Applying anki to enhance vocabulary acquisition of first year students at a university in hanoi

Applying anki to enhance vocabulary acquisition of first year students at a university in hanoi Applying anki to enhance vocabulary acquisition of first year students at a university in hanoi Applying anki to enhance vocabulary acquisition of first year students at a university in hanoi luận văn tốt nghiệp,luận văn thạc sĩ, luận văn cao học, luận văn đại học, luận án tiến sĩ, đồ án tốt nghiệp luận văn tốt nghiệp,luận văn thạc sĩ, luận văn cao học, luận văn đại học, luận án tiến sĩ, đồ án tốt nghiệp

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG TRINH

APPLYING ANKI TO ENHANCE VOCABULARY

ACQUISITION OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS

AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI

(Sử dụng Anki nhằm nâng cao việc học từ vựng của đối tượng sinh viên năm

nhất tại một trường đại học ở Hà Nội)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Hanoi - 2020

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG TRINH

APPLYING ANKI TO ENHANCE VOCABULARY

ACQUISITION OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS

AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI

(Sử dụng Anki nhằm nâng cao việc học từ vựng của đối tượng sinh viên năm

nhất tại một trường đại học ở Hà Nội)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Supervisor: Duong Anh Chien, PhD

Hanoi - 2020

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Upon writing these lines, I have realized this thesis is nearing completion I look back and I see how long, sometimes tiring and yet worthy this journey has been Although I am the researcher who wrote this, I believe I am not the only one who contributed the success to it Therefore, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people who helped me in this chapter

First, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisor, Duong Anh Chien, Ph.D It is his assistance and dedicated involvement in every step throughout the process that led to the accomplishment of this paper I would like to thank you very much for your immense support and valuable advice

I would also like to send a special thanks to my students who were so generous with their time in participating in this research In addition, I am grateful for all the lecturers from the faculty of post-graduate studies at University of Languages and International Studies for providing me with comprehensive knowledge and supporting me in my master‟s course

Last but not least, my sincere thanks to my friends, Bui Bich Ngoc, Luong Hue Phuong, Do Thi Ngoc Ha, and most importantly, my mother There were a lot

of doubts and scares along the way, but I am glad that I had my family and friends accompany me on this rough road This thesis stands as a testament to their unconditional love and encouragement

January 12, 2020 Hanoi, Vietnam Nguyen Phuong Trinh

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the impacts of Anki, a web-based flashcard program,

on learners‟ vocabulary learning and their perceptions towards the program based

on three criteria: usefulness, usability and enjoyment (Davis, 1989; Ranalli, 2009) Participants of the study were first-year students from two intact classes whose levels of language proficiency were at elementary level Both groups underwent a pre-test and then were required to learn the KET Vocabulary List developed by Cambridge TESOL, which is corresponding to their level at A2 according to CEFR over a period of three weeks The control group (n = 18) utilized paper flashcards while the experimental group (n = 18) used Anki flashcards A post-test ensued so that comparisons between two methods of learning vocabulary could be made The results indicated that making use of traditional flashcards and Anki did lead to the improvement in vocabulary learning; however, those who used Anki showed better performance than those who did not Therefore, it can be concluded that Anki is an effective learning tool for language learners to expand their vocabulary In order to gain insights into their perceptions about Anki, the researcher asked the participants

to take part in a survey, six of whom later joined an interview to elaborate on their thoughts about Anki Analysis of the responses revealed that the learners found it useful and rather enjoyable, but the user-friendliness criterion was not viewed as an advantage of this program

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS II ABSTRACT III LIST OF TABLES VI LIST OF FIGURES VII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale of the study 1

1.2 Aims of the study and research questions 2

1.3 Scope of the study 2

1.4 Significance of the study 3

1.5 Methods of the study 3

1.6 Structure of the thesis 3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Target vocabulary for ESL students 5

2.2 The role of repetition in language learning 5

2.3 Spaced repetition 7

2.4 Computer-based flashcards programs in language learning 8

2.5 The use of Anki as a learning tool 11

2.5.1 The description of Anki 11

2.5.2 The use of Anki in vocabulary learning 12

2.6 Previous studies on the effectiveness of Anki in learning vocabulary 12

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 17

3.1 Participants 17

3.2 Research design 18

3.3 Data collection instruments 18

3.4 Data collection process 22

3.5 Data analysis 24

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 26

4.1 Research question 1 26

4.2 Research question 2 28

4.2.1 Usefulness 29

4.2.2 Usability 31

4.2.3 Enjoyment 33

4.3 Discussions 36

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 39

5.1 Concluding remarks 39

5.2 Limitations of the study 39

5.3 Pedagogical implications 40

5.4 Recommendations for further study 40

REFERENCES 42 APPENDICES I

Appendix 1 Pre- and post- vocabulary tests I Appendix 2 Pre-experiment questionnaire VII Appendix 3 Survey on using Anki for vocabulary learning VIII Appendix 4 Interview questions X

