LEARNING SPECIFIC ACADEMIC VOCABULARY USING MALL: EXPERIENCE FROM COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENTS

• Authors: Simanjuntak Risa Rumentha
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This study investigated the experiences of students in learning specific academic English vocabularies (ESAP) through the use of a mobile dictionary called SPEARA. The mobile app was designed to help the students learn the use of specific words, providing definitions and examples of use from authentic sources. The study aimed at identifying points of learning students experienced when using the mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) by answering two questions: first, to what extent students improved their ESAP using MALL and second, how students perceived MALL for studying specific words in Computer Science. Data for this study were collected from 113 Computer Science students enrolled in English for Academic Purposes classes. Two data sets were compiled in this mixed-method study. The first data set consisted of test scores, and the second data set contained transcripts from interviews with students and students’ essays. Findings showed significant learning improvement in the use of MALL to students’ vocabulary knowledge (SD=0.992). Students perceived leaning using MALL to be both positive and rewarding. Interestingly, students revealed the use of MALL could not replace human interactions. Human interactions could enrich students’ understanding and allowed the exchange of ideas. Further implications on human-interactions in MALL and on the future investigation were also discussed.

Keywords

EN

ESAP; MALL; mobile dictionary; Computer Science

• Publisher: IATEFL Poland Computer Special Interest Group & University of Nicosia
• Journal: Teaching English with Technology
• Year: 2020
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 87-107

