LEARNER AUTONOMY AND SELF-DIRECTED VOCABULARY LEARNING THROUGH MOBILE APPLICATIONS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
Keywords:
learner autonomy, self-directed learning, mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), vocabulary acquisition, EFL, quasi-experimental design.Abstract
Mobile technology has reshaped how adolescent learners encounter and rehearse new vocabulary outside the walls of the classroom, yet the degree to which mobile applications actually cultivate learner autonomy — rather than simply digitizing rote memorization — remains empirically underexamined at the secondary level. This study investigated whether structured use of a mobile vocabulary application fosters greater self-directed vocabulary learning and stronger vocabulary retention among 9th grade EFL students compared with conventional, teacher-led vocabulary instruction. A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control-group design was employed with 30 ninth-grade students (15 experimental, 15 control) at Ixlos International School in Tashkent over an eight-week period. The experimental group used a mobile vocabulary application for self-paced, out-of-class study, while the control group received the same target vocabulary through conventional teacher-directed methods. Data were drawn from pre- and post-treatment vocabulary tests and a learner autonomy questionnaire. Results indicated that the experimental group showed larger gains in vocabulary retention and reported higher levels of self-directed learning behavior than the control group. The findings are discussed in relation to autonomy theory and mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) research, with implications for integrating mobile applications into secondary EFL vocabulary instruction in the Uzbekistani context.
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