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Subcategories in the survey 21

Table 2 Paired samples statistics of pre- and post-test of participants 26

Table 3 Pre- and post-test comparison of the experimental group 27

Table 4 Pre- and post-test comparison of the control group 27

Table 5 Independence Sample Tests 28

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Pre-experiment survey responses 18

Figure 2 Technology acceptance model (Davis et al., 1989) 21

Figure 3 Screenshot of the Anki Flashcard interface 23

Figure 4 Perceptions about usefulness 29

Figure 5 Perceptions about usability 31

Figure 6 Perceptions about enjoyment 34

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This initial part states the rationale of the study, the scope, the significance, the aims, the methods, and the structure of the study Above all, it is in this part that the research questions are identified to work as clear guidelines for the whole research

1.1 Rationale of the study

As technology is proliferating worldwide over the past century, web-based learning tools are becoming increasingly commonplace in vocabulary language teaching and learning Godwin-Jones (2011) indicated that over the past decade, learners have been offered a wide array of opportunities to study L2 vocabulary due

to state-of-the-art electronic gadgets instead of being solely confined to the pencil learning method in the past One of the influences that technology has left on L2 vocabulary learning has been the emergence of digital flashcards

pen-and-There is a consensus among researchers that making use of electronic flashcards is beneficial in that it can help facilitate the learned information retrieval and better retention (Altiner, 2011; Dodigovic, 2013; Mclean, Hogg & Rush, 2013; Spiri, 2014) In addition, digital flashcards supply users with various multimedia components such as audio and animation, which can increase learners‟ motivation and interest (Allum, 2004) Compared to traditional flashcards, web-based study cards programs gain additional advantages of carrying as many cards as desired and accommodating users with sharing sets of flashcards (Foster, 2009)

Plenty of flashcard software has received a great deal of attention in L2 research such as Quizlet or Memorise Among those programs, Anki, a flashcards-creating-and-learning software that allows users to study vocabulary using spaced repetition, has recently been on the rise Anki was stated to help learners foster their vocabulary growth and successfully recall the learned information (Altiner, 2011; Zare and Barjasteh, 2017; Seibert Hanson and Brown, 2019) Nevertheless, Bower

and Rutson-Griffiths (2014) examined the impact of Anki on vocabulary learning of TOEIC test takers and concluded that there was no significant improvement when L2 learners used Anki Due to these contradictory discoveries, the researcher noticed the worthiness of studying Anki with intent to make a contribution to the body of already existing research For this reason, the topic of this thesis is to investigate whether Vietnamese students could improve their vocabulary when they utilize Anki

1.2 Aims of the study and research questions

The study aims to address the following issues:

- The impact of Anki on non-English major first-year students at a university

in Hanoi

- Students‟ perception toward the use of Anki based on the three following categories which were adapted from Davis (1989) and Ranalli (2009): usefulness, usability and enjoyment

In order to achieve the purposes stated above, the study revolves around two research questions:

1 How does the use of Anki impact the vocabulary learning of first-year students at a university in Hanoi?

2 What are the first-year students‟ perceptions about learning vocabulary with Anki?

1.3 Scope of the study

The intent of this study is to investigate the impact of Anki on non-English major freshmen at a university in Hanoi The chosen participants are from intact groups who were taught by the researcher due to the time and logistic constraint In addition, this study focuses on how Anki affects their A2 vocabulary according to CEFR There are a large number of factors when it comes to mastering every aspect

of the target words such as learning their root or using them in various correct, suitable contexts; this thesis, however, only focuses on learners‟ retention of the meaning of L2 target words

1.4 Significance of the study

This study sought to discover the effect of Anki on learners‟ vocabulary learning Therefore, the research will support both teaching and learning processes First, teachers can benefit from this as they may have better decisions as to whether

to employ a digital learning tool in or outside of the classroom The researcher also believes that not only students who have been struggling with acquiring L2 vocabulary but also those who are looking for an additional source of learning and practicing vocabulary are the ones to benefit a great deal from the experiment

1.5 Methods of the study

This study employed a mix-method approach From a quantitative perspective, a pre-post test design and survey questionnaire were implemented The results from the two tests were analyzed in order to investigate the effectiveness of Anki in the vocabulary learning process The follow-up survey questionnaire was to obtain the students‟ opinions about using Anki based on three categories: usefulness, usability and enjoyment From a qualitative perspective, a face-to-face interview with some students as a follow-up to the survey was conducted with the aim of further investigating the learners‟ preference toward the use of the application under study

1.6 Structure of the thesis

The thesis is entitled “Applying Anki to enhance vocabulary acquisition of

first-year students at a university in Hanoi” It consists of five main chapters:

The first chapter is the INTRODUCTION which includes the reason for choosing the topic, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the method as well

as the design of the study

The second one is the LITERATURE REVIEW on some key theories underlying the whole research and review of relevant previous studies Chapter 3 explains the METHODOLOGY used in the research It describes the participants, data collection instruments, data collection process and analytical framework

Chapter 4, the backbone of the thesis, deals with the FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

The last chapter CONCLUSION summarizes what has been done so far in

the study, and indicates the limitation of the study, pedagogical implications as well

as the suggestions for further research in this area

Finally, the thesis is completed by a bibliography of references and

appendices

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter aims to shed light on the literature of the study, specifically the theoretical background and a number of studies related to the research topic First,

it focuses on the type of vocabulary ESL students should achieve based on their proficiency Subsequently, the role of retention in language learning is discussed, followed by spaced repetition together with its effects The next part presents the roles of computer-based flashcard programs Finally, a brief introduction of the Anki software as a learning tool and previous studies regarding the effectiveness of Anki in learning ESL vocabulary will disclose the research gap and rationalize the

aims of this paper

2.1 Target vocabulary for ESL students

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a globally standardized scale to identify the level of a language user It consists of six levels namely A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2 Those who are at the A1 level are regarded as absolute beginners and reaching C2 level denotes that the English users are now proficient in the language and virtually have no difficulty communicating with native speakers on various topics A large number of textbooks and teaching materials follow the CEFR level system (Milton & Alexiou, 2009) Also, in language courses, exams are designed based on the CEFR framework Milton (2010) stated that the more advanced the language learners‟ level becomes, the wider and more complex their language lexicons are To be more specific, absolute beginners first start to learn English with the textbooks designed in alignment with A1 level, then as their proficiency increases, they proceed to study materials written for the next levels

2.2 The role of repetition in language learning

Asking students to repeat is a common practice in language teaching as repetition is regarded as one of the key factors in vocabulary acquisition

Vocabulary retention denotes the competence of remembering words after a long period of time (Richards & Schmidt, 2002)

De Groot (2006) conducted a study concerning this issue and found out 70% of the target words were acquired on a one-week delayed test after students were exposed to translation pairs in 10 seconds six times and took three receptive tests Despite the brief duration of those meetings with target words, it can be seen that learners were able to learn new words because of repetition

43-Researchers hold different views about the number of word encounters required in order for vocabulary acquisition Nation (2001) indicated from five to more than 20 repetitions are needed Meanwhile, according to Horst, Cobb, and Meara (1998), initial repetitions help learners remember the spelling and form of the target word; however, it might take more than ten repeated meetings for learners to understand every component of vocabulary and generate words to express their thoughts in speech and writing properly Webb (2007) found that it is necessary for students to encounter new words at least ten times in the process of vocabulary learning

The reason why researchers hold different opinions about how many repetitions are needed is because no two learners have the same language background and knowledge base from which they approach the target vocabulary Should the learner find a target word familiar to some extent, the time spent learning that word might be less than the time spent learning an unfamiliar one Additionally, the number of repetitions can be affected by other factors such as motivation and language learning aptitude (Nation, 2001)

Notwithstanding the lack of a fixed number of repetitions required, researchers all come to an agreement that the importance of the recycling process is undeniable No matter how much time and effort the learner invests in vocabulary learning for the first time, no repetitions can lead to the struggle for memorizing the target words in the future (Nation, 1990)

2.3 Spaced repetition

Repetition in learning is divided into two main types: massed repetition and spaced repetition When learners use massed repetition, they try to remember something by repeating the information for a certain period of time without any interruption In other words, studying a whole list of new words for thirty minutes without reviewing them on the following days is considered massed repetition study Meanwhile, the other technique requires learners to repeat the information to themselves over and over with gradually increasing intervals between those repetitions For instance, a student learns the word “dictionary” today, then keeps reviewing it the following day, one week later and two weeks later until long-term retention of the word is ensured Memory research points out the positive impact of this spaced repetition on preventing the loss of learned information Ebbinghaus (2011) developed the forgetting curve that describes how memory works over time

He indicated that when no effort to retain what has been learned is made, the memory loss will happen To be more specific, the information is absolutely retained at the time of learning; there is, however, a sharp drop in memory retention

to 40% within the first few days (Ebbinghaus, 2011) Afterward, the forgetting process slowly levels out Ebbinghaus proposed a method that can be conducive to long-term memory, which are repetitions separated by timed spaces When an individual revisits the information at regular intervals, there is a high probability that the effect of the forgetting curve will decrease and therefore recalling information will be reinforced

The effectiveness of spaced repetition is proved in plenty of research With the same total amount of time invested in studying a vocabulary list, those who used spaced repetition method recall vocabulary better than those following massed repetition method (Baddeley, 1990; Dempster, 1987; Roediger & Butler, 2011) They indicated that it is a periodic review that boosts memory performance In a study conducted by Daloglu, Baturay, and Yildirim (2008), students were asked to learn vocabulary through spaced repetition software called WEBVOCLE The

target vocabulary taken from three modules was put into texts and exercises including multiple-choice, gap filling and cloze tests that the students had to deal with repeatedly His findings showed that using spaced repetition technique left a positive impact on learners‟ vocabulary development Ko and Gorenson (2014) also found that there was a statistically significant improvement in receptive and productive vocabulary for Korean students after ten weeks of studying on a spaced repetition program

2.4 Computer-based flashcards programs in language learning

Spaced repetition is a learning technique that is usually performed with flashcards According to Elgort and Nation (2010), making use of flashcards is a beneficial approach for an impressive achievement of acquiring second language vocabulary In general, a flashcard is a double-sided card designed for direct learning that allows learners to practice form-to-meaning and meaning-to-form recall in repeated retrieval of L2 words, by flipping the front and back sides of the cards The main components on a card consist of a new word on one side and its meaning on the other side However, the learners can design the cards in their own ways by adding illustrations, phonetic transcription or an example so that the target word can be understood more clearly

Since the day digital flashcards were invented, they have always been compared to paper flashcards in terms of their efficacy Several researchers show their support for the widespread use of flashcard programs due to the effectiveness they bring to language learners To begin with, these kinds of programs include a history section where the learner‟s improvement over a period of time is recorded in statistics or graphs (Nakata, 2008) Therefore, learners are able to keep track of their learning progress and make a modification if necessary In addition, while paper flashcards are basic and plain to some extent, digital flashcards offer a range of features to promote vocabulary development as well as to increase learners‟ motivation and autonomy such as audio and illustrations (Allum, 2004) Last but not least, in the study of Azabdaftari and Mozaheb (2012), the participants showed a preference for digital flashcards because of its ubiquity and convenience Much as it

is handy to put a deck of paper flashcards in a pocket or a bag, it can be difficult to handle and organize such a large number of cards if there are hundreds, even thousands of cards Digital flashcards programs are made to solve this problem since they give users the ability to study large decks more conveniently To conclude, it can be seen that digital flashcards are basically similar to paper flashcards but with certain advancements pertaining to the facilitation of vocabulary acquisition

With the proliferation of digital devices and the considerable favor of them and their functions with regards to education, a large number of vocabulary learning programs have been created and taken advantage of in language classrooms all over the world 50 universities and hundreds of schools from many countries in the world

are reported to use vTrain, a flashcard program (Nakata, 2011) She also stated that

Quizlet has become an increasingly popular application with more than one million users In Kyoto, Japan, Nintendo DS, a flashcard program for English learning, was included in language courses at all the public junior high schools (Tamaki, 2007)

The use of computer-based flashcards in language learning has attracted a vast majority of researchers in the field The study of Başoğlu and Akdemir (2012) focused on determining the effectiveness of digital flashcards compared to paper-based ones A group of 60 Turkish students was equally divided into two groups The control group used traditional vocabulary acquisition techniques, whereas the experimental group made use of their mobile phone to learn vocabulary on a flashcard program called ECTACO According to the post-test results, the experimental group gained higher scores, which resulted in the positive impact of ECTACO on students‟ vocabulary acquisition Notwithstanding this software is available only on mobile phones, its influence is identical to that of other computer-based programs as mobile phones, in fact, are a miniature version of computers (Başoğlu and Akdemir, 2012) Therefore, the result of this research can be contributed into the same group with studies that investigate the impact on using of other computer-based flashcard programs

Dodigovic (2013) investigated the effectiveness of a web-based flashcard software named WordChamp The students in the study went through three learning stages First, they learned vocabulary without cards, then proceeded to learn with electronic cards created by the teacher, and finally designed a set of flashcards using WordChamp on their own Pre- and post-vocabulary level tests were administered The result suggested that the first two methods yielded similar effectiveness; however, learning with teacher-designed cards was statistically higher Meanwhile, learning with self-designed cards was not as effective as the other two methods According to the researcher, it was due to the lack of skills to design digital word cards successfully

Alzeer (2015) did a study about how effective Quizlet is with regards to learning academic vocabulary, how vocabulary retention is enhanced and what students perceive this program First, volunteers took a 2000 Word Level Test so that the researcher could select the participants based on their homogeneous proficiency level The two groups underwent the Academic Vocabulary pre-test, followed by the introduction of Quizlet to the experimental group and the paper flashcard learning for the control group During six weeks, they were asked to learn

240 items from the Academic Word List Both groups did an immediate post-test at the seventh week and a delayed post-test at the ninth week The results indicated that there was not much difference in the effectiveness of two learning methods as the two groups gained a higher score at the post-tests However, in the interview conducted with the experimental group, students said that they thought Quizlet was useful, easy to use and they quite enjoyed using it

Ali et al (2012) conducted a study that aimed to find out learners‟ perceptions towards three vocabulary learning methods: Contextual Clues, Dictionary Strategy and a computer-based software named Tell Me More (TMM)

123 freshmen were classified into three corresponding groups The contextual clues group employed guessing the meaning based on given contexts and think-aloud protocols The dictionary strategy group learned by looking up new words together,

particularly focused on phonetic symbols and example sentences Finally, the TMM group was instructed to use hyperlinks by accessing the Vocabulary Workshop The procedure comprised a pre-test in the first week, two subsequent weeks of studying including two immediate recall tests, and a delayed post-test in the sixth week, followed by the questionnaire and an interview The researcher found that among the three learning methods, the group who used TMM had more positive attitudes in learning vocabulary They acknowledged that computers impacted their learning perceptions Moreover, they felt comfortable using the computer since they are a vital part of their daily life

2.5 The use of Anki as a learning tool

2.5.1 The description of Anki

Anki is a free flashcards program developed by Damien Elmes It is accessible in a variety of digital devices such as computers, mobile phones, and tablet computers In addition to making their own flashcards that are called “decks”, users can get access to myriad free decks on different topics on the website of Anki With regards to the interface of this program, it is similar to a paper flashcard system to some extent with two sides, one containing the question and the back containing the answer However, instead of flipping the physical flashcards, users click on the “Show Answer” button to see the answer while the question part

remains visible by default

There are two formats of flashcards on Anki, which are recognition cards and recalling cards First, the recognition card format provides learners some written part of a language and tests whether they can understand it To put it more simply, one side of the card has the target word and the learner is expected to remember its meaning on the other side of the card The advantage of this type is recognition cards are easier to do and it takes a short time to cover numerous materials However, recognition-based study experiences one drawback Learners are likely to have difficulty using words in their own speech and writing in spite of their instant recognition of the target words when they appear in spoken and written language of

others Meanwhile, in the recalling cards format, giving answers in the target language is required Learners will see the definition of a word or expression of it first, and then they have to type the correct word It is stated on the Anki website that unlike the first format, language learners might find this type more challenging

to create However, it also mentioned that remembering words with this method helps learners hold vocabulary in their long-term memory and promotes the productive side of language

2.5.2 The use of Anki in vocabulary learning

The learning on Anki occurs every time a card is shown The first side includes the Vietnamese meaning of the target word together with an illustration and a blank where learners type the word When they press the spacebar or click the

“Show Answer” option, the other side will show up with the key If the learner types correctly, their answer will be highlighted in green; however, in case they give the wrong answer, the misspelled syllable will be highlighted in red and the correct word will then appear under the learner‟s answer Afterward, there are four options for learners to choose given their ability to remember the target item On the other hand, when they remember the meaning of the target item, they need to decide how hard it was to recall the word and then click on the corresponding level of ease or difficulty The amount of time for the card to be shown is various in the learning

stage and reviewing stages

2.6 Previous studies on the effectiveness of Anki in learning vocabulary

Anki is one of the learning aids for learners to review and practice vocabulary that is gaining its increasing popularity these days as it allows users to access their card decks in many platforms such as desktop computers, laptops or mobile phones It has the advantages of a flashcard program listed in the previous section It is assisted with multimedia namely pictures, pronunciation so that learners can be exposed to almost every aspect of a new word (Allum, 2004) Learners can study numerous words in a deck in a more convenient way than carrying a large bulky set of paper flashcards in their bag or pocket Another plus

point of Anki is that not only can learners create their own card sets but they are also able to share them with other users as well as download others‟ for free Last but not least, like other spaced repetition programs, Anki uses an algorithm that allows the high frequency in showing difficult flashcards whereas it keeps easy ones shown with lower frequency Arranging the order of words that can help learners be exposed to difficult words more frequently leads to the improvement of learners in retaining and recalling target vocabulary (Pyc & Rawson, 2007)

Several previous research examined whether Anki could bring benefits to learners‟ vocabulary together with their perceptions and attitudes towards it Godwin-Jones (2010) saw the great potential of this program when it comes to helping learners achieve their goal of mastering L2 vocabulary Bailey and Davey (2011) investigated how students felt about using Anki inside and outside of the classroom The participants included two groups Group 1 had 21 students who majored in Economics, while group 2 had 25 students whose major was International Relations One different trait between these two groups was the latter would be studying abroad next semester They had to study on decks made by the teacher in class and encouraged to study at home throughout the semester with their progress regularly recorded in the following lesson At the end of the semester, they completed a questionnaire for the perception analysis purpose The researchers obtained the findings indicating the frequency of Anki usage of the International Relations group was higher than the Economics group There were even several students who did not use it at home Regarding questionnaire results, both groups showed a preference for Anki and desire to keep continuing it in the future, although the Economics group was not in favor of Anki as much as the other group The researchers explained this was the imminent study abroad experience that affects this group‟s motivation while using Anki

Additionally, findings of the study carried out by Altiner (2011) showed that Anki helped learners become proficient in at least 50% in Academic Word List 13 intermediate-level students from an intact group were required to use Anki for three

weeks All learners increased their scores compared with the pre-test scores, in particular, the result showed that two learners had a far greater improvement in vocabulary acquisition Furthermore, the researcher dug deeper into the students‟ perceptions towards Anki based on three categories: usefulness, usability, and enjoyment Following the post-test, learners were required to fill out a survey form, some of whom took part in the interview afterward To begin with, they agreed on its usefulness, particularly the inclusion of example sentences Moreover, the fact that they had a chance to encounter the vocabulary items a number of times helped them remember the words better Regarding the usability, they indicated that it was easy to use Anki in general No serious technical problems were recorded during the treatment However, some definitions and example sentences in the deck were rather ambiguous and confusing to recall the target words Lastly, much as the students enjoyed learning with Anki, they suggested that the deck should have employed more multimedia components such as visuals and pronunciation

Zare and Barjasteh (2017) conducted a study to explore the possible effect of using flashcards on Anki on learners‟ vocabulary development through the analysis

of pre-test and post-test scores Forty-one students who were at advance level were assigned to study 446 TOEFL words in total on Anki The treatment lasted for three weeks during which the students learned 20 words on a daily basis The result from the pre-test and post-test proved students outperformed in the latter one

The study of Seibert Hanson & Brown (2019) investigated the effectiveness

of Anki on 62 students at a university in the northeastern United States who enrolled in a beginning Spanish course During the third week of the semester, the students completed a survey concerning the quick learning beliefs, their Spanish self-efficacy, Spanish learning motivation, and study strategies, followed by a Spanish proficiency test After that, they were introduced to Anki and were told to use it as a class requirement The premade deck they used contained all the vocabulary, expressions and verb conjugations that were taught in that course The minimum timescale of learning was 5 minutes a day for at least 5 days a week The

post-test and post-experiment survey took place in the last week of the semester (week 15) The results showed that with the regular Anki usage, the students acquired greater Spanish proficiency According to the students‟ responses in the surveys, low enjoyment was reported; however, the students‟ motivation and studying effort at the end of the semester was higher than those at the beginning of the semester

Bower and Rutson-Griffiths (2014) carried out a study about how Anki, a spaced repetition software program, affected learners‟ TOEIC overall and reading scores The participants were 24 first-year whose average starting TOEIC score was

314 and a standard deviation was 69, and 28 second-year students with an average starting TOEIC score of 389 and a standard deviation of 82 They were given a paper copy of the TOEIC word list and an online Anki account with a ready-made deck at the beginning of the semester The cards presented students with merely vocabulary items and their translation During the school year (30 weeks), they had

to take vocabulary quizzes every few weeks with increasing numbers of TOEIC words after each test An additional 50 words from the list was expected to be learned every two weeks They then took a full TOEIC test so that this test‟s scores were compared to their previous year‟s TOEIC gain The results of this assessment showed that there were no statistically considerable differences between the TOEIC gains in 2011 and those in 2012 Furthermore, the participants were asked to fill out

a survey that assessed the motivational effects of studying the TOEIC word list with Anki The researchers indicated that the students did not discern the benefits of using Anki compared to other vocabulary learning strategies Many students even preferred to study in a traditional way with the hard copy of the word list

To sum up, spaced repetition and flashcards should be encouraged so that a better learning can be guaranteed One of the programs using those types is Anki, which has been considered an effective L2 learning tool for language learners (Altiner, 2011; Zare & Barjasteh, 2017; Seibert Hanson & Brown, 2019) Nevertheless, a methodological weakness of in the study of Seibert Hanson &

Brown (2019) was the lack of a control group It is, therefore, impossible to say with absolute certainty that their vocabulary range improved because of the program when they had nothing to compare this outcome to Moreover, given the research done by Bower and Rutson-Griffiths (2014) which showed no enormous improvement in learners‟ vocabulary base after using Anki, it can be concluded that the effectiveness of Anki should not be stated with absolute certainty Thus, it seems worthwhile to investigate whether Anki leaves major benefits for L2 learners who are struggling to memorize vocabulary Additionally, according to Sahin and Shelley (2008), because learners make a tremendous contribution to the development of the language learning tool, having a thorough understanding of how learners perceive a tool is an important factor in evaluating its effectiveness Hence, the question regarding learners‟ perceptions about Anki was also addressed in this study The following chapter will explain the methodology used for this study and how Anki is used in a language classroom

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

In this section, the data collection methods and materials used in this study are described After giving a description of participants, the data collection instruments and procedures used are mentioned The chapter concludes with the data analysis methods used for the two research questions

3.1 Participants

Participants in this study included 36 first-year non-English major students at

a university in Hanoi They were drawn from two intact classes taught by the researcher who met two hours and thirty minutes per week during a 15-week course

of 2019 Both classes had eighteen students There are 13 female and 5 male students in the first class, and 15 female and 3 male students in the second class At the beginning of the first semester, the freshmen were required to take a TOEIC test

as a placement test in order to be classified into the most appropriate class for their ability These students who scored from 120 to 225 were correspondingly evaluated

to be at an elementary level and assigned into the same English course The two classes, therefore, were quite homogeneous in proficiency level These freshmen were expected to reach the A2 level on the CEFR at the end of the school year The first class were selected as the experimental group that would use Anki for their vocabulary learning, while the second class were selected as the control group who studied paper flashcards With regard to vocabulary learning strategies of the experimental group, according to their responses to the pre-experiment questionnaire, they normally used the traditional method, which is writing down new words into a notebook and then try to learn the new words by heart Moreover, they have never used Anki or any other vocabulary learning applications before

Figure 1 Pre-experiment survey responses

3.2 Research design

This research employed a mixed-method research design According to Creswell and Plano Clark (2011), the proper use of mixed method research can provide more comprehensive and convincing evidence In addition, the target of mixed-method research design was to collect quantitative and qualitative data, as a result, weak points of quantitative and qualitative methods were minimized Quantitative data were collected using pre-test post-test with two classes, grouped into experimental and control groups with a relatively similar vocabulary proficiency level before treatment The experimental group was instructed and then asked to use Anki to learn vocabulary whereas the control group received paper-based flashcards as the treatment In addition, quatitative survey questions were employed with the aim of gathering students‟ opinions about the program Finally, qualitative data were obtained from the interview quesitons in order to gain detailed insights from the participants

3.3 Data collection instruments

Both quantitative and qualitative instruments were used to collect data to address the research questions

Before the project, the experimental group was given a pre-experiment questionnaire The survey was designed to gather demographic data including

18

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Used Anki before Used digital

flashcards appsbefore

Using notebook

name, gender, age, the duration of learning English at school, and their usage of web-based flashcards programs in general and Anki in particular

To deal with the first question regarding the impact of Anki on the vocabulary learning of students, a pre-test and a post-test were used as the instruments in this study As aforementioned, it is expected that the students would reach the A2 level on CEFR after the General English course Thus, the KET Vocabulary List developed by Cambridge TESOL was chosen as the target words The students‟ materials in class are Cutting Edge Elementary Level and Tactics for Listening Basic whose level is equivalent to A2 Accordingly, the vocabulary items

in the pre-test were chosen randomly from the material and taught in the first semester, but at the same time, were the words introduced in the KET Vocabulary List Hence, the tests required the learners to write down the L1 meaning with and without the assistance of illustration The pre-test was a 25-item vocabulary test with two tasks The first exercise asked students to match the word with the corresponding picture The second exercise was about writing the meaning of the given words The format of the test was based on the aim of this study, which was

to investigate the students‟ ability of understanding the meaning of L2 vocabulary

as well as evaluate the effectiveness of visual aids during their vocabulary learning with Anki After both groups took a pre-test, there was an intervention carried out

by the students The experimental group was introduced to Anki and requested to download Anki and a ready-made deck on their digital devices to learn the vocabulary from the KET Vocabulary List, whereas the control group continued to learn new words using flashcards They did not know about Anki nor interacted with any digital vocabulary learning programs

After the completion of the 3-week intervention, a post-test with the same format as the pre-test for checking their vocabulary knowledge was done by two groups in the next lesson Because all the test items belonged to the A2 level, the difficulty level between the two tests was equal As stated earlier, the study only focused on investigating the learners‟ ability to remember the meaning of the

vocabulary, the tasks in the tests aimed to check students‟ acquisition of the meaning of the target words One of the factors to evaluate the effects of Anki is the use of visual aids in learning On that account, the first task asked learners to identify the word based on the illustration, which was the same images used in the learned deck In addition, although the tests were taken in class, there was not a scheduled timetable for this activity; as a result, the researcher had to design the tests with 25 items that were done in ten minutes at the beginning of the lesson for the tests in order not to influence the lessons in the curriculum

Between the two tests was the Anki treatment intended for the experimental group Anki flashcards consist of two learning types (recognition cards and recalling cards), and the deck used for this study adopts the latter one so that the target vocabulary can be memorized more effectively and instead of just recognizing words, the learners can use them more actively Regarding the interface, the front side of the flashcard includes the Vietnamese definition of the word and the image After students look at the definition of a new word with the image attached, students have to type the word in the answer box and then click on the “Show Answer” button to check whether their answer is correct or not

As regards the second question related to their perceptions about this program, a Likert-scale survey and an interview were used for the study after the intervention The survey included one question about the type of device the students had used to learn Anki and 12 items based on three criteria namely usefulness, usability and enjoyment The items regarding usefulness and usability were based

on the technology acceptance model (TAM), a research framework developed by Davis (1989) According to David, Bagozzi, and Warshaw (1989), when users are presented with new technology, two key factors influence their decision about how and when they will use it The first one, perceived usefulness (PU), explains the degree to which an individual believes that a particular system is useful and meets their certain needs Perceived ease-of-use (PEOU) is defined as the degree to which

a person finds that system easy to use and feels confident using it Both factors,

together with other external variables sometimes also considered, exert an influence

on users‟ attitudes towards the use of the technology in their daily life such as what they think and to what extent they like it That general impression forms behavioral intention (BI), which eventually leads them to actually use it

Figure 2 Technology acceptance model (Davis et al., 1989)

In addition to TAM, the researcher also adopted and adapted questions from

a survey in Ranalli‟s work (2009) to best suit the nature of the current study The original survey was designed to evaluate how effective a web-based vocabulary training is under three criteria namely usefulness, usability and enjoyment It can be seen that this survey is also based strictly on Davis‟ model (1989)

Table 1 Subcategories in the survey

Usefulness

- Images were useful for me to remember new words

- I learned many new words by looking at the definitions of words

- My vocabulary has improved since I started using Anki

- I think Anki can help me improve my vocabulary in the future

Usability

- It was easy to use Anki

- I used “again”, “hard”, “good”, and “easy” options of Anki to arrange my vocabulary study

- I have not experienced any technical difficulty with Anki

Enjoyment

- Using Anki for vocabulary learning is enjoyable

- It is motivating to use Anki to learn new words

- I liked the fill-in-the-blanks exercise for vocabulary learning

- I would use Anki again in the future

- This kind of tools should be included in language courses

After filling out their personal information, students were asked to read the statements and then rate how closely their responses matched the statements The five options range from strongly disagree to strongly agree

Afterward, six students from the experimental group were chosen randomly

to take part in a one-on-one interview where they elaborated on their answers in the survey so that an in-depth understanding of how they thought of Anki could be acquired More specifically, they gave their opinions about what they found useful

or least useful while using Anki, what they enjoyed or disliked about the program

In case they did not find Anki useful and interesting, they were asked to put forward some suggestions to improve it The researcher noted down the learners‟ answers for the analysis process The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection and analysis, in which the former (with the pre-test and post-test instrument) is the core one Meanwhile, the latter method with the interview tool was supplementary and conducted to follow up on findings from quantitative data so that the learners' opinions would be explored extensively Moreover, when a researcher decides upon the number of participants for the interview, saturation is the most important factor to consider (Mason, 2010) Saturation is defined as the point when no useful information is supplied for the data analysis According to Charmaz (1990) and Morse (2000), the essential element is the data can be explained fully with sufficient information obtained from the participants as opposed to the "how many" question Therefore, the number of interviews in this study were determined pertinent to the learners' test performance

3.4 Data collection process

In the first week of the intervention, the experimental group had to fill out a survey so that the researcher could collect their personal information and experiences in using digital flashcards Then, both groups took a vocabulary test as

a pre-test

Subsequently, the control group proceeded to learn vocabulary from the KET Vocabulary List by making use of notebooks and were not introduced to Anki Meanwhile, the experimental group was given a detailed explanation and watched demonstration of this spaced repetition program in the next lesson After downloading a pre-made deck by the researcher, they were required to study the assigned vocabulary for three weeks at home and were aware that they would be tested on the Anki content prepared for them by the teacher

Following the completed treatment, the two groups continued to take the post-test with the same test requirements as the pre-test administered There followed a survey for the experimental group to evaluate this flashcards program Finally, a face-to-face interview was conducted with six students from the experimental group Due to their beginning level, the interviewees expressed their opinions in Vietnamese in order to prevent misunderstanding The researcher took note of their answers during the interview for the purpose of analyzing

Regarding the number of new words learned in a day, Anki sets twenty words per day by default However, students were told to make modifications by adjusting the number at their own pace In case the learners faced too many new words to review a day or had busy schedules, they could choose 0 in the “New cards/day” section, so they would just have to review old words instead of learning new ones However, they had to learn with Anki no less than 6 days a week

Figure 3 Screenshot of the Anki Flashcard interface