The effect of the British National Corpus' Frequency Lists What’s App Group Discussion on L2 Learners' Receptive Vocabulary Size

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effects of vocabulary learning through WhatsApp chat group discussion on L2 students' vocabulary size at a university in Pakistan. British National Corpus' (BNC's) frequency lists were used for the treatment of the experimental group. Thirty students were placed into each group, one experimental and one control group. Instruments used to collect data included an established vocabulary size test, and interviews were conducted to measure the perception of participants from the experimental group about vocabulary learning from the frequency lists through WhatsApp. The independent t-test observed that the experimental group had a significant treatment effect, and improvement was observed in the mean score p-value < .05. The qualitative data were thematically analysed. The primary conclusion of this study is that the WhatsApp group vocabulary discussion did significantly help improve the experimental group's mean score, illustrating the positive impact of the WhatsApp vocabulary peer discussion on the group's vocabulary size.