Ways of Teaching Vocabulary Using Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in English Language Teaching: A Review

Аннотация

Vocabulary knowledge underlies every language skill, yet it remains one of the most time-consuming components
of English language teaching (ELT) to develop and sustain. Over the past decade, the near-universal availability of
smartphones has turned Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) into one of the most actively researched avenues
for addressing this challenge. This paper presents a narrative review of the ways vocabulary is taught through MALL in
ELT, synthesizing peer-reviewed studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published mainly between 2010 and
2026. The review is organized around six broad approaches identified in the literature: digital flashcard and spaced-repetition
platforms, messaging- and social-media-mediated instruction, gamified and game-based platforms, adaptive and
AI-driven tools, augmented reality applications, and discipline-specific approaches used in English for Specific Purposes
(ESP). Drawing on established frameworks from vocabulary acquisition (Nation), the Noticing Hypothesis (Schmidt),
Task-Based Learning (Willis), and mobile learning (Stockwell), the review situates empirical findings within a coherent
pedagogical rationale. Meta-analytic evidence indicates a generally positive, often large, effect of MALL on vocabulary
gains, particularly for interventions sustained beyond ten weeks, alongside consistently positive learner attitudes. The
review also identifies recurring barriers–infrastructural constraints, uneven teacher readiness, and a tendency for gamified
tools to reward rote recognition over deeper word knowledge–and points to a research base still concentrated in a
narrow set of national contexts. The paper closes with practical implications for ELT and ESP practitioners and recommendations
for future research, including a call for more longitudinal and regionally diverse studies