The Effects of Using Mobile Phone SMS on Intentional and Incidental Vocabulary Learning by Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of mobile phone SMS on enhancing EFL learners’ vocabulary learning in incidental and intentional settings. Based on cluster sampling, ninety students from the Faculty of Engineering, Shiraz Azad University studying General English was chosen as participants of the study. In order to handle this study two instruments were used, The Instruction tool in this study was software of Oxford dictionary within the cell-phone system which was sent to each student, and the data collection tool was a researcher-made test employed as pre and post-tests. Results of the study revealed that all three groups with both methods of using SMS and traditional method of teacher-fronted class had improvements in their post-tests, but the significance difference was related to the intentional group because students in intentional group might be careful about their scores or more motivated. Moreover, between the incidental and the intentional groups, the difference was not significant.