Contributors

author

Simanjuntak Risa Rumentha

• Bina Nusantara University

References

• Abe, M. (2003). A corpus-based contrastive analysis of spoken and written learner corpora: The case of Japanese-speaking learners of English. In D. Archer, P. Rayson, A. Wilson, and T. McEnery (eds.), Proceedings of the Corpus Linguistics 2003 Conference (CL, 2003). Technical Papers 16. University Centre for Computer Corpus Research on Language (pp. 1-9). http://ucrel.lancs.ac.uk/publications/CL2003/papers/abe.pdf
• Adolphs, S. (2008). Corpus and Context: Investigating Pragmatic Functions in Spoken Discourse. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
• Anthony, L. (2006). Developing a freeware, multiplatform corpus analysis toolkit for the technical writing classroom. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 49(3), 275-286. https://waseda.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/developing-a-freeware-multiplatform-corpus-analysis-toolkit-for-t
• Bedmar, M. B. D. (2009). Written learner corpora by Spanish students of English: An overview. In P. C. Gómez & A. S. Pérez (Eds.), A Survey on Corpus-based Research Panorama of Corpus-based Research (pp. 920-933). AELINCO. Retrieved from: https://www.um.es/lacell/aelinco/contenido/pdf/62.pdf
• Bhatia, V. (Ed.). (2017). Critical Genre Analysis: Investigating Interdiscursive Performance in Professional Practice. London: Routledge.
• Bhatia, V. K., Sánchez Hernández, P., & Pérez-Paredes, P. (eds.) (2011). Researching Specialized Languages. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
• Bhatia, V. K., Flowerdew, J., & Jones, R.H. (eds.) (2008). Advances in Discourse Studies. Oxon: Routledge.
• Bhatia, V. K., Langton, N., & Lung, J. (2004). Legal discourse: Opportunities and threats for corpus linguistics. In U. Connor & T. Upton (eds.), Applied Corpus Linguistics: A Multidimensional Perspective (pp. 203-231). Amsterdam: Rodopi.
• Biber, D., & Barbieri, F. (2007). Lexical bundles in university spoken and written registers. English for Specific Purposes, 26, 263-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2006.08.003
• Charmaz K. (2014). Constructing Grounded Theory (2nd ed). Los Angeles: Sage.
• Conrad, S. M., & Biber , D. (2005). The frequency and use of lexical bundles in conversation and academic prose. Lexicographica, 20, 56-71. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783484604674.56
• Cooper, P. A. (2016). Academic Vocabulary and Lexical Bundles in Writing of Undergraduate Psychology Students. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Pretoria: University of South Africa.
• Dang, T. N. Y. (2020). High-frequency words in academic spoken English: corpora and learners. ELT Journal, 74 (2), 146-155. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccz057
• Dang, T. N. Y. & Webb, S. (2016). Making an essential word list for beginners. In I. S. P. Nation (ed.) Making and Using Word Lists for Language Learning and Testing (pp. 153-170). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/135477/7/Dang%20Webb%20%282016%29_Essential%20word%20list.pdf
• Dashtestani, R. & Stojković, N. (2015). The use of technology in English for specific purposes (ESP) instruction: A literature review. The Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 3(3), 435-456. http://espeap.junis.ni.ac.rs/index.php/espeap/article/view/304/199
• Dashtestani, R. (2012). Barriers to the implementation of CALL in EFL courses: Iranian EFL teachers’ attitudes and perspectives. JALT CALL, 8(2), 55-70. https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v8n2.134
• Dashtestani, R. (2013). Implementing mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in an EFL context: Iranian EFL teachers’ perspectives on challenges and affordances, JALT CALL, 9(2), 149-168. https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v9n2.153
• Dashtestani, R. (2016). Moving bravely towards mobile learning: Iranian students’ use of mobile devices for learning English as a foreign language. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 29(4), 815-832. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2015.1069360
• Dashtestani, R. (2019). English for academic purposes instructors’ use and acceptance of technology in EAP courses. CALL-EJ, 20(1), 115-134. http://callej.org/journal/20-1/Dashtestani2019.pdf
• Dutra, D. P., & Gomide, A. R. (2015). Compilation of a University Learner Corpus. Brazilian English Teaching Journal, 6, 21-33. https://doi.org/10.15448/2178-3640.2015.s.21311
• Flor, M., Futagi, Y., Lopez, M., & Mulholland, M. (2015). Patterns of misspellings in L2 and L1 English: A view from the ETS Spelling Corpus. Learner Corpus Research: LCR2013 Conference Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.15845/bells.v6i0.811
• Flowerdew, L. (2001). The exploitation of small learner corpora in EAP materials design. In M. Ghadessy, A. Henry & R. L. Roseberry (eds.), Small Corpus Studies and ELT (pp. 363-380). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
• Flowerdew, L. (2012). Corpora in the classroom: An Applied Linguistic perspective. In K. Hyland, C. M. Huat, & M. Handford (eds.), Corpus Applications in Applied Linguistics (pp. 208-224). London: Continuum.
• Flowerdew, L. (2013). Corpus-based research and pedagogy in EAP: From lexis to genre. Language Teaching, 26, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444813000037
• Fortunati, L. (2012). From west to east and beyond: Main tenets in the studies of the mobile phone. In R. W. Chu, L. Fortunati, P. Law, S. Yang (eds.), Mobile Communication and Greater China (pp. 17-32). Oxon: Routledge.
• Gablasova, D., Brezina, V., & McEnery, T. (2017). Collocations in corpus-based language learning research: Identifying, comparing, and interpreting the evidence. Language Learning, 67(1), 155-179. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12225
• Hanks, K. (2013). Lexical Analysis: Norms and Exploitations. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
• Hyland, K. & Tse, P. (2007). Is there an “academic vocabulary”? TESOL Quarterly, 41(2), 235-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2007.07.005
• Hyland, K. (2008). As can be seen: Lexical bundles and disciplinary variation, English for Specific Purposes, 27, 4-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2007.06.001
• Hyland, K. (2012a). Corpora and academic discourse. In K. Hyland, C. M. Huat, & M. Handford (eds.), Corpus Applications in Applied Linguistics (pp. 30-46). London: Continuum.
• Hyland, K. (2012b). Bundles in academic discourse. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. 32, 150-169. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190512000037
• Hyland, K. (2017). English in the disciplines: Arguments for specificity. ESP Today: Journal of English for Specific Purposes at Tertiary Level, 1, 5-23. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2017.5.1.1
• Hyland, K., Huat, C. M., & Handford, M. (eds.). (2012). Corpus Applications in Applied Linguistics. London: Continuum.
• Kearney, M. S. (2012). Viewing mobile learning from a pedagogical perspective. Research in Educational Technology, 20(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v20i0.14406
• Leech, G, Rayson, P., & Wilson, A. (2001). Word Frequencies in Written and Spoken English based on the British National Corpus. London: Longman.
• Müller, A., Son, J.B., Nozawa, K & Dashtestani, R. (2017). Learning English idioms with a web-based educational game. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 56(6), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633117729292
• Simanjuntak, R. R, Dewi, U. P., & Rifai, I. (2018). Gender-related model for mobile-based learning. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 126(1). 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/126/1/012060
• Strauss, A. & Corbin J. (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory (2nd ed). London: Sage.
• Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Swales, J. M., Jakobsen, H., Kejser, C., Koch, L., Lynch, J., & Mølbæk, L. (2000). A new link in a chain of genres? Hermes: Journal of Linguistics, 25, 133-141. https://doi.org/10.7146/hjlcb.v13i25.25589
• Viberg, O. (2013). Cross-cultural analysis of users’ attitudes toward the use of mobile devices in second and foreign language learning in higher education: A case from Sweden and China. Computers & Education, 69, 169-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.07.014