The Effectiveness of Quizlet in Improving EFL Learners’ Receptive Vocabulary Acquisition

Abstract

This study compares the efficacy of a digital app, Quizlet, versus traditional paper flashcards in the second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition. These learning tools were examined in terms of L2 learners’ receptive vocabulary development, linguistic environments, and perceptions. The study employed a pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design whereby 121 English vocabulary items were taught to an intact class of 39 high school students in Vietnam over four weeks. In this study, the students were assigned into two groups: Group A used Quizlet while group B, paper flashcards (PFs) for the first two weeks. Then, they swapped the learning tools in the following two weeks. Data consists of their test scores, questionnaire responses, and audio-visual recordings of six randomly selected participants’ individual learning activities during interventions. Results suggest that both Quizlet and PFs enhanced L2 vocabulary learning; however, Quizlet did so more effectively than PFs. The findings can be explained by Moreno’s and Mayer’s Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media, the different linguistic environments created by the instruments, and the participants’ perceptions of the tools.