More Than Just Word of the Day: Vocabulary Apps for English Learners

Northrop, Laura; Andrei, Elena

doi:10.1002/trtr.1773

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…We chose third to eighth grade to align with the teachers we are working with and our expertise. As teacher educators and researchers working at the same institution, we analyzed vocabulary apps for these grade levels and found poor alignment of the apps and effective vocabulary teaching practices (Northrop & Andrei, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocabulary instruction for Grades 3–8 English learners: An analysis of resources

Northrop

Andrei

2021

TESOL Journal

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As current teacher educators, we often work with teachers who regularly use online resources for their lessons. We identified a popular website, Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), that provides teacher-created classroom activities and materials. TPT has 5 million members and 3 million resources available (Teachers Pay Teachers, n.d.). In addition, many of our teacher candidates use online materials when creating lessons for their classroom assignments.Despite the popularity of TPT, there is little empirical research on the quality of resources, or how teachers find, use, and/or modify them, thus the need for our study. Pittard (2017) examined the discursive practices of two teachers as they created materials for the site, and an Education Week article focused on copyright laws (Schwartz, 2018). Recently, a new report examined high school English curriculum materials available online and found that most were "mediocre or probably not worth using (Polikoff & Dean, 2019, p. 11).This brief shares the results of an evaluation of free TPT vocabulary activities and materials for English learners (ELs), in third to eighth grade. Our questions were as follows: (1) What types of activities are included in these materials? (2) Do the activities follow effective practices as identified by the literature for vocabulary instruction for ELs? and (3) What type of guidance is provided with the materials?

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocabulary instruction for Grades 3–8 English learners: An analysis of resources

Northrop

Andrei

2021

TESOL Journal

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“…These positive effects took the form of gains in learners' word knowledge (Guaqueta & Castro-Garces, 2018;Kohnke et al, 2019;Redd, 2011;Walter-Laager et al, 2017;Wu, 2015) as well as increases in their learning motivation (Wang, 2017;Wang et al, 2015). Northrop and Andrei (2019) acknowledge the role mobile technology can play in enhancing EFL learners' word knowledge noting, in particular, the high accessibility of smartphones and tablets, as the two major mobile devices, to various types of vocabulary apps. Along with this major line of exploratory research into the effects of mobile word apps use on L2 vocabulary learning, five other issues are dealt with.…”

Section: Alhatmimentioning

confidence: 98%

Second language vocabulary learning in the digital era: Ten reasons it should be on the go!

Alhatmi

2023

ONLINE J COMMUN MEDIA TECHNOL

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Word learning is a key component in second language learning and one that L2 learners often find laborious. With the advent of mobile technology in recent years, research on mobile-assisted vocabulary learning has uncovered the immense potential mobile devices (namely smartphones and tablets) have for providing L2 learners with opportunities for effortless learning of L2 lexis. To this end, we pinpoint ten reasons why L2 learners should abandon traditional pen-and-paper-based methods of word learning and shift instead to a digital mobile word learning environment that fully utilizes the virtues of mobile learning. The role of mobile applications (apps) dedicated to word learning is hence stressed as such apps represent the core basis of mobile-assisted vocabulary learning. For EFL learners to entertain a more manageable and less time-consuming word learning experience, we emphasize the role of EFL teachers in calling their learners’ attention to the ten reasons we underscore in this article to help encourage those who are still into conventional word learning and have not yet explored learning words via mobile gadgets to make the digital shift at once.

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“…Teachers are inundated with the task to select apps and set a purpose for use. However, teachers have little control over how an app is designed, cannot track student progress within most apps, the apps lack explicit instruction, there is minimal repeated and varied exposure to new vocabulary, and apps lack content (Northrop & Andrei, 2019). Additional concerns hinge on language availability, dictionary use, and locating apps with relevant content.…”

Section: Integrating Technology Into Language and Literacy Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While there are some challenges associated with integrating technology, the advantages are abundant in their ability to offer more expansive learning opportunities. Some apps such as SeeSaw, epic!, and Adobe Spark Video offer visual enhancements and more personalized learning experiences, such as the ability to highlight and narrate text, define words with the click of a button, voice record, and help students practice skills across multiple apps using a variety of strategies (Eutsler, 2019;Northrop & Andrei, 2019). A systematic review of 61 studies examined how mobile technology impacted elementary students' literacy achievement.…”

Section: Integrating Technology Into Language and Literacy Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culturally Relevant Model for Digital Language and Literacy Instruction

Eutsler

Perez

2022

L & L

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Overwhelming instructional technology options leave teachers searching for efficient approaches to foster differentiated instruction. This study examined an iterative, design-based research approach of one teacher’s 10-week digital literacy and language-guided small-group instructional intervention with second-grade unidentified language learners. Students explored 15 language and literacy apps, engaged in personalized reading experiences, and created authentic artifacts reflective of their culture. Findings led to the Culturally Relevant Model for Digital Language and Literacy Instruction, a roadmap for teachers and teacher educators to plan tailored instruction to better meet the needs of identified and unidentified students’ language and literacy skills.

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More Than Just Word of the Day: Vocabulary Apps for English Learners

Abstract: Learn how to evaluate instructional components of apps and how apps can support individualized and independent vocabulary learning for English learners.

Cited by 9 publications

References 20 publications

Vocabulary instruction for Grades 3–8 English learners: An analysis of resources

Vocabulary instruction for Grades 3–8 English learners: An analysis of resources

Second language vocabulary learning in the digital era: Ten reasons it should be on the go!

Culturally Relevant Model for Digital Language and Literacy Instruction

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