners

In the AI field of language learning, chatterbots are an interesting area for language learning and practice. This research investigates Arabic EFL vocabulary learning using an interactive storytelling chatterbot. A chatterbot was created and equipped with four vocabulary tools: a dictionary, images, an L1 translation tool, and a concordancer. The target words were enhanced by these tools to provide the learners with interactive comprehensible input. This project seeks to identify which tools are mostly used when EFL learners are practicing English with a chatterbot. It also seeks to determine which tool could help most in vocabulary learning as well as retention. The results of the study indicate that the dictionary is the most favoured and effective tool for vocabulary learning. For retention, the findings uncover that L1 translation is slightly (but insignificantly) higher than the dictionary.
  

The Effect of Quizizz and Kahoot! Applications on Developing EFL Vocabulary Learning among Freshmen Students at Faculty of Education

The Effect of Quizizz and Kahoot! Applications on Developing EFL Vocabulary Learning among Freshmen Students at Faculty of Education

Using Reading Buddies Strategy to Improve EFL Vocabulary learning and attitudes of Primary Stage

Using Reading Buddies Strategy to Improve EFL Vocabulary learning and attitudes of Primary Stage

Sahar Mostafa Mohamed Shalan : Using a Web 2.0- Based Program for Developing EFL Vocabulary Learning among Prep Stage Pupils

Sahar Mostafa Mohamed Shalan : Using a Web 2.0- Based Program for Developing EFL Vocabulary Learning among Prep Stage Pupils

The Effects of Educational Games on EFL Vocabulary Learning of Early Childhood Students with Learning Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Educational games play an essential role in the life of the new generation. Although there are many criticisms, many studies focus on the importance of educational games in improving EFL vocabulary learning of early childhood students with learning disabilities in the target language. Researchers have begun to research how games are used in class to enhance vocabulary learning. This paper investigates the effects of educational games on EFL vocabulary learning of early childhood students with learning disabilities based on a literature review. Many studies focus on educational games' effect on various aspects of education. This concept paper aims to shed light on some of the benefits of games and the challenges teachers and early childhood children face in using educational games. This paper's results show that games are used not only for the success of early childhood students with learning disabilities in EFL classes but, more importantly, to motivate them and increase cooperation between children. Additionally, the results indicate that there are advantages and disadvantages of using games to learn English vocabulary.

A Study of Vocabulary Learning Strategies in EFL Reading of High, Middle and Low Vocabulary Achievers of Thai Tertiary Students

This research investigated vocabulary acquisition (VA) and vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) use of Thai EFL graduates of a government university in southern Thailand through English narrative readings that inserted fifteen target words into each reading text. The main purpose of the reading treatment was reading comprehension skills. The study also examined implications for EFL vocabulary learning and teaching in Thai context. The sample of fifteen Thai EFL graduates was selected from one group of 40 first year students majoring in Accountancy from a southern Thailand government university. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview. The interview session was used to elicit information about their VLS use and vocabulary learning experiences. The interview forms after the reading treatment provided a greater insight into the interviewing process behind the participants’ VLS selection and showed how they deduced word meanings of unfamiliar English vocabulary in the narrative reading tasks. Research findings showed that Thai EFL learners in this study apparently show a greater preference for the translation, metacognitive regulation, memory and cognitive strategies than for the determination, metacognitive and social strategies. The findings demonstrate the indirect influence of learners’ previous English vocabulary learning on their English language skill development. In addition, this study suggests a close link between vocabulary learning strategy selection, vocabulary knowledge and language skill development in EFL context, especially southern Thailand.

