Article Review

Title: Using Mobile Phones for Vocabulary Activities: Examining
the Effect of Platform
Language Learning and Technology,Volume 14,Number 2,June 2010,p.p 95-110.
http://llt.msu.edu/vol14num2/stockwell.pdf

by Glenn Stockwell.

About the author: He is a Professor in Applied Linguistics at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. His research intensifies on areas include computer-mediated communication, mobile learning, and the role of technology in the language and learning process.
E-mail: gstock@waseda.jp

click here to review the article.


The research aims to investigate the differences in the scores achieved in activities and the time required to complete those activities through the use of mobile and PC platform. Besides, it also explores whether learners are improving in speed and scores over time on each platform. It was a quantitative study which has been conducted longitudinally in three years involving 175 learners from the School of Law who enrolled the first-year English –language Subject at Waseda University. Learners were aged between 18 and 21. The samples have to learn the vocabulary outside of class. Vocabulary activities are considered as part of assessment and the activities were available to the learners either on PC or on their mobile phone known as VocabTutor. Brief explanation was given on how to use and complete the activities. They were free to choose either using the PC or mobile phone and even both and they can switch the use of it at any time they like. Grade was assigned depending on how many of the ten lessons they completed. The findings show that the difference in the score achieved in both platforms was insignificant and time constraint for completing the activities using mobile phone was slightly longer around 1.4 minutes for each activity. It was also found that there was no apparent improvement in terms of speed as well as no actual trends of scores achieved across the semester.

Basically, this research has captured my interest as it explores on the effectiveness of using mobile phone- a gadget that mostly everybody is using it and brings it everywhere, as a medium to learn vocabulary. As a matter of fact, mobile phone nowadays can be considered as a multipurpose gadget because we can use it as MP3, camera, voice recorder etc. despite its main function to make phone calls. However, in Malaysia, mobile phone has not been fully utilized in language teaching due to certain factors. Perhaps, this is the time for us to develop applicable programs or software that utilizes this multipurpose tool to the fullest. As for me, I only have the dictionary application in my phone and I found it is very beneficial for me because I do not have to bring the thick dictionary everywhere like a geek. However, based on my review on this study, I noticed that the findings of this study is not really convincing because the sample were allowed to switch the use of platform any time they want. Therefore we cannot assure that the score of one particular learner is increasing or decreasing. Let’s say for instance, learner A has been using mobile phone for the first three activities and he or she has scored 5/8 for the first activity and keep on increasing one point for the next two activity, while learner B has been using PC also for the first three activities and scored 6/8 in every activity, however for week 4, both have changed the used of platform but only learner A has increased in score achieved. Subsequently, the result has been analyzed in general and not for every individual regardless of the switch made. Thus, we cannot see the improvement as the data showed no significant increased. That is why I can see the researcher obtained incongruent data when he claimed there were no real trends that became apparent in the scores for the activities. In order to improve this study to be more reliable and empirically valid, I think the researcher can build a control group in which the sample in this group should only use the PC for the activities and another group is to be experimented where the sample need to use the mobile phone for the activities. In fact, if the researcher intends to look at the improvement of scores achieved, I think it would be more accurate if it was assessed individually. Nevertheless, this study has given significant impact in the teaching and learning ESL in general and in Malaysian context. All these while, we have been overlooking on the use of small and compatible tool in broadening the language teaching prospect. Though some have been utilizing it, the awareness and effort given are still inadequate. We can see that in Japan, the development of technology supports the teaching and learning process in which in the article the researcher has mentioned that there were no incompatibility issues in the use of mobile phone for the activities since all three major mobile phone carriers in Japan have equipped the mobile-system with Internet-capable handsets. So we should move towards it as well. In conclusion, this study has given positive implication especially for teachers to utilize as much as possible the use of technology in language teaching so that teaching and learning process will not only take place in classroom setting.



(shock to know that this is exactly 800 words)