چكيده فارسي :
Vocabulary learning has an important role in learning foreign languages; however, it is challenging to choose the best strategies for learning vocabulary. Using Short Message Service (SMS) and tablets are suggested to be effective for vocabulary learning (Savas, 2014; Zhang et al., 2011). Flashcards are also found to be useful in vocabulary learning as they can be used easily (Erbey et al., 2011). The purpose of this study was to compare the EFL learners’ attitudes towards learning vocabulary via SMS, tablet, and flashcard. The participants of the study were 45 Iranian advanced EFL learners with various academic background. They were divided into three groups, each with 15 participants. The first group learned the vocabularies via tablet, the second group learned them via SMS, and the third one learned the vocabularies via flashcard. A modified version of the attitude questionnaire developed by Hayati et al. (2013) was used in this research. The results of the study revealed that the majority of the learners in the SMS-based group found reading texts on mobile phone’s tiny screen troublesome and preferred to receive English words via email rather than SMS. Majority of learners in the flashcard group considered flashcard effective for learning English words arguing that flashcards could be used on the move and provide flexible learning anywhere, anytime. Learners in the tablet group reported that tablet learning increased their motivation and was effective for learning English words. This study recommends that instructors consider language learners’ attitudes towards various methods for learning vocabulary.
