Impact of WhatsApp on the Vocabulary Acquisition of Secondary School Students in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53696/27753719.18Keywords:
social media, mobile learning, language learning, vocabulary acquisition, WhatsAppAbstract
The advent of technology has brought a change in the dynamics of second language teaching and learning. WhatsApp has been a common tool used among students for communicating and chatting with friends, peers, and relatives. Its commonality may be because of its easy installation as mobile application on mobile devices. Educators are beginning to explore its potentials toward seeing how it can help students in their learning. Since it is apparently a novel tool in the education sector, its usefulness in acquiring vocabulary by secondary school students is yet to be ascertained. Therefore, this study examined the impact of WhatsApp on vocabulary acquisition of secondary school students in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. This study was premised on the constructivist learning theory since WhatsApp provides students the opportunity to construct their vocabulary knowledge. The sample for the study comprised 250 students from five secondary schools randomly selected in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. Data for the study were generated from the participants using self-made questionnaire. The questionnaire is structured into 5 points from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Mean and standard deviation were employed to analyse the data. Findings showed that more than half of the students believe WhatsApp is expedient in learning and acquiring vocabulary. It further revealed that the majority of the students perceive WhatsApp as an effective social network that enhances their vocabulary acquisition as it is easy to acquire new words and understand their meanings through WhatsApp. The study concluded that language teachers should devise means of adopting social media such as WhatsApp to teach their students since students are favourably disposed to learning through WhatsApp.
Downloads
References
Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x
Dyrud, M. A., Worley, R. B., and Flatley, M. E. (2005). Blogging for enhanced teaching and learning, Business Communication Quarterly, 68(1), 77-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/108056990506800111
Fawzi, H. A. (2015). Usage of WhatsApp application for e-learning and its impact on academic performance in Irbid National University in Jordan, International Journal of Applied Engineering, 10(19), 39875-39879.
Fehr, C. N., Davison, M. L., Graves, M. F., Sales, G. C., Seipel, B., & Sekhran-Sharma, S. (2012). The effects of individualized, online vocabulary instruction on picture vocabulary scores: An efficacy study. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 25(1), 87-102. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2011.586640
Gasaymeh, A. M. (2017). University students’ use of whatsapp and their perceptions regarding its possible integration into their education. Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology: G Interdiscipline, 17(1).
Gaudeul, A., & Peroni, C. (2010). Reciprocal attention and norm of reciprocity in blogging networks. Economics Bulletin, 30(3), 2230-2248 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1577062
Hayashi, P. (2011). A learning success story using Facebook. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 2(4), 309-316. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37237/020408
Izyani, B. M., & Mohamed, A. E. (2016). Students’ perception on the use of WhatsApp as a learning tool in ESL classroom. Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 4, 96
Jairus, E. U., Christian, U. U., Ogwuche, A. J., Thomas, O. I., Taiyol, T. T., Ode, E. J., Ekpo, S. O., & Adoga, I. A. (2017). Impact of mobile phone usage on students' academic performance among public secondary schools in Oju local government area of Benue State. International Journal of Science and Research Methodology (IJSRM); Human, 6(3), 104 – 118.
Kajder, S., & Bull, G. (2004). A space for “writing without writing.” Learning & Leading with Technology, 31(6), 32-35.
Kern, R. (2006). Perspectives on technology in learning and teaching languages. TESOL Quarterly, 40(1), 183-210 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/40264516
Kumar, V. S., Lian, T. Y., & Vasudevan, H. (2016). UNiKL RCMP undergraduates’ perception on using WhatsApp as a tool for Mandarin Language teaching and learning. Retrieved on the 18th December, 2017 from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Vishalini_Selva_Kumar/publication
Majid, A. H. A., Stapa, H. S., & Keong, C. Y. (2012). Scaffolding through the blended approach: Improving the writing process and performance using Facebook. American Journal of Social Issues & Humanities, 2(5), 336-342.
Mingle, J., & Adams, M. (2015). Social media network participation and academic performance in senior high schools in Ghana. Library Philosophy and Practice (ejournal), Paper 1286
Mistar, I. B., & Embi, M. A. (2016). Students’ perception on the use of whatsapp as a learning tool in ESL classroom. Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 4, 96- 104
Mutum, D., & Wang, Q. (2010). Consumer Generated Advertising in Blogs. In Neal M. Burns, Terry Daugherty, Matthew S. Eastin. Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption, 1. IGI Global. pp. 248–261 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60566-792-8.ch013
Nakata, T. (2008). English vocabulary learning with word lists, word cards and computers: Implications from cognitive psychology research for optimal spaced learning. ReCALL, 20(1), 3-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344008000219
Nitza, D., & Roman, Y. (2016). WhatsApp messaging: Achievements and success in academia. International Journal of Higher Education, 5(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v5n4p255
Raiman, L., Antbring, R., & Mahmood, A. (2017). WhatsApp messenger as a tool to supplement medical education for medical students on clinical attachment. BMC Medical Education, 17(7). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-017-0855-x
Taylor, D. G., Lewin, E. J., and Strutton, D. (2011). Friends, fans, and followers: Do ads work on social networks? How gender and age shape receptivity, Journal of Advertising Research, 51(1), 258-275. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-51-1-258-275 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-51-1-258-275
Yin, L. C. (2016). Adoption of WhatsApp instant messaging among students in ipoh higher education institutions. Retrieved 5th April, 2017 from http://woulibrary.wou.edu.my/theses-project/MED2016_CYLEE.pdf
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Abdulmalik Abiola Salman, Muhyideen Olasunkanmi Imam
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors certify that:
- if the manuscript is co-authored, they are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
- the work described has not been formally published before in a registered ISSN or ISBN media, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis.
- it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
- its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
- they secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere (it does not infringe on the rights of others).
- they agree to license and copyright agreement.
All articles published are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and other proprietary rights related to the article.
- Authors retain the right and are permitted to use the substance of the article in their own future works, including lectures and books.
- Authors grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to 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 an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post or self-archive their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their 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.
