Digitale Hilfsmittel im Fremdsprachenunterricht : Glosor.eu kontra traditionelle Vokabellisten beim Erlernen neuer Wörter

In this study, pupils’ use of digital tools for learning vocabulary is compared to the use of a traditional way of learning vocabulary from a list in a book. The goal of the study is to find out if digital tools are more efficient than using vocabulary lists, when learning new words. Furthermore, this study investigates how the use of words in a context affects learning. The 40 pupils who took part in this study are learning German in the ninth grade in two different schools in the southern part of Sweden. Three vocabulary tests were conducted within four weeks. During the experiment the pupils were divided into two groups, where one used digital learning tools and the other ordinary vocabulary lists. The results in the first test did not differ much between the groups. The second test on the other hand shows a difference where many in the digital group got better results whereas several in the traditional group got lower results. In the third test both groups showed better results in the vocabulary test. The conclusion of this study is that there is no big difference between the use of digital learning tools and a traditional vocabulary list when it comes to learning new words. However, the use of words in sentences was seen to have an effect on the words that pupils remembered best. In this study, the pupils were also asked to fill in a questionnaire. This study also shows that a combination of traditional and digital learning is preferred by the pupils.