A systematic vocabulary learning-based mobile game application to improving english vocabulary learning achievement of university admission examination in Thailand

Abstract

By compared to other subjects of university admission examination in Thailand, English subject scores have been at the lowest level since 2007. With the importance of vocabulary and the benefit of mobile application in learning English, in this study, we developed a mobile game application to improve students' vocabulary learning proficiency. The application was designed based on the effective approach of learning vocabulary called Systematic Vocabulary Learning (SVL) model. We also analyzed selected vocabulary using thematic clustering technique for the most powerful vocabulary to learn in the application. Students learned the vocabulary based on the selected theme, while flashcards were used for encountering, getting, and understanding vocabulary. During the developed game, they consolidated their vocabulary knowledge with a vocabulary-matching task. To investigate the effectiveness of the developed mobile game application, we conducted an experiment on senior high school students. The findings revealed that the students improved their vocabulary learning after experiencing the mobile game application. At the same time, by considering learning improvement of individuals, most of them gained medium size of knowledge. Moreover, the students were highly satisfied with the Systematic Vocabulary Learning approach, while Enjoyment, Motivation and Challenge attitudes were rated highest satisfaction. In other words, this developed mobile game application is helpful for students to improve their English vocabulary learning for higher scores on the examination.