EXPLORING THE POTENTIALS OF DIGITAL FLASHCARDS IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO LEARNERS OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the impact of digital flashcards on students' academic performance in the domain of English vocabulary acquisition. The research employed a quasi-experimental methodology known as the non-equivalent control group design. The study's population consisted of 100-level students enrolled in the Agricultural Economics programme at Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, during the 2022–2023 academic sessions. The sample for the study consisted of 122 students, including 58 males and 64 females, who were selected using the purposive sampling approach. The participants were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups using a balloting procedure. The experimental group received instruction using digital flashcards, whereas the control group received instruction using the standard lecture technique. The data gathering tool utilised in this study was a researcher-developed assessment known as the "University Students Vocabulary Knowledge Achievement Test (USVKAT)." The instrument underwent a validation process conducted by three specialists affiliated with Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba. The reliability coefficient was determined using Cronbach's alpha reliability, resulting in a value of 0.86. The data that was gathered was subjected to analysis utilising statistical measures such as the mean, standard deviation, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). This analytical approach was employed in order to address the study issue and evaluate the hypotheses. The hypotheses were evaluated using a significance threshold of 0.05 (α = 0.05). The study's results indicate that while girls outperformed males in English vocabulary acquisition with the use of digital flashcards, there is no statistically significant disparity in the average accomplishment between the two genders. Based on the aforementioned findings, it is recommended by the research that Nigeria's educational system should adopt digital classrooms that are both engaging and pertinent to the daily lives of learners.