Using gamification in EFL vocabulary learning and learners’ attitudes toward gamification use

هدفت هذه الدراسة الى تحديد تأثير استخدام محفزات الالعاب التعليمية على تعلم مفردات اللغة الانجليزية ومواقفهم تجاهها. اتبعت الدراسة تصميم الشبه تجريبي. شارک في هذه الدراسة 68 طالبا من کلية التربية بجامعة الوادي الجديد. تضمنت الأدوات اختبار المفردات للغة الانجليزية (APTIS) واستبيان الاتجاه ومقابلات شخصية. استخدمت المجموعة التجريبية Quizizz بينما استخدمت المجموعة الضابطة أوراق مفردات ورقية. و استغرقت الدراسة فترة مدتها سبعة أسابيع ، تم اختبار الطلاب بعد ذلک. أظهرت النتائج زيادة تعلم المفردات في المجموعة التجريبية مقارنة بالمجموعة الضابطة. و کان حجم التأثير على المجموعة التجريبية ملحوظ (Cohen’s d = 1.8، eta squared = .47). أشارت بيانات الاستبيان والمقابلة إلى اتجاهات إيجابية تجاه استخدام محفزات الالعاب التعليمية في تعلم مفردات اللغة الانجليزية. وجد الأشخاص الذين تمت مقابلتهم أن محفزات الالعاب التعليمية أکثر إثارة من طرق التعلم التقليدية. وذکروا أن استخدام محفزات الالعاب التعليمية في تعلم المفردات أکثر متعة من التمارين التقليدية. ومع ذلک ، فقد واجهوا بعض التحديات في الوصول إلى الإنترنت. توصي الدراسة باستخدام محفزات الالعاب التعليمية کأداة تيسيرية وتحفيزية لتعلم المفردات.

Children’s EFL Vocabulary Learning With Storybooks

Children’s EFL Vocabulary Learning With Storybooks

Strategije za učenje vokabulara engleskog jezika kao stranog kod učenika srednjih škola

The paper examines how frequently high school students use EFL vocabulary learning strategies and whether contextual educational factors have any influence on strategy selection. The theoretical part discusses the importance of language learning strategies, which can facilitate the internalization, storage, retrieval, or use of the new language, factors that affect their usage and selection (e.g. nature of the task, students' motivation, foreign language proficiency, teacher's expectations, students' learning styles, students' gender), as well as the process of vocabulary acquisition. The empirical part presents the results of the analysis of a survey conducted among students from two high schools in Serbia, a vocational school and a grammar school. The aim of the research is to determine how frequently students use vocabulary learning strategies and if there are any statistically significant differences in strategy use between students from the two schools which are the consequence of different subjects and learning objectives. The results show that the majority of vocabulary learning strategies have medium use among high school students (seven out of nine memory strategies, seven out of nine cognitive strategies and two out of four compensatory strategies) and that there are certain inter-group differences (whereas students from the medical high school use memory strategies more frequently, students from the grammar school report higher use of cognitive and compensatory strategies). The results indicate that there are important cross-curricular links which point to the transfer of learning strategies from content subjects to English language classes.

The role of self-construal in EFL vocabulary learning

Abstract Vocabulary learning is often assigned as out-of-class learning, which learners need to autonomously initiate and be motivated to sustain. Under such learning modes, though independent learners may need less motivational scaffolding, learners who prefer a more interactive study environment may need to be provided with assistance to boost their motivation. Focusing on such personal determinants, this study examines the role of self-construal in vocabulary learning by employing self-determination theory. The participants were 155 engineering students from a Japanese technical college. Path and mediation analyses were performed based on vocabulary test scores and questionnaire responses. Results revealed that independent self-construal had a significant impact on more self-determined types of both motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation and identified regulation) and amotivation, but interdependent self-construal was statistically irrelevant to them, in the context of vocabulary learning. Furthermore, perceived autonomy and competence mediated the relationship between independent self-construal and motivation. These findings indicate that vocabulary learning motivation is shaped and regulated by self-construal and may be enhanced through support of the mediators.

The role of self-construal in EFL vocabulary learning

AbstractVocabulary learning is often assigned as out-of-class learning, which learners need to autonomously initiate and be motivated to sustain. Under such learning modes, though independent learners may need less motivational scaffolding, learners who prefer a more interactive study environment may need to be provided with assistance to boost their motivation. Focusing on such personal determinants, this study examines the role of self-construal in vocabulary learning by employing self-determination theory. The participants were 155 engineering students from a Japanese technical college. Path and mediation analyses were performed based on vocabulary test scores and questionnaire responses. Results revealed that independent self-construal had a significant impact on more self-determined types of both motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation and identified regulation) and amotivation, but interdependent self-construal was statistically irrelevant to them, in the context of vocabulary learning. Furthermore, perceived autonomy and competence mediated the relationship between independent self-construal and motivation. These findings indicate that vocabulary learning motivation is shaped and regulated by self-construal and may be enhanced through support of the mediators.

