Andrew Vargo

Vocabulary acquisition and retention is an essential part of learning a foreign language and many learners use flashcard applications to repetitively increase vocabulary retention. However, it can be difficult for learners to remember new words and phrases without any context. In this paper, we propose a system that allows users to acquire new vocabulary with media which gives context to the words. Theoretically, this use of multimedia context should enable users to practice with interest and increased motivation, which has been shown to enhance the effects of contextual language learning. An experiment with 46 English as foreign language learners showed better retention after two weeks with the proposed system as compared to ordinary flashcards. However, the impact was not universally beneficial to all learners. An analysis of participant attributes that were gathered through surveys and questionnaires shows a link between personality and learning traits and affinity for learning with this system. This result indicates that the proposed system provides a significant advantage in vocabulary retention for some users, while other users should stay with traditional flashcard applications. The implications of this study indicate the need for the development of more personalized learning applications.