Learning English in the Palm of Your Hand: Tertiary EFL Students’ Views on Smartphone Vocabulary Apps
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate EFL university students’ perceptions of using smartphones in learning English vocabulary and to examine whether there is a significant difference between English major and non-English major students. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed, involving 54 students from an Islamic higher education institution in Jambi Province. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed via Google Forms, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and an independent samples t-test. The findings reveal that students generally hold positive perceptions of smartphone use for vocabulary learning, with most mean notches exceptional 4.00, indicating strong agreement on its effectiveness. Smartphones were found to be particularly helpful in understanding word meanings, learning new vocabulary, and improving comprehension. However, somewhat lower perceptions were observed in more complex vocabulary aspects such as collocations, synonyms, and antonyms. Furthermore, the t-test results showed no statistically significant difference between English and non-English major students (p = 0.984), suggesting that academic background does not influence students’ perceptions.
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References
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v11i5.3034
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