The Effects of Augmented Reality to Motivation and Performance in EFL Vocabulary Learning

The Effects of Augmented Reality to Motivation and Performance in EFL Vocabulary Learning

The Effect of Electronic Flashcards on EFL Students' Vocabulary Learning: The Case of Saudi Arabia

This study aimed to investigate the effect of electronic flashcards on EFL vocabulary learning of preparatory-year female students at a Saudi Arabia. It was conducted following the quantitative research methodology with a quasi-experimental design. Two groups were assigned: an experimental group who used electronic flashcards, and a control group who employed the traditional method of vocabulary learning. A pre-test and a post-test were administered in order to appraise their performance before and after the experiment. The results revealed that the post-test scores of students in the experimental group were significantly higher than their pre-test. Also, the results showed that electronic flashcards promoted students' vocabulary, causing a statistical significance in comparison to the control group. Based on these findings, this study was able to draw a number of implications and recommendations

Local Culture and EFL Vocabulary Learning

This paper attempts to investigate the influence of learners‘ culture on foreign language vocabulary. It seeks to demonstrate that there is a link between culture and lexico-semantic errors committed by learners of English as a foreign language among Dioula speaking students in Burkina Faso. A sample population of 157 of Dioula speaking students from two secondary schools was purposively selected, using the non-probability sampling technique. A language test composed of two written activities was used as the data collection instrument. These activities were translation activities from Dioula into English. A tape-recorder was used during a story-telling session as an oral activity to collect supplementary data. The data were analysed first qualitatively and then quantitatively. The SPSS software version 17.0 (2008) was used to process the quantitative data. The qualitative method was employed to determine the link between Dioula culture and lexico-semantic errors committed by learners of English as a foreign language. Similarly, the quantitative method was used to establish the seriousness of the influence of the Dioula culture on the learning of vocabulary as a foreign language. The results revealed that the Dioula speakers‘ English is influenced by their culture. These results have some pedagogical implications. They, therefore, suggest that we adapt the teaching of EFL vocabulary to learners‖ culture.

Students’ Perceptions of an EFL Vocabulary Learning Mobile Application

Mobile devices have penetrated all spheres of human activities, including education. Previous research has shown that smartphones are becoming widely used in learning as they can improve knowledge retention and increase student engagement. The purpose of this study was to discuss students’ perception of the use of a mobile application aimed at learning new English vocabulary and phrases and describe its strengths and weaknesses as perceived by the students. In total, 28 university students answered a pen and paper questionnaire survey after experiencing the app during one semester. Overall, the students’ agreement to the positive aspects displayed in the questionnaire prevailed over their disagreement or neutral opinions. The mobile app helped students prepare for the final achievement test, learning was accessible from anywhere and at any time, students appreciated the corrective feedback and would opt for the implementation of the mobile app in other courses taught at the faculty. On the other hand, as the findings indicate, the students reported that the app was not very supportive regarding communication performance; they did not find the teachers’ notifications encouraging and they did not use the pronunciation support much, which was caused by various factors, such as offering students words and phrases without context or not testing all the items in the final credit test. The findings of this study contribute to the existing knowledge of students’ perceptions of the use of mobile apps for learning purposes.

Using Mind Mapping as a Visual Literacy Technique for Developing EFL Vocabulary Learning among Primary School Pupils

The present study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using mind mapping as a visual literacy technique for developing EFL vocabulary learning among primary school pupils. The participants were 60 pupils of sixth year primary school. Sixty pupils were randomly selected from Alandalus Private School in Sidi Salim Governorate, in Kafr-El SHeikh during the second semester of the academic year 2018/2019. They were assigned to two groups:(30) pupils as an experimental group, and (30) pupils as a control group . The experimental group received teaching vocabulary by using visual literacy techniques while the control group received the regular method in teaching vocabulary. The instrument was an EFL pre-post vocabulary learning test. The test was scored and the findings were analyzed using a t-test. Results of the study revealed that there was a significant difference in the pre-post test in favor of the post test. Accordingly, the visual literacy is effective for developing the sixth year primary school pupils' vocabulary learning

