Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition Through Hypermedia-Based Listening: Evidence from Sri Lankan Higher Education

Abstract

Hypermedia-based listening plays a crucial role in the success of students learning English as a second language. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of hypermedia-based instruction on listening skills in English as a second language. Strategies involving display boards and video-based methods were employed for vocabulary development. This research involved students enrolled in the Higher National Diploma in English at the Advanced Technological Institute of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE). An experimental group comprised ninety students from class - A, while an equal number of students from class - B served as the control group. Both groups underwent a pre-test to evaluate their vocabulary development prior to the intervention, revealing negligible mean differences between them. Subsequently, the experimental group participated in hypermedia-based listening for six months, totalling sixty hours of learning, whereas the control group received instruction without hypermedia-based methods. After six months, a post-test was administered to both groups. In the post-test results, the mean for group - B (-0.090) showed a slight development compared to the pre-test, while group - A exhibited a significant development in their mean (-2.761). Consequently, a positive correlation was established between hypermedia-based listening and the vocabulary development.