Use of Mobile Devices and Students English
Vocabulary Competence
HANNAH JANE B. SUMABAT
JUDEE ANNE G. ANIT
MARGARET CENIZA
RESEARCH SUBMITTED TO ARIEL SAN JOSE PhD
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
Learning vocabulary is a very important part of learning a language. The more words you know,
the more you will be able to understand what you hear and read and the better you will be able to say what
you want to when speaking or writing. Vocabulary represents one of most important skills necessary for
teaching and learning a foreign language. It is the basis for the development of all the other skills like
reading comprehension, listening comprehension, speaking, writing, spelling and pronunciation.
Vocabulary is the main tool for the students in their attempt to use English effectively (Essays, UK., 2018).
Learning English vocabulary is a basic and very important part of learning the language (Lebedev, n,d).
Learning English involves memorization and practice of a large number of vocabulary words and
numerous grammatical structures. Vocabulary learning is a principal issue for English learning because
vocabulary comprises the basic building blocks of English sentences. And sometimes lack of vocabulary
hampered our speaking skill. Therefore, many studies have attempted to improve the efficiency and
performance when learning English vocabulary (Chen & Chung 2008).
There are many ways in order to learn and improve our English vocabulary. However, now that
we are living in a 21st century where technology evolves, mobile devices and apps are changing the way
people learn English. There are hundreds of mobile apps available for English language students (Segev,
E., 2014). According to an online language learning management system, mobile learning is a new way
to access learning content, using mobile devices and this can be done using appliances like phone, laptop
or tablet. Basoglu & Akdemir (2010) stated that nowadays, increased use of mobile phones has made
popular, for they are useful not only in communication, but also in entertainment and learning purposes
and they provide remarkable advantages in learning process. Results indicated that using mobile phones
as a vocabulary learning tool is more effective than one of the traditional vocabulary learning tools. Zhang
L. (2013) pointed out that English language learners can use mobile phone technology to access relevant
vocabulary and expressions and Cavus and Ibrahim (2009&2017) had shown in their studies that students
enjoyed and learned new words with the help of their mobile phone. They also found out that through the
use of mobile application, it improves the learning skills of the English language learners not just
vocabulary but also pronunciation, listening and comprehension. And lastly, according to Mahdi (2017)
the use of mobile devices in learning vocabulary was associated with greater achievement in comparison
with traditional ways.
The researchers have observed from all the journals and studies they have read concerning with
student’s vocabulary that nowadays, there are students who are not confident enough to speak English just
like here in the Philippines because they are lacking of vocabulary and David (2016) pointed out that
students who enter school with limited vocabularies, especially English language learners, often struggle
to understand what they read because they are unfamiliar with many of the words they encounter. And
this hampers their learning in all the subjects they study. Also, Heriansyah (2012) mentioned in her study
that the prime cause of problem which hindered them to speak was being afraid of making mistakes when
speaking in English. That’s why the researchers want to conduct a research on how mobile devices can
help improve student’s English vocabulary, since we are now in a 21st century where almost everyone is
using it and technology is advancing the traditional way of learning.
Research Questions
The general objective of this study is to determine the relationship between the use of mobile devices
and students English vocabulary competence. Specifically, this study attempts to answer the following
questions :
1. What is the level of usage of mobile devices?
2. What is the English vocabulary competence?
3. Is there a significant relationship between the mobile devices used and level of vocabulary?
Significance of the Study
This study is all about the relationship between the use of mobile devices and students English
vocabulary. Since we all know that nowadays mobile devices has become an ordinary part of our lives
and is useful in learning purposes (Basoglu & Akdemir, 2010) and it is helpful in improving students’
vocabulary (Cavus & Ibrahim, 2008). This study will be beneficial to the following:
Students. This study aims to know how the use of mobile devices can help improve students English
vocabulary and it will also examine their attitude towards this use. This study is beneficial to students for
they will know if their level of mobile devices use and their English vocabulary competence has a
significant relationship. They will discover if mobile devices are convenient and useful in improving their
English vocabulary competence. And as a result they will be able to assess their usage of mobile devices
in order to learn new words and enhance their English vocabulary.
Teachers. This study will provide adequate data that may influence the teachers in terms of language
teaching on the effectiveness of mobile devices in teaching vocabulary to their students.
Future Researchers. This study will provide literature on the use of mobile devices and the students
English vocabulary competence which may guide them in their future study.
Theoretical Framework
This study was anchored on the Mobile Learning Theory. Park (2011) stated in his research that
the potential of mobile technologies as a learning tool is recognized by educators for students and have
incorporated them into the distance learning environment.
That’s why (Sharples, Taylor, & Vavoula, 2005) believed that theory of mobile learning is
essential when thinking of the role of mobility and communication in learning [Link] mobile
learning, students learn across both space and time and move from topic to topic. Like a blended
environment, learners move in and out of engagement with technology. A key point in mobile learning
theory is that it is the learner that is mobile, not the technology (Shuler, 2009). As devices are ubiquitous,
learning can be interwoven with activities part of everyday life. Control of mobile learning environments
can be distributed, and context is constructed by learners through their interaction with devices and with
each other. They acknowledge that mobile learning can both complement and conflict with format
education, and it raises ethical issues both of privacy and ownership.
CHAPTER II
Methods
This chapter presents the methods, respondents and procedures that the researchers will use in this
study. The presentation includes the research design, research respondents, research instrument use. The
procedures of gathering of information and the scope and limitation of the study.
Research Design
This research is a quantitative - correlational research approach. Creswell (1994), Aliaga and
Gunderson (2002) defined quantitative research as collecting and analyzing numerical data using
statistical method in explaining phenomena. The researchers will use this method to correlate two or
more variables using mathematical analysis methods and statistical techniques (Abawi K., 2008) and it
tests the relationships between the two variables (Klazema, 2014). This method is appropriate in this
study because it will explore the significant relationship between the use of mobile devices and students’
English vocabulary competence.
Research Respondents
The respondents of this study are the selected first year students of Bachelor of Secondary Education
Major in English enrolled during this first semester of the school year 2019-2020.
Scope and limitation of the Study
This study is delimited to the relationship between the use of mobile devices and the English
vocabulary competence of first year Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English Students of
SPAMAST Matti, Digos.
Research Instruments
The researchers will use simple random sampling in selecting the respondents of the study so that it
is free from sampling bias because participants of a sample are chosen by random selection processes and
each of them has an equal opportunity to be selected in the sample. (Dr. Maheshwar V.K., 2017). The
researchers will formulate guide questions based on the research questions, these guide questions will
determine the level of mobile devices used by the BSED - English students and the researchers will also
use Vocabulary Tests as research instrument to measure their level of English vocabulary competence,
Gay (1996) stated that vocabulary test produce numerical scores that can be use to evaluate the
respondents. These questions test are subjected to experts’ evaluation and validation.
Procedures in Gathering Information
According to Adi Bhat, there are two data collection methods that are used to collect information in
correlational research through Naturalistic Observation and Archival data. However, McCombes S.,
(2019) mentioned that there are many different methods we can use in correlational research but the
most common methods for this type of research include surveys, observations and archival data. But in
this study the researchers will use surveys and questioners to gather information from the respondents.
The researchers will ask the respondents questions related to the variables of the study, and then
statistically analyze their responses.
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