Effect of game-based, social media, and classroom-based instruction on the learning of phrasal verbs

Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), which provides access to learning without the constraints of place and time, is worthy of exploration for pedagogical purposes. Given the use of gaming applications and social media as potential instructional methods for MALL, this study investigated the effect of these two methods, along with traditional classroom-based instruction on the learning of English phrasal verbs. To teach phrasal verbs through three different methods (game-based, social media, and classroom-based), 150 learners of English, selected from a language institute in Isfahan, were assigned to game-based, social media, and classroom-based groups. The game-based group received instruction on phrasal verbs via a mobile gaming application called Phrasal Nerds: Phrasal Verbs. The social media group received instruction via a Telegram channel. Finally, the classroom-based group was taught through the traditional teacher-fronted method. A researcher-made test served as the pretest and posttest to measure the contribution of each instructional method to the learners' phrasal verb achievements. The analysis of data through t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated improvements in learning English phrasal verbs in the three groups. Although the effects of the three methods were found to be statistically significant, the game-based method was the most effective one for learning English phrasal verbs. The findings highlight the integration of gaming applications into the English teaching curriculum to enhance foreign language lexical learning.