






































citation


AsiaCALL Online Journal Received: 19/10/2021 

ISSN 1936-9859; https://asiacall.info/acoj Revision: 05/12/2021 

Vol. 13, No.1, 2022  Accepted: 12/12/2021 

pp. 150-165  Online: 17/12/2021 

 

CITATION | Nguyen, T. T., Nguyen, D. T., Nguyen, D. L. Q. K., Mai, H. H., Le, T. T. X., & Dao, N. A. D. 

(2020). Quizlet as a Tool for Enhancing Autonomous Learning of English Vocabulary. AsiaCALL Online 

Journal, 13(1), 150-165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54855/acoj221319 

Quizlet as a Tool for Enhancing Autonomous Learning of English Vocabulary  

Nguyen Thanh Thuy1*, Nguyen Dinh Tri1, Nguyen Dang Le Quoc Khanh1, 

 Mai Huy Hoang1, Le Thi Thanh Xuan1, Dao Nguyen Anh Duc1 

 
1 Banking University Ho Chi Minh City, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 

*Correspondence: Nguyen Thanh Thuy, Banking University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. E-mail: 

nguyenthanhthuy120501@gmail.com 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54855/acoj221319 

 

ABSTRACT 

L2 vocabulary learning seems to be one of the biggest challenges for many language major 

students as lexical knowledge involves productive understanding of its many components, 

including the form, meaning, and application of the terms (Nation, 2001). It is, therefore, 

necessary to find appropriate language education tactics and instruments for the successful 

and efficient acquisition of this aspect of the L2. Among advancements in the field of 

educational technology, Quizlet was invented with the hope that learners could effectively 

acquire L2 vocabulary in the absence of the teacher. In this study, the researchers want to 

figure out if Quizlet is helpful in assisting students in learning English vocabulary. They 

would also like to identify the difficulties that learners may encounter when using the 

application for their self-study. A quantitative survey was conducted on 100 English major 

freshmen and sophomores at a university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Results reveal that 

Quizlet plays an active role in facilitating self-study of English vocabulary. A remarkable 

finding is that an application seems to provide an entertaining learning environment, which 

in turn enhances learning motivation. Besides, a couple of limitations of the app, namely 

distracting ads and limited mobile learning functionality, have also been identified. 

Keywords: Quizlet, autonomous learning, English vocabulary 

 

1. INTRODUCTION 

1.1 Background of the study 

Nowadays, students are referred to as "Digital Natives" since they are comfortable with 

technology, computers, and the Internet, as well as video games (Prensky, 2001). That has 

resulted in the necessity of applying information technology (IT) to teach and learn. In addition, 

technology has played an essential role in English teaching and learning for many countries in 

the world (Eady & Lockyer, 2013).  It has been used to help teachers adjust to activities in class. 

Also, learners enhance the language learning process and improve their skills in a short time by 

utilizing technology and its services. 

The learning of vocabulary is a critical element in enhancing knowledge and reading 

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comprehension of a second language (L2). Yet, this is perhaps the biggest challenge for many 

linguistic students because vocabulary knowledge involves a productive understanding of its 

many components, including the form, meaning, and application of the term (Nation, 2001). 

Thanks to the help of Quizlet, students may efficiently self-study vocabulary, resulting in 

significant vocabulary improvements (Thi & Satomi, 2021). Recently, to keep up with the 

trends and encourage students to approach IT, Vietnamese teachers have also recommended 

that students use Quizlet to acquire English vocabulary as a better way to learn English. 

According to Rohmatillah research (2014), students faced a lot of difficulties when they learned 

vocabulary. It is hard to approach quickly in a short time because they have never discovered 

the drive and excitement to face the challenge of acquiring new English knowledge. Finding 

the most appropriate language education tactics and instruments for effective learning 

vocabulary is necessary. Van et al.  (2021)  identified that technology could help students learn 

English productively. Besides, knowledge also could learn from technology more easily if they 

took advantage of its usability. 

For these reasons, this paper would give students the advantages of utilizing Quizlet in 

developing vocabulary acquisition, especially BUH Language freshmen and sophomores. It is 

necessary to give them insights into adopting the Quizlet trending learning method. 

