The motivational value of mobile-assisted vocabulary learning applications in English as first additional language

Abstract

The personal mobile device (PMD) has become endemic - young people all over the world are constantly interacting with their PMDs - either texting, listening to music, playing games or accessing the web, to name but a few. It is therefore no surprise that researchers and educators have been looking towards PMDs as possible tools for teaching and learning. Research has also revealed that language, and more specifically vocabulary teaching and learning is very suitable and accessible for the use of PMDs. However, the motivation and attitude of both teachers and learners towards the use of the PMD as learning tool cannot be ignored. The purpose of this study was to determine the motivational value of mobile-assisted vocabulary learning for English First Additional Language (FAL) learners. A mixed-method research design, underpinned by the ARCS Model of Motivational Design by Keller (1987) was used in the study. The four components of the ARCS Model, namely attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction were used to explore the research questions. The participants in the study were fifty English FAL grade eight learners and their two teachers from a local high school in the North West Province of South Africa. The research process entailed the following: First of all the learners were exposed to vocabulary learning applications in class for a period of two weeks. Secondly, the learners completed a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three sections:  Section A provided background information on mobile device usage and preferences.  Section B focussed on the Textbook employing the ARCS categories.  Section C focussed on the mobile applications employing the ARCS categories. Thirdly, focus group discussions were held with learners and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the teachers. Finally, document analysis was also done. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of the obtained data was done. Pearson product moment correlations were conducted to determine the relationship between the four ARCS categories and Cronbach's alpha was calculated to ascertain the internal reliability of the scales. A paired t-test was also conducted to determine if the differences between the textbook and the applications are significant and effect sizes were calculated to determine practical significance. The results indicate that learners' responded positively towards incorporating PMDs for vocabulary learning in EFAL. All of the components showed a significant difference in favour of the applications, with the attention and satisfaction components revealing a very high difference. Furthermore, the use of mobile devices was shown to motivate learners to engage in vocabulary learning. The results of the study have implications for teaching and learning. They suggest that our current generation of learners are ready to learn with their PMDs. Educators should consider the use of PMDs as supplementary tools for vocabulary teaching and learning in English FAL. This will however entail guidance to teachers on how to successfully select applications and incorporate PMDs as an integral part of their teaching