A Review of Empirical Studies of Effectiveness of Mobile Apps on EFL Vocabulary Learning

Although mobile apps have been used for many educational purposes, little is known about how effective these apps are in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) vocabulary learning. To fill this gap, this study centered on the effectiveness of mobile apps on EFL vocabulary learning. A total of 18 articles were collected from 3 selected databases-Web of Science, Eric, and Academic Search Complete. The findings were analyzed through content analysis. The results provide a profile of using contexts of mobile applications for EFL vocabulary learning and the impacts of using mobile apps on EFL vocabulary learning outcomes. Mobile applications are mostly used in informal learning contexts and adopted in higher education for EFL vocabulary learning. The studies also identified 8 categories of impacts, including vocabulary acquisition and retention, administration for learning, pronunciation feature, usage frequency, learners' perceptions and attitudes, motivation and interest, feedback and evaluation, and learning environments. Implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.