Effects of the Mobile Self-managed Quiz on English Vocabulary Learning of College Students

Self-management skill can be a key factor to successful English learning, but few opportunities are available for Korean college students. In response to the lack of students’ self-management in learning English, this study aimed to explore to what extent the mobile-assisted self-managed quiz affects college students’ vocabulary learning among 80 EFL students. The students of the intermediate (n = 40) and the novice group (n = 40) participated in taking two quiz modes: the half of each level was assigned to either a self-managed quiz or an in-class quiz. Comparisons were made on the six test scores by independent samples t-test and the students’ opinion was analyzed. The results showed intermediate students taking the self-managed quiz scored higher than those of the in-class on the achievement test at a significant level. No difference was found in the quiz scores among the students at either proficiency level. The results imply that students’ proficiency could be a critical predictor to the achievement of vocabulary. Nevertheless, most students showed a positive attitude toward the self-managed quiz in a formal classroom. The findings suggest that university students in an EFL class need more opportunities to build autonomy through self-evaluation activities in a formal classroom.