An Experimental Study on the Effects of Audio Assistance in Vocabulary Learning: The Role of Different Word Classes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22333/ijme.2025.10511Keywords:
Audio Aids, Traditional method (of vocabulary teaching), EFL Vocabulary learning..Abstract
The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of English vocabulary acquisition with and without audio support among first-year undergraduate students at Shenzhen University. Three core research questions guided the investigation: (1) How effective is vocabulary learning through audio assistance alone? (2) How effective is vocabulary learning without audio assistance (i.e., traditional instruction)? (3) To what extent does the relative effectiveness of audio-aided instruction versus traditional instruction for vocabulary acquisition differ across the four major word classes—nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs—among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners? This experimental study recruited over 100 participants, who were divided into an experimental group (receiving audio support) and a control group (without audio support). Results indicated that the control group achieved higher mean scores, 9.09 (phase 1) and 9.92 (phase 2), than the experimental group, 7.52 (phase 1) and 8.90 (phase 1), in both phases, suggesting that audio-only instruction is less effective for vocabulary acquisition than traditional methods.
References
Al-Zahrani, A. A., & Al-Ghamdi, M. A. (2025). Challenges That Examiners Encounter When Assessing Speaking Skills at Yanbu English Language Institute and Preparatory Year Program (YELI-PYP). Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 16(2), 505-514. (n.d.).
Aufderhaar, Carolyn. “Learner Views of Using Authentic Audio to Aid Pronunciation: 'You Can Just Grab Some Feelings.'” TESOL Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 4, 1 Dec. 2004, p. 735, https://doi.org/10.2307/3588293. Accessed 21 Apr. 2019.
Belenguer Cortés, Luz. “Audiovisual Translation and Language Teaching.” Journal of Audiovisual Translation, vol. 7, no. 1, 12 Dec. 2024,
https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v7i1.2024.292. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.
Bjork, R. A. (1994). Memory and metamemory considerations in the training of human beings. In J. Metcalfe & A. Shimamura (Eds.), Metacognition: Knowing about knowing (pp. 185-205). The MIT Press.
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Buchner, A. et al. Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods 41, 1149–1160 (2009). https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
Ginther, A. (2002). Context and content visuals, and performance on listening comprehension stimuli. Language Testing, 19, 133 - 167.
Hermes, Mary & Kendall A. King. 2013. Ojibwe language revitalization, multimedia technology, and family language learning. Language Learning and Technology 17(1). 125–144. https://doi.org/10.64152/10125/24513.
Krashen, S. (1994). The input hypothesis and its rivals. In Ellis N (eds.) Implicit and Explicit Learning of Languages. London: Academic Press, 45-77.
Lin, J.-J., & Lin, H. (2019). Mobile-assisted ESL/EFL vocabulary learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 32(8), 878–919. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1541359
Nafiah, S. U. (2023, August 31). Audio-Visual Aids in English Foreign Language (EFL) Teaching: A Multimodal Discourse Analysis. Dinamika Bahasa dan Budaya, 18(2).
Olagbaju, O. O., & Popoola, A. G. (2020). Effects of Audio-Visual Social Media Resources on Supported Instruction on Learning Outcomes in Reading. International Journal of Technology in Education, 3(2), 92-104. (n.d.).
Papanastasiou, G., Drigas, A., Skianis, C., Lytras, M., & Papanastasiou, E. (2019). Virtual and augmented reality effects on K-12, higher and tertiary education students’ twenty-first-century skills. Virtual Reality, 23, 425-436. (n.d.).
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12 (2), 257-285.
Takacs, Z. K., Swart, E. K., & Bus, A. G. (2015). Benefits and Pitfalls of Multimedia and Interactive Features in Technology-Enhanced Storybooks: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 85(4), 698–739. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654314566989
Teng, M. F. (2022). The effectiveness of multimedia input on vocabulary learning and retention. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1-17. (n.d.).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) - Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License, which allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access). Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to a repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
