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Department of English and American Studies Quizlet Vs. Vocabulary

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Department of English and American Studies Quizlet Vs. Vocabulary Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies Teaching English Language and Literature for Secondary Schools Roman Kálecký Quizlet vs. Vocabulary Notebook: The Impact of Different Methods of Storing and Revising Vocabulary on Students’ Progress, Retention and Autonomy Master’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Nikola Fořtová, B.A., M.A. 2016 1 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. ……………………………………………………… Author’s signature 2 Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor Nikola Fořtová, B.A., M.A. for her patience and valuable advice, which helped me immensely while writing this thesis. 3 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 7 2 Literature Review .................................................................................... 10 2.1 Teaching Vocabulary ......................................................................... 10 2.2 Learning Vocabulary: Styles and Strategies ..................................... 13 2.3 Learning With Bilingual Lists ............................................................. 16 2.4 Learning With Word Cards ............................................................... 17 2.5 Learning With Electronic Flashcards and CAVL Games ................... 19 2.6 Learner Autonomy ............................................................................ 23 3 Research Methodology ........................................................................... 25 3.1 Research Questions ......................................................................... 25 3.2 Research Context and Participants .................................................. 26 3.3 Materials ........................................................................................... 28 3.3.1 Vocabulary selection ...................................................................... 28 3.3.2 Quizlet games and tools ................................................................ 29 3.3.2.1 Flashcards .................................................................................. 29 3.3.2.2 Learn .......................................................................................... 31 3.3.2.3 Speller ........................................................................................ 32 3.3.2.4 Test ......................................................................................................... 33 3.3.2.5 Scatter ........................................................................................ 34 3.3.2.6 Gravity ........................................................................................ 35 3.3.3 Creation of sets .............................................................................. 36 3.4 Data Collection Instruments .............................................................. 39 3.4.1 Quizlet study data .......................................................................... 39 3.4.2 Vocabulary tests ............................................................................ 41 3.4.3 Post-test questionnaire .................................................................. 42 3.4.4 Survey ........................................................................................... 43 3.5 Learning Strategies ........................................................................... 44 3.5.1 Quizlet group ................................................................................. 44 3.5.2 Notebook group ............................................................................. 46 3.6 Research Process ............................................................................ 48 3.6.1 Introductory lesson ........................................................................ 48 3.6.2 Pre-test .......................................................................................... 48 4 3.6.3 Teaching period: In-class presentation of the vocabulary .............. 49 3.6.4 Revision with Quizlet/word list outside the classroom .................... 51 3.6.5 Test 1 ............................................................................................. 51 3.6.6 Test 2 (post-test) ............................................................................ 52 4 Research Findings .................................................................................. 53 4.1 Quizlet and Its Impact on Students’ Learning Outcomes .................. 53 4.1.1 Retention, progress and ability to use the vocabulary ................... 54 4.1.2 Likelihood of using Quizlet beyond the curriculum ......................... 59 4.1.3 Impact of familiarity with the software on learners’ autonomy ........ 62 4.2 Students’ Perception of Quizlet ......................................................... 65 4.2.1 Accessibility, enjoyability and usefulness of the strategies ............ 65 4.2.2 Device preference .......................................................................... 68 4.3 In-Class Integration of Quizlet........................................................... 72 4.3.1 Saving vocabulary and creating the Quizlet sets ........................... 72 4.3.2 Integration of Quizlet into more communicative activities .............. 75 4.3.3 Quizlet Live as a form of in-class revision ...................................... 77 5 Discussion and Implications .................................................................... 79 5.1 Limitations of the Research .............................................................. 79 5.2 Advantages of Quizlet ....................................................................... 80 5.3 Problems Related to the Use of Quizlet in the Classroom ................ 82 5.4 Handwriting vs. Typing ......................................................................... 84 5.5 Four Strands of a Well Balanced Vocabulary Course ....................... 87 5.6 Quizlet Teacher and Paid vs. Unpaid Account .................................. 89 6 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 91 7 References .............................................................................................. 95 8.1 Resumé ................................................................................................ 98 8.2 Czech Resumé ..................................................................................... 99 9 Tables and Figures ................................................................................ 100 10 Appendices ............................................................................................113 APPENDIX A ...........................................................................................113 APPENDIX B ...........................................................................................114 APPENDIX C ...........................................................................................115 APPENDIX D ...........................................................................................116 APPENDIX E ...........................................................................................117 APPENDIX F ...........................................................................................118 5 APPENDIX G ...........................................................................................119 APPENDIX H .......................................................................................... 120 6 1 Introduction Quizlet is an online interactive learning platform operating on electronic bilateral flashcards, that can be used to study any subject, but serves mostly as a system for learning languages. It was created by Andrew Sutherland in 2005 (originally as a tool to learn French vocabulary shared with his friends) and in February 2016 it had more than 100 million sets, with 1 in every 4 high school students in the U.S. using it daily and 40 million users coming to Quizlet every month (“Our mission,” n.d.). The interface consists of four tools and two games and it can be used either online in a browser on www.quizlet.com or with a mobile application (for iOS and Android) on a smartphone or a tablet computer. It is primarily designed for selfstudy but teachers can also sign in and create classes, send invitations to their students, assign them with teacher-made sets and track their progress and activity. There has been scientific research on the benefits of paper word cards and software operating on flashcards, but Quizlet has not been previously compared to a vocabulary notebook, which is a common method of storing and revising vocabulary in most classes. It was therefore appealing to find out why Quizlet is so popular and what the differences between the two are. In my research, I was primarily interested in three ways in which Quizlet might affect low-performing students’ learning outcomes. Firstly, I wanted to find out whether using Quizlet as a tool to store and practice vocabulary is better in terms of long-term retention of a new vocabulary item, students’ 7 ability to retrieve it and use it correctly. The second question was, whether the students, after being presented to Quizlet, will tend to use the software beyond the curriculum, i.e. go and search for ready made sets of their preference or study for other subjects. Thirdly, I was interested in Quizlet’s impact on learners’ autonomy, i.e. whether the fact that they know
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