Use of Drops App for Mobile-Assisted Language Learning and its effects on Tagalog Vocabulary Acquisition
Location
SU-215
Start Date
1-5-2026 12:50 PM
Department
Linguistics
Abstract
Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has grown in popularity in recent years with improved mobile phone technology (Yaman & Ekmekçi, 2016) and many apps promoting the ability to learn a new language. Research into language acquisition via MALL represents an exciting area for vocabulary acquisition, the ability to have the language learning device on your person at all times means studying does not have to be planned ahead of time. Recent studies have shown that MALL helps to improve vocabulary acquisition, especially due to the ease of use (Van & Thanh, 2021, Osborne, M., 2013). In order to study this, a 3-month long study was conducted using the mobile app Drops (paid version) to learn vocabulary from Tagalog. Previous studies have shown that the use of Drops app has had a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition in a classroom setting (Sabilla, S., & Daulay, S.H., 2025). Despite that the Drops app has been available for over a decade, not many studies have been performed using the app compared to its contemporaries, like Duolingo. Tagalog is an Austronesian language that has been heavily influenced by Spanish and English, due to colonization of the Philippines (Rodríguez, 2021). Over the 3-month long period a notebook of acquired vocabulary was kept along with their relationship to other languages. Words that were from Spanish and English were able to be recalled quickly and correctly compared to native Tagalog words. Multiple issues with the app quickly appeared, such as lack of grammar rules and the short time-limit given before an option to extend the study time was found. Drops contains an extensive dictionary that records previously learned vocabulary and your familiarity with those words. Although this hasn’t been shown to improve vocabulary acquisition (Carney, 2024), it is an important resource that other MALL tools lack. Overall, the Drops app provided a reliable experience to encounter new words; however, lack of repeating tests and reviews of the vocabulary prevented many words from fully being acquired without supplementing with other resources.
Faculty Sponsor
Richard Hallett
Use of Drops App for Mobile-Assisted Language Learning and its effects on Tagalog Vocabulary Acquisition
SU-215
Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has grown in popularity in recent years with improved mobile phone technology (Yaman & Ekmekçi, 2016) and many apps promoting the ability to learn a new language. Research into language acquisition via MALL represents an exciting area for vocabulary acquisition, the ability to have the language learning device on your person at all times means studying does not have to be planned ahead of time. Recent studies have shown that MALL helps to improve vocabulary acquisition, especially due to the ease of use (Van & Thanh, 2021, Osborne, M., 2013). In order to study this, a 3-month long study was conducted using the mobile app Drops (paid version) to learn vocabulary from Tagalog. Previous studies have shown that the use of Drops app has had a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition in a classroom setting (Sabilla, S., & Daulay, S.H., 2025). Despite that the Drops app has been available for over a decade, not many studies have been performed using the app compared to its contemporaries, like Duolingo. Tagalog is an Austronesian language that has been heavily influenced by Spanish and English, due to colonization of the Philippines (Rodríguez, 2021). Over the 3-month long period a notebook of acquired vocabulary was kept along with their relationship to other languages. Words that were from Spanish and English were able to be recalled quickly and correctly compared to native Tagalog words. Multiple issues with the app quickly appeared, such as lack of grammar rules and the short time-limit given before an option to extend the study time was found. Drops contains an extensive dictionary that records previously learned vocabulary and your familiarity with those words. Although this hasn’t been shown to improve vocabulary acquisition (Carney, 2024), it is an important resource that other MALL tools lack. Overall, the Drops app provided a reliable experience to encounter new words; however, lack of repeating tests and reviews of the vocabulary prevented many words from fully being acquired without supplementing with other resources.