Self-directed learning of core vocabulary in English by EFL learners: comparing the outcomes from paper and mobile application flashcards

In light of the recent developments in mobile technologies and students’ increased uses of these platforms for educational purposes, research on mobile-assisted learning is gaining increased attention. Within this line of inquiry, the current study explored vocabulary learning outcomes from paper and mobile application flashcards. The study used a repeated measures design, by exposing the participants (55 high-school students) to different learning conditions and testing their receptive knowledge of core vocabulary in English in three junctures of time over a year. The participants were asked to use digital or paper flashcards for vocabulary learning, and two standard measures of vocabulary knowledge in pre- and post-tests were used to compare vocabulary gains. The results revealed that both groups improved their vocabulary knowledge over time. Nevertheless, the participants in the experimental group who used mobile applications outperformed the control group (paper flashcards) in the post-tests, and the effect size of the observed differences was very large. The findings underscore the long-term impacts of mobile-assisted vocabulary learning, and the affordances provided by such platforms for learning a considerable number of words by EFL learners. The findings also promise implications for language learners/teachers and materials developers in English language teaching programmes.