The Effectiveness of Paired Reading Strategy in Developing EFL Vocabulary Learning among Primary School Pupils

The present study aimed at developing some EFL vocabulary learning skills among sixth year primary school pupils using Paired repeated reading strategy. The participants of the study consisted of sixth year primary school pupils at AlAwaam Primary School, Marsa Matrouh. They were assigned into two groups; the experimental group (N=35) and the control group (N=35). Two main instruments were used: An EFL Vocabulary Learning Questionnaire and An EFL Vocabulary Learning Test (used as a pre-post) test to measure pupils EFL vocabulary learning. Quantitative data analysis was conducted, t-test was used to compare the mean scores of the pre-test and the post-test of the study participants. The Paired Repeated reading strategy was applied to the participants during the second semester of the academic year 2017/2018. Results of the study showed that the participants' EFL vocabulary learning skills were developed significantly as a result of the paired repeated reading strategy. Therefore, it can be concluded that the paired repeated reading strategy was effective in developing some EFL vocabulary learning skills among sixth year primary school pupils.

Effects of video captioning on EFL vocabulary learning and listening comprehension

This study investigated how video caption type affected vocabulary learning and listening comprehension of low-intermediate Chinese-speaking learners of English. Each video was presented twice with one of the five caption types: (1) no caption (NC), (2) full caption with no audio (FCNA), (3) full caption (FC), (4) full caption with highlighted target-word (FCHTW), and (5) full caption with highlighted target-word and L1 gloss (FCL1), where gloss was presented simultaneously with full caption. The results showed that caption type did affect vocabulary learning. FCL1 facilitated the learning of both word form and meaning in a multimedia listening activity. FCHTW increased attention to word form at the expense of word meaning. Videos with either captions (FCNA) or audio (NC) were not helpful for the learning of written words, indicating that presentation of verbal information through two modalities (audio plus text) was superior over single-modality presentation. While caption type had no impact on listening comprehension, concurrent presentations of video, audio, and captions did not overload the learners in the FC condition, suggesting that selective attention might be allocated to different parts of the visual stimuli during the first and second exposure to the videos. Additionally, the presence of highlighted words and glosses in the captioning line might direct learner attention to vocabulary rather than video content.

The Effect of Group Work on English Vocabulary Learning

This study investigated the effectiveness of group work (GW) in EFL vocabulary learning by second year, non-English major, university students in Taiwan, in comparison with working individually (IW). The students (N=44) worked in mixed ability groups of 3-4 or in IW to complete vocabulary exercises following reading activities. The classroom intervention followed a repeated measures design with alternating sessions (one week IW, one week GW) for 12 weeks. In order to measure students’ word knowledge gains, the modified vocabulary knowledge scale was used in pre-, post- and delayed-post tests, and the scores from the tests were analyzed with paired t tests. Qualitative information about vocabulary discovery and retention was further obtained from interviews with 24 students conducted after the classroom intervention. Results showed that students’ overall improvement in vocabulary knowledge with group work was significantly higher than that with individual work on immediate post-tests, though both treatments had a beneficial effect. Later retention of word knowledge after GW was only 2% higher than that with IW. Interpretations and implications of these findings are discussed.

Using Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) Approach for Developing Prospective Teachers' EFL Listening Comprehension Skills and Vocabulary Learning

T he aim of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of using Mobile assisted language learning ( MALL) approach in developing EFL prospective teachers' EFL listening comprehension skills and vocabulary learning. The design of the research is a mixed research methodology. It combines both quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry. The participants of the study consisted of thirty students enrolled in third year English section at Faculty of Education, Benha University, Egypt. They were tested before and after the intervention. They were taught through Mobile assisted language learning program. The instruments of the research included an EFL listening comprehension skills test, vocabulary test, a semi-structured interview and self-report survey. Results of the research revealed a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the study participants in the pre and post administration of the EFL listening comprehension skills and vocabulary learning in favor of the post administration. These results were ascribed to Mobile assisted language learning