EFL vocabulary development through story-based activities using liveworksheets
A pre-experimental study in an Indonesian junior secondary school
Keywords:
EFL Learners, Liveworksheets, Story-Based Learning, Vocabulary Learning, Vocabulary MasteryAbstract
Vocabulary mastery is essential for EFL learners’ ability to understand and use English effectively. This study investigated changes in students’ vocabulary performance following the implementation of story-based learning activities through Liveworksheets at SMPN 7 Palopo. A quantitative pre-experimental design using a one-group pre-test–post-test approach was employed. The participants were 23 ninth-grade students selected purposively from class IX.B. Data were collected using a 20-item vocabulary test focusing on nouns, verbs, and adjectives related to animal topics. The intervention was conducