Mobile Assisted Vocabulary Acquisition and Wikis to Enhance Writing Skills

Abstract

This project examined how a group of advanced-level EFL students read articles on their smartphone to acquire new vocabulary which they later inserted in their essays on wikis. The aim of the study was (a) to explore the students' perceptions regarding learning vocabulary from their smartphone followed by the use of wikis to improve their writing skills; (b) to analyse how peer editing and feedback can help students towards grammar and vocabulary accuracy with a view to enhancing their writing skills. The twenty-one participants used a Google application on their smartphone to perform reading and vocabulary exercises before writing essays on the wikis, followed by peer editing and feedback. Data were gathered from two questionnaires, interviews and 168 essays. The findings suggested that positive learning took place throughout the development of the study. The smartphone was considered a convenient tool for reading and performing vocabulary exercises. Peer editing and feedback were deemed crucial towards grammar and vocabulary accuracy to enhance writing skills.