Assessing the Effectiveness of Wordwall.net as a Vocabulary Learning Tool: Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Perspectives

Abstract

Educational technologies in English language classrooms have become increasingly significant over the last decades, playing a crucial role in both student learning and teacher instruction. This qualitative study explores the perceptions of seven Chilean pre-service EFL teachers regarding the usage of Wordwall.net in their instruction as a medium for English vocabulary acquisition. Semi-structured interviews with the participants focused on Wordwall's usability, effectiveness, visual appeal, and benefits for teaching and learning vocabulary. The data collected from the interviews were meticulously organized, analyzed, and interpreted using thematic analysis. The findings of the study indicate that pre-service EFL teachers consider Wordwall to be highly beneficial for both teaching and learning English vocabulary as well as providing feedback beyond traditional methods. The study further implies that pre-service teachers have a sense of ease and familiarity with the Wordwall webpage, and they perceive it as a valuable tool to incorporate into their future practice, advocating its usage to fellow educators. By shedding light on the effectiveness and versatility of Wordwall.net, this research offers valuable insights to educators worldwide, presenting an innovative approach to enhance English vocabulary acquisition in the EFL classroom. The study concludes by discussing implications for pre-service teachers and EFL students regarding the importance of vocabulary learning, along with recommendations for future research.

Keywords: Wordwall webpage, pre-service teachers, English Vocabulary, EFL teaching, online learning

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-31-04

Publication date: November 30^th 2023