Keywords
Mobile-assisted learning, SLA, vocabulary learning, mobile apps
Abstract
With the beginning of twenty-first century and the fast changes in the modern era, technology becomes an essential part of every field of learning. Hence, it has changed the way in which vocabulary is approached in SLA. One of the vital types of the new technologies used for learning purposes is mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), where reference is made to learning a language with the help of smartphones and mobile applications. This has been identified as a very successful means of improving vocabulary preservation, comprehension, and general language proficiency. This study dwells on the contribution of mobile phones to enhancing vocabulary development. The paper fathoms the theoretical frameworks for guiding the use of mobile applications in vocabulary acquisition and the actual empirical studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of mobile-based vocabulary acquisition. It is a secondary data analysis that presents an overview of what has been said in literature so far regarding mobile vocabulary learning. The study enumerates the strengths and challenges of learning this way, and concludes with recommendations for how educators can optimize their strategy of mobile-assisted learning.
