Efficacy of Digital Tools for Students’ Vocabulary Expansion

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of selected digital tools— such as Merriam Webster’s Word of the Day, Oxford English Dictionary (OED) App, Google Translate, Power Thesaurus, WordReference.com, and Wordnik— in enhancing students’ vocabulary acquisition. A quasi-experimental research design with a comparative approach was employed. The respondents were the 120 students from NARRA National High School under the Division of Bayawan City. Each participant was randomly assigned to either of the two groups, and each was exposed to different digital vocabulary tools. A pre-test and post-test were administered to measure changes in vocabulary skills using a validated assessment tool to evaluate proficiency before and after the intervention. Statistical analyses included a paired sample t-test to compare pre-test and post-test scores within groups and an independent samples t-test to assess differences between the two groups. The study revealed a significant improvement in vocabulary skills after exposure to digital tools. However, results also indicated that in most areas, there was no significant difference between the post-vocabulary skills of the two groups. The mean post-test scores for both groups reached the “advanced” category (90% to 94%), confirming the overall effectiveness of digital interventions. Schools and educators are therefore encouraged to integrate these tools into traditional learning methods to optimize student engagement and support vocabulary development.