The effect of digital apps on Vietnamese EFL learners' receptive vocabulary acquisition : a case study of quizlet and paper flashcards

Abstract

The thesis aims to investigate the efficacy of a digital vocabulary learning application called Quizlet compared with that of a more traditional method, such as paper flashcards, among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Vietnam where the teaching and learning of English has been an object of concern for the government. Reports so far have recorded slow progress and official policies attempt to encourage improvement in the area including the use of digital media in teaching and learning. So it is legitimate to ask whether reliance on digital media in EFL education may be justified. This is the practical motivation of this project, which compares a digital tool and a more traditional tool used for the same purpose: the learning of the L2 lexicon. The theoretical framework of the study is the Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media (CATLM) (Moreno & Mayer, 2007), and the evaluation framework used follows Miyamoto (2001) according to whom multimodal second language learning activities should be evaluated from three different perspectives: the linguistic development in the learner, (2) the linguistic environment provided by the learning tool and (3) the learner's perception on the learning tool. Consequently, this study examines two vocabulary learning tools, Quizlet and paper flashcards in terms of (a) actual learning outcomes; (b) input, output, interaction and feedback and (c) learners' attitude. This study follows a design including pre-test, training (two one-hour reading and vocabulary learning sessions per week for four weeks) and immediate post-test as well as delayed post-test. Participants in the study were an intact class of 39 high school students in Vietnam. They were divided into two groups. Approximately twenty new words selected from a reading passage were introduced to the students each week. As for the vocabulary learning tools, group A used Quizlet while group B paper flashcards for the first two weeks. Then, group A switched to paper flashcards, and group B Quizlet in the following two weeks. This method was used to counterbalance the order effect of using two different tools. Data analysis included screen captures (Quizlet) and video recordings (paper flashcards) of six randomly selected participants' learning activities during training sessions; improvements from vocabulary pre-tests to post-tests and; participants' responses to a questionnaire. Results suggest that both of the tools have a positive influence on vocabulary learning. However, Quizlet appears to be more effective than paper flashcards in fostering vocabulary development. Additionally, Quizlet has various advantages over paper flashcards in terms of the linguistic environment provided for learning and meets students' preference. However, paper flashcards do have some specific merits such as encouraging students to practise pronouncing words, which was not observed on Quizlet. The research proposes that there is some justification to the belief that digital apps may elicit better results overall than some of the more traditional method for L2 vocabulary learning in English as a second language because they provide a greater variety of linguistic environments and because they can help meet the need for exposure to native English in the Vietnamese school system.

Date of Award	2019
Original language	English