English vocabulary learning using a mobile app with a self-regulated learning mechanism

English vocabulary learning using a mobile app with a self-regulated learning mechanism
Technology-supported learning tools have become more popular in recent years. An article recently published in Computer Assisted Language Learning examines whether a mobile app for vocabulary learning with a self-regulated learning (SRL) mechanism can help students with vocabulary learning, as well as with improving their self-regulated learning abilities.
 
Forty-six fifth graders from an elementary school in Taiwan participated in the study. They were all students with English as a foreign language. Twenty-one of the students were randomly assigned to the experimental group, while 25 were designated as the control group. Experimental group students received a vocabulary learning app with a self-regulated learning mechanism containing five components, namely an SRL setting module, an English vocabulary learning module, a quiz module, a note module, and a goal-reminder module. Students could set self-regulating goals, acquire vocabulary data and pronunciation files, take notes, take quizzes, and check their goals. Control group students also received a mobile app to support their vocabulary learning, but the app had no SRL setting module nor a goal-reminder module.
 
In a two-week period, it was estimated that students used the app to learn vocabulary for at least five hours per week. Students were assessed through a vocabulary ability assessment focused on the dimensions of form and meaning in vocabulary, and through a Chinese version of the English-Learning Motivation Questionnaire. The results indicated that:
  • The experimental group students, both male and female, who learned with the app that had the self-regulated learning mechanism, performed better than the control group students.
  • The experimental group students also showed greater improvement in English learning motivation than the control group students.
  • The benefits of the app were more salient to learners who had a field-dependent cognitive style, that tends to perceive information in a more global way.
The authors note that learners in the experimental group frequently checked their progress towards reaching the SRL goals. Therefore, it was suggested that a ranking mechanism should be added to the learning app to strengthen students' motivation to increase their English vocabulary.

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