1.2 Research objectives 

In this study, specific aspects of using Quizlet in vocabulary acquisition will be explored.  Next, 

the study would figure out if the Quizlet application is helpful in assisting students in learning 

L2. Furthermore, we want to identify the difficulties which students can have when they use 

Quizlet. 

1.3 Significance of the study 

From the helpfulness and difficulties of using Quizlet in acquiring vocabulary and some data 

collected, we will assess the level of effectiveness when students apply Quizlet to learning. To 

sum up, all of the results in this research might help students, who major in the English language 

at Banking University, make the best of the benefits from Quizlet in boosting students’ L2 

learning motivation and autonomy. 

1.4  Research question 

To fulfill the purpose of the study, the survey sought to answer the following research questions:  

How do the learners use Quizlet for vocabulary? 

How effectively does Quizlet help learners with vocabulary? 

What are the difficulties when learners use Quizlet? 

 

 

 



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2. LITERATURE REVIEW 

2.1 General overview of Quizlet 

According to Wright (2016), Quizlet is a digital flashcards platform that allows users to 

construct their flashcards and study them through various learning modes. It is one of the most 

popular flashcards programs, with over fifty million monthly users as well as over four hundred 

users--generated study sets (Matthew, 2019). Currently, with different types of learning modes, 

Quizlet gives the student interest in trying out various modes and provides them with 'richer 

ways' to study (Ravipati, 2017). 

Table 1. Features of Quizlet 

Features Description 
Mobile 

App 

Learn 

There are three types of tasks: Flashcard, multiple-choice item, and 

typing the required answer. Users can personalize this activity by 

selecting one of the three options. 

Available 

Flashcards 

Users can create their flashcards. It could optionally be added self-

explanation, audio,... Digital flashcards can be flipped by mouse 

clicks or tabs on screens to show definitions or visuals that illustrate 

the term. 

Available 

Spell  

After listening to the audio prompts, learners are required to type 

the words correctly. If the word is spelled incorrectly, the correct 

answer will be read letter by letter while appearing on the scene. 

Not 

available 

Write 
Users are given some space to write the definition or meaning of a 

word learned in ‘flashcards’ functions. 
Available 

Test  

Four types of tests are included: true/false, multiple-choice, 

matching, and typing the answer. Learners can customize this 

activity. 

Available 

Match 

Learners will join in a game that needs to match keywords to their 

definitions (or accompanying visuals) as rapidly as possible. When 

learners complete each question, the app will show the score and 

rank among other learners. 

Available 

Gravity 

Another game in which the terms emerge on approaching asteroids. 

Before the falling asteroid hits the planet, students must type the 

corresponding definition of the term. 

Not 

Available 

Live 

This is a feature that needs four or more people. Students will need 

to connect to http://quizlet.com/live and input the code provided by 

the teachers. Participating in the teacher's activity, students will 

have to team up to compete with the other group. 

Not 

Available 

http://quizlet.com/live


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2.2 The effectiveness of Quizlet in the acquisition of vocabulary 

To begin with, motivation may be defined as combining both the desire for language acquisition 

and the desire to learn the language (Gardner, 1985, cited by Alizadeh, 2016). Many previous 

studies proved that Quizlet could create a motivation to arouse interest in learning from within 

students' consciousness. According to Rezaei et al. (2014), the mode of Quizlet activity method 

was an ideal medium for making students enjoy learning the words. It was indicated that 

students were motivated to acquire vocabulary when they applied it. Some of the interview's 

findings (Anjaniputra & Salsabila, 2018) have proved that Quizlet provided a new, enjoyable 

way of vocabulary learning for students due to various features of the application. Those aspects 

provided a fun experience for students to sense a new method of learning. In Skattenborg’s 

research (2020), teachers thought Quizlet was effective when they utilized it appropriately. It 

was good for repetition, motivating pupils, and varying the lessons. Students also believed 

Quizlet was motivating and added variety to their learning process. 

Besides motivation, another benefit of Quizlet is to promote active learning. Active learning 

consists of short course-related individual or small-group activities that all students in a class 

were called upon to do, alternating with instructor-led intervals (Felder & Brent, 2009). Thus, 

to learn vocabulary, only using a motivation to boost up oneself perhaps is not enough. 

According to many studies, more learners are interested in autonomous learning. These 

researches indicated that the Quizlet application gave learners the freedom to learn on their 

computers and cellphones (Vargas, 2011; Barr, 2016; Kálecký, 2016); students took advantage 

of benefit from the "spell section" to enhance their word spelling (Vargas, 2011; Kálecký, 2016) 

and students may focus their progress and discover where parts of their vocabulary were lacking 

(Kálecký, 2016). Furthermore, Korlu & Mede (2018) stated that Quizlet effectively helped the 

students' performance and made them more self-governing in learning vocabulary since the 

design of Quizlet was appropriate for autonomous learners. Setiawan & Wiedarti (2020) also 

demonstrated that students felt more enthusiastic, did not get bored, and showed a high level of 

interest when they could self-study vocabulary using the Quizlet application. 

Next, Quizlet is effective in allowing the students to improve their achievement. Among various 

study modes available in Quizlet, Franciosi (2017) stated that game-based learning on Quizlet 

could significantly promote English vocabulary acquisition. The research outcome showed that 

many students held more optimistic views about using Quizlet game-based learning platform 

to build up their TOEIC vocabulary and exhibited considerably greater confidence in their 

TOEIC satisfactory test marks. On the other hand, Lees and Mcnee (2015) also indicated that 

students who utilized the Quizlet application were more motivated than those who did not. The 

overall score earned by the user of the application was much greater than that of the non-user. 

According to Chien (2015), students found online vocabulary websites, particularly Quizlet, 

stimulating and useful for vocabulary acquisition. Participants in his study also thought that 

utilizing Quizlet boosted their language knowledge. According to Korkealehto and Siklander 

(2018), who based their findings on students' diary entries and questionnaire replies, students 

thought Quizlet improved their writing and oral language skills. Similarly, Nguyen and Vo's 



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(2021) research participants also improved their language abilities by utilizing English learning 

applications like Quizlet. 

Quizlet may greatly improve academic vocabulary acquisition. Students could find the learning 

experience to be more pleasant and beneficial, which motivated them to spend time studying 

on their own with Quizlet (Gilbert, 2016). In addition, Sanosi (2018) discovered that by using 

the Quizlet application via a smartphone, students might learn new words themself. In doing 

the assignments provided in Quizlet, both of the study's examinations showed that most students 

prefer to work independently and confidently with assignments given in the application on their 

own. 

2.3 The challenges in using Quizlet 

Although Quizlet was a highly rated vocabulary learning platform, at the same time, there were 

limitations in the user experience. Some of its features were only available on the website rather 

than in mobile apps (Dizon, 2016). Like Wikipedia, Quizlet permitted everyone to make and 

share a study set, so there was no assurance the data was exact. One grammatical mistake in 

another person's cards could lead them to consider some wrong data, miss inquiries on a test, 

and get a poor quality they did not anticipate getting (Bri, 2019).  

Furthermore, some students appeared distracted while learning vocabulary and were occupied 

with different applications like Instagram and Facebook (Setiawan & Wiedarti, 2020). Besides, 

if students used Quizlet's free version, ads would be displayed on each website page (Bri, 2019). 

A few advertisements were barely noticeable; however, they could be oppressive. Thus, if 

students need the best taking-in experience from Quizlet, they should pay for extra 

administrations. 

In short, this section helped to find out the interplay between Quizlet and autonomous student 

learning and some aspects that have not been clarified in previous research. The researchers 

explored that Quizlet created an attractive environment for students in the acquisition of 

vocabulary. It provided many functions for students to get hold of vocabulary and boost them 

to improve their motivation. Moreover, students were more interested in using game-based 

learning than the non-game approach. Furthermore, although they were distracted by other 

platforms, there was no denying the fact that Quizlet played a vital role in enhancing learners' 

autonomy. However, almost all of the studies only focused on one specific group of students, 

and non-comparison have been made among the different groups. Thus, the purpose of this 

study is to conduct the filling gaps by comparing the result between freshmen and sophomores. 

In addition, this research is to establish if Quizlet can increase the effectiveness of L2 

vocabulary learning and assess the experiences of two groups. 

 

 

 

 



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3. METHODS 

3.1 Pedagogical Setting & Participants 

The research subjects included 100 Business English-major students in Banking University Ho 

Chi Minh City.  The sample of this study was collected from 50 freshmen and 50 sophomores. 

All of the participants have experienced the English environment of the university. Most of the 

freshmen and sophomores were introduced to Quizlet by teachers. However, freshmen were 

new to it, while sophomores used it for a while. This difference helped the study assess how 

they apply Quizlet in learning vocabulary. Thus, the results collected from this sample can show 

the difference between freshmen and sophomores. 

3.2 Design of the Study 

This study employed the quantitative research method through the mixture of non-experimental 

and cross-sectional study designs. Due to the nature of the research, the questionnaire was 

posted on Facebook groups and collected answers from participants once. The frequency of 

usage and attitudes in utilizing the Quizlet application were investigated and performed a 

retrospective based on students’ experiences.  

The data collection tools were a questionnaire in Google Forms combining a 5-point Likert 

scale. The content of the questionnaire was based on the research questions in this study and 

some ideas from the questionnaire of Gilbert’s research (2016). We modified and supplemented 

it to suit the reality of this study. The scale included 11 items related to the motivation and active 

learning factors affecting freshmen and sophomores’ vocabulary learning habits. On a 5-point 

Likert scale, response options were presented: ranging from strongly disagree, disagree, not 

sure, agree, and strongly agree. 

According to the characteristics of this study, quota sampling was applied because of the limited 

time for primary data collection. The procedure of collecting primary data lasted two weeks. It 

consisted of finding the general situation of students using Quizlet, creating a questionnaire, 

modifying it in line with the real situation, posting the official questionnaire on the Facebook 

forum to all of the participants, and receiving their responses in a week. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 

4.1. Research question 1: How do the learners use Quizlet for vocabulary?   

4.1.1 time 

Table 2. 

The percentage of the Quizlet time usage in Freshmen and Sophomore year (%) 
 

Freshmen Sophomores 

Under 20 minutes each week 

From 20 to  40 minutes each week 

From 40 to 60 minutes each week 

Above 60 minutes each week 

37.50 

33.33 

12.5 

16.67 

58.18 

27.27 

9.09 

5.46 

Table 2 illustrates how much time students spent studying vocabulary on Quizlet outside of 

class. The majority of freshmen and sophomores did not use a considerable amount of time for 

Quizlet. Based on Figure 1, 37.5% of the freshmen and 58.2% of the sophomores spent less 

than 20 minutes each week. The percentage of sophomores increases by 20.7% percent more 

than freshmen. Notably, in the "20 to 40 minutes per week" and "40 to 60 minutes per week" 

average segments, the percentage of first-year students is also 6% higher than second-year 

students by 6% and 3.4%. In addition, a few of the students used more than one hour a week to 

study vocabulary, especially the sophomore (Freshman =16.7% and Sophomore= 5.5%). 

These findings show that most of the students in this study used Quizlet as a support mechanism 

for vocabulary development in addition to traditional learning methods, which is similar to the 

results found by Burston (2014). To explain why first-year students spend more time than 

second-year students, Nakata (2006) demonstrated that freshmen want to increase their 

motivation to learn and achieve. Thus, they improved their learning experience and the extent 

to which they remember what they have learned. However, the percentage shows that students 

have not yet chosen Quizlet as a habit to learn every day. Besides, they may spend their time 

on other works outside class. The evidence is the decreasing number of freshmen and 

sophomores studying from 20 to 40 minutes, 40 to 60 minutes, and above 60 minutes per week. 

The reason for this was explained logically by Jogja English Teachers Association (2018). They 

also found some activities that make students have no time to learn outside class, such as doing 

assignments, part-time jobs, and doing house chores.   

 

 

 

 

 

 



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4.1.2 Function 

Table 3. 

The percentage of the Quizlet functions usage of Freshmen and Sophomores (%) 
 

Freshmen Sophomores 

Flashcards  

Learn 

Test 

Spell 

Match 

Live 

33.33 

20 

20 

14.67 

9.33 

2.67 

37.08 

16.85 

20.22 

8.43 

14.5 

3.37 

First, based on the data, the Flashcard rate is over 30%, but the Live rate is below 4%. In 

particular, the rate of Flashcard usage in the freshmen year is 33.33% and in the sophomore 

year is 37.1%, which is the highest percentage of Quizlet functions mentioned in the survey. In 

contrast, Live is the least chosen, with 2.7% in the freshman year and 3.4% in the sophomore 

year. Besides, there is a difference between the two research subjects in Match and Spell. First-

year students like using Spell, but second-year students are interested in Match. 

According to the survey, students are interested in Flashcards more than other functions. 

Flashcard allows students to create a new study set every time they like easily. Thus, the figures 

show freshman and sophomore students tend to set up flashcards to learn vocabulary because 

of their essential capability. In addition, the customization of Flashcards helps students learn 

vocabulary that is not only requested by teachers but also requested by themselves. That is true 

with Agung Ginanjar Anjaniputra & Vina Aini Salsabila analysis (2018) about the benefits of 

Flashcard.  For the Live function, the reason why the lowest percentage in both years is that 

students must pay money to use it. Most of the time, students only use Live in the classroom 

when their teacher creates Live game-based and gives the code to participants. However, the 

specific explanation for this has not been discovered in previous studies yet. 

Finally, there is a difference between the percentage of students who use Match and Spell. Spell 

function is used more among freshmen students because they do not have specialized 

vocabulary background, even if they don't know those words before. When using Spell, Quizlet 

helps them practice pronunciation and memorize vocabulary quickly. Students only touch the 

screen and match possible words and meanings together regarding the Match function. This 

function is both easy to use and saves time in line with the point of view that Hougham (2019) 

demonstrated. Thus Match is more suitable for students with a vocabulary background as 

sophomore students.  

Hence, from these findings, Quizlet functions can all help students acquire vocabulary 

effectively. Based on the results, most freshmen and sophomores tend to use Flashcards more 

than other functions because of the ease and convenience it brings. 

 



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4.2. Research question 2: How effectively does Quizlet help learners with vocabulary? 

4.2.1 Motivation 

Figure 1. 

The mean value of students motivation in using Quizlet 

Based on the survey, it is found that the lowest mean score of both groups was the same item 

(Quizlet motivates me to spend more time learning vocabulary). In detail, the mean value is 

quite the same (M1=3.68, M2=3.48), which is at a moderate level. It indicates that most of the 

freshmen and sophomores did not spend much time using Quizlet to learn vocabulary. However, 

it is found that the motivation which Quizlet has brought back can not be denied, which is 

shown through the other items. 

The statement "Quizlet enhances my competence through group work activities in class" has 

the highest mean score from both groups (M1=4.06, M2=4.08). This can be considered that 

Quizlet is helpful in learning vocabulary and helps enhance students' learning performance and 

competitiveness, especially the Live function on the Quizlet application. Normal lessons in 

class will become more exciting with Quizlet digital games. In Forsythe's study (2016), he had 

applied Quizlet Live to his lessons and asked for the students' feedback. As expected, his 

students commented that they really enjoyed the game, and above all, Quizlet Live certainly 

helped them with vocabulary acquisition. Moreover, Quizlet Live can motivate students to 

consider autonomous study as a way to prepare for the game and, through that, increase the 

effectiveness of their classroom participation (Sophia, 2016). 

In general, the mean score of the survey is at a moderate to high level of approval. (3<M<5). 

This somehow indicates the effectiveness of Quizlet on motivating vocabulary acquisition of 



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freshmen and sophomores at Banking University. 

4.2.2 Active learning 

Figure 2. 

The means value of students' initiative in using Quizlet 

Figure 2 compares the mean values in terms of each criterion to clarify the freshmen and 

sophomore differences. In particular, the statement "Quizlet enhances my competence through 

group work activities in class" has the highest level of agreement with M1= 3.96 and M2 = 

4.02. Based on Appendix 2, 82% of freshmen and 72% of sophomores tend to actively search 

for another vocabulary related to the lesson through the Quizlet app. The findings demonstrate 

the effect of Quizlet on students' learning, especially in increasing competitiveness. In addition, 

as the motivation section mentioned, freshmen and sophomores are motivated to get higher 

scores in competition in class, so both consciously enlarge their vocabulary to have plus-point 

in class. The findings are quite similar to Gilbert's (2016) research. Using Quizlet becomes a 

useful strategy to motivate studying L2 vocabulary, as shown by the important gains the 

students want to achieve on their scores. Although the percentage of sophomores looking up 

other new words is higher than that of freshmen, there is no big difference in this ratio.  

Next, item two, "I track my progress for reaching my goal by the percentage of completing 

vocabulary," got the second-highest score with the exact means M1 = 3.68 and M2 = 3.42. This 

figure shows that students can detect how much they lack knowledge about that topic and have 

a direction to adjust their way of learning. Students are accustomed to using technologies in 

learning vocabulary, so applying Quizlet becomes an easy and exciting method. That has been 



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demonstrated in Kálecký's (2016) and Sanosi's (2018) study. 

Moreover, thanks to the motivations and benefits that Quizlet provides, the freshmen and 

sophomore students viewed the use of Flashcards in acquiring vocabulary positively outside 

class. As Figure 2 mentioned, Flashcard is the most chosen function, so the mean results show 

that students were quite fond of creating flashcards with the value M1= 3.46 and M2= 3.5. It 

showed Flashcard as a way to promote and develop learner-centered learning environments. 

These results demonstrate that most of the students in this study made an effort to take 

advantage of the benefits of the Flashcard function to improve their memory and review 

vocabulary better. It is similar to the research shown by Burston (2014) and Taylor & Francis 

study (2020).    

As a result, according to the results, it is clear that the students perceived Quizlet to be beneficial 

in terms of their L2 development. Most of the figures about the level of motivation and active 

learning show a concurrence trend. That proves that Quizlet creates a fun environment that 

motivates the freshmen and sophomore students in vocabulary acquisition. Thanks to those 

motivations, students are aware of the importance of expanding their knowledge and always 

actively spend time promoting self-study outside of class time. 

4.2.3 Outcome 

Figure 3. 

The mean value of student’s outcome after using Quizlet 

According to the survey, both freshmen and sophomores have admitted that they can better 

memorize vocabulary with Quizlet. This has been demonstrated by the high level of approval 

of the two items "Quizlet helped me improve my vocabulary." (M1=3.86, M2=3.7) and "Quizlet 

helps me to remember vocabulary better." (M1=3.92, M2=3.7). This result can be explained by 



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various features of Quizlet, which provides an updated, enjoyable and effective way of 

vocabulary learning for students (Anjaniputra, 2018). 

4.3. Research question 3: What are the difficulties when learners use Quizlet? 

Although Quizlet is perceived as a good tool, there are still limitations and imperfections. When 

students were asked about difficulties in using Quizlet, the two most frequent answers were 

features limited in Quizlet mobile and being distracted by ads and social media. With more than 

40% of choices from the sample, advertising and social media become a barrier to affect the 

freshmen and sophomore students. This finding indicates that it is difficult for them to turn off 

notifications from social networking applications or ignore promotional purchase ads from 

floating e-commerce platforms on the learning platform. This is the same with Setiawan & 

Wiedarti's study (2020) because it also demonstrates students can be quickly distracted when 

they study Quizlet vocabulary.   

Furthermore, 33% of freshmen and 30% of sophomore students were also disappointed that the 

app offers fewer features on mobile. Eight learning modes are available in the website 

application interfaces. However, only five are offered in the mobile application interface 

(Sanosi, 2018).  With this finding, students might have difficulty applying all the functions to 

learn vocabulary at the same time though the mobile phone is a useful device that can be brought 

everywhere.  

The least selected difficulty is the information and knowledge containing errors (freshmen= 

10% and sophomore= 9%). The percentage shows that vocabulary sets on Quizlet have good 

reliability. This is not the same view as Setiawan & Wiedarti's study (2020) that students may 

learn some of the incorrect or ambiguous word meanings. Although students can not be immune 

to the wrong learning materials, this only happens with self-study students. Thus, students could 

access materials that their teachers have prepared on Quizlet.   

In the second-year survey, there are two other difficulties mentioned. "Quizlet does not have 

strict rules to use its features well" and "Create vocabulary cards with sounds for extra money." 

However, the main reason that hinders the learning process of the freshmen and sophomore 

students is being distracted by pop-up ads, social networks, and limited mobile learning 

functionality. To sum up, students need to practice self-control or set study times to control 

distractions. Besides, students can spend time learning on the computer to use the Quizlet 

functions fully, and signing up for Quizlet Go is a way to handle annoying ads on this 

application. 

 

 

 

 

 



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Table 4. 

The percentage of difficulties in using Quizlet 

Items Freshmen Sophomores 

Distracted by ads or social media (Facebook, Instagram...) 

Quizlet mobile does not have some features as on the website 

Limitation in providing learning information materials 

Definitions of some words are inaccurate 

Others 

42% 

33% 

15% 

10% 

0 % 

41% 

30% 

17% 

9% 

3%* 

* Others: "Quizlet does not have strict rules to use its features well."   

               "Create vocabulary cards with sounds for extra money." 

 

5. CONCLUSION 

Based on the finding, Quizlet could help students improve their vocabulary so that they can 

have enough motivation and have an interest in vocabulary learning. Besides, it becomes an 

effective application for them by assisting students in approaching new words or assessing their 

learning progress. However, some limitations need to be solved, such as the less usage time of 

students each week, distracting ads and social media, or some paid functions.  

From these problems, the authors of this research can put forward some potential solutions for 

schools, lecturers, and students. School directors expressed that they indicated quite high 

intentions to assist lectures and non-commercial activities of their students and teachers 

(Geuens, De Pelsmacker & Mast, 2002). Thus, by sponsoring Quizlet packages or purchasing 

sharable accounts, schools can help many students approach Quizlet functions. Full access to 

Quizlet Plus might pique students' curiosity and interest. It might encourage them to use and 

experience. Students would enjoy and desire the study method of Quizlet. Next, lecturers should 

have more recommendations about Quizlet or give students homework on Quizlet. This way, 

students can effectively exploit the benefits of Quizlet and increase time for study (Gilbert 

2016). Due to the interest and support from school and lecturers for students to effectively 

exploit the benefits of Quizlet and increase time for study, this habit would increase the time 

students actively learn vocabulary and improve their English skills. Students who have good 

study habits will know how to build their learning plan and self-study as they devised (Julius 

& Evans, 2015). 

Although this study revealed positive results, it is not without its shortcomings. First, because 

of the impact of the pandemic, the survey had to collect samples online and was limited to 100 

English first year and second-year students. This limitation made the results less general. Also, 

this study focused on students who major in the English language at Banking University Ho 

Chi Minh City, so these results cannot be applied to students of any majors or schools. Lastly, 

it would be interesting if a future study looked at the differences between general vocabulary 

and specific vocabulary; consequently, the results only indicated the Quizlet effectiveness to 



ACOJ- ISSN 1936-9859 AsiaCALL Online Journal  Vol. 13; No. 1; 2022 

163 

general vocabulary. It would be worthwhile if future studies compare this difference and expand 

the research object to get more data for further analysis on vocabulary acquisition. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

We deeply appreciate the insightful comments of Ms. Dao Nguyen Anh Duc – our mentor and 

lecturer of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Banking University, Ho Chi Minh City, on our 

earliest drafts and whole study. And we wish to thank her support during the process of our 

work and participation in the conference. 

 

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Biodata 

Nguyen Thanh Thuy is currently a junior of Business English at Banking University of Ho Chi 
Minh City, Vietnam. Her field of interest is English learning methods, so she chose the topic 
related to IT application in English learning to present at the conference. This is a great 
opportunity for her to learn new things and experiment through this event. 

Nguyen Dinh Tri is a junior majoring in the English language at Banking University Ho Chi 
Minh City. To be honest, this is the first research that he has finished and this also is the first 
time that he has taken part in such an international conference. He hopes that the conference 
can help him improve himself and develop new skills. 

Nguyen Dang Le Quoc Khanh is a junior at Banking University in Ho Chi Minh City, 
specializing in English. He has a passion for learning languages. He really wants to become 
multilingual. Honestly, this is the first time he has completed a research project, and it is also 
the first time he has attended an international conference. He sincerely believes that the 
conference can widen his horizons. 

Same with other members, Mai Huy Hoang is a Banking University Ho Chi Minh City's junior. 
He is following a Bachelor's Program in Business English. He has used his skills in reading and 
writing to participate in this study. This is his first research in the study program. 

Le Thi Thanh Xuan is currently a junior at Banking University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 
To be honest, she is in charge of learning Business English in accordance with her college's 
program. This is her first time conducting research at university. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


