English Language Instructors’ and Students’ Perceptions and Practices of Integrating Educational Technology into Vocabulary Instruction
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Date
2023-09
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The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
Abstract
In spite of the growing interest in integrating educational technology into vocabulary instruction to develop vocabulary teaching and learning in recent years, some important areas in such integration have still not been identified and researched. As such, the current study covered these areas by investigating the perceptions and practices of English as a second language (ESL) instructors and students about integrating educational applications (apps) into vocabulary instruction. The research was framed by the social constructivist theory, the technology acceptance model, the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, the semantics theory and the four strands model. The mixed-method approach (questionnaires, interviews and observation) was adopted for ESL instructors and students by applying the explanatory sequential mixed methods design. A total of 106 ESL instructors who taught in ten private universities in the United Arab Emirates, and 461 students who studied the English language as a mandatory course in the same universities participated in this study. The results of this study showed that ESL instructors’ and students’ perceptions were positive regarding integrating educational apps into vocabulary instruction. In addition, their perceptions influenced their practice of integrating educational apps into vocabulary instruction. Some essential findings were revealed: A) the integration improved vocabulary teaching and modelling by ESL instructors; B) it developed vocabulary learning in terms of the cognitive, psychomotor and affective aspects; C) improved speaking skill and formative assessment were neglected by some ESL instructors; D) ESL instructors and students faced some difficulties while implementing this integration; and E) some demographic variables for ESL instructors and students influenced their perceptions about the integration, causing differences in their views. These results produced some implications for practice, linguistics, policymakers, theory and methodology. Some recommendations suggest more opportunities for future studies.
Keywords: educational apps, vocabulary instruction, perceptions, practice.
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Keywords
educational apps, vocabulary instruction, perceptions, practice