VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT WITH MOBILE DEVICES AND APPLICATIONS

Abstract

One of the crucial aspects of language is vocabulary. When learning a new language, having a big vocabulary helps with receiving and producing messages, as well as supporting four basic skills of language. Vocabulary teaching approaches have altered far too much in the language acquisition process. In the language teaching process, many different strategies have been used, and new ones are being developed all the time. Words were previously taught alongside their translation or synonym, and the teaching strategy was Grammar-translation; however, as the teaching method has evolved and the Communicative Approach has gained traction, the vocabulary teaching method has evolved as well. With flashes and pictures, the kids were taught words in context. With technology improvements, vocabulary teaching practices have improved. First Vocabulary is taught via computer games and activities when computers have started to be used in the classrooms during Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) process. In the present period, many vocabulary-learning applications for cell phones, tablets, and laptops have been developed. It is a relatively recent approach to exploit mobile technology and internet-based vocabulary teaching programs to teach vocabulary. Mobile devices were started to be used for educational reasons which caused the birth of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL). On the App Store and Google Play, there are thousands of vocabulary-building apps. Some of these programs are drill-based, while others are context-based. One of the most popular video-based methods for teaching vocabulary is YouTube. Teachers can use the Google Classroom application to teach vocabulary in virtual classrooms. Kahoot and wordwall are two recent popular programs for creating a variety of interesting vocabulary challenges. This research analyses the ideas of prep class students at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University for the usage of mobile applications in vocabulary development.