Exploring the effect of Java mobile dictionaries on Iranian EFL students’ vocabulary learning

Abstract

In recent years, we have witnessed the concomitant rise of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in educational and academic settings. This study aimed to explore the effect of an aspect of MALL i.e. Java mobile dictionaries on EFL students’ vocabulary learning. To this end, the researchers divided forty intermediate Iranian EFL learners into experimental and control group. Both groups, initially, took the pretest designed based on the vocabulary in the course book, Touchstone 3. While the experimental group received three java mobile dictionaries and installed them on their mobile phones, the control group attended conventional classes without any additional tool. Experimental group took the advantage of their mobile dictionaries throughout the course looking up the meaning of unknown words. After the treatment both groups firstly filled out a questionnaire which would elicit the learners’ attitude toward java mobile dictionaries. Then, they took the posttest. Results of t-tests run revealed that the experimental group students significantly outperformed their control group counterparts in EFL vocabulary learning. Moreover, the students exhibited their pronounced tendency to use Java mobile dictionaries in vocabulary learning.