Mobile Language Learning: Contribution of Multimedia Messages Via Mobile Phones in Consolidating Vocabulary

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using multimedia messages via mobile phones in helping language learners in consolidating vocabulary. The study followed a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental research design. The participants of this study were a group of students attending the English Preparatory School of an English-medium university in Turkey. Six different groups were formed in order to investigate the comparative effectiveness of supplementary vocabulary materials delivered through three different means: via mobile phones, on web pages, and in print form. The multimedia messages in this study included the definitions of words, exemplary sentences, related visual representations, information on word formation, and pronunciations of words. Analyses of the quantitative data showed that using mobile phones had positive effects on students' vocabulary acquisition. The results suggest that mobile phones offer great potential for providing learners with supplementary opportunities to recontextualize, recycle, and consolidate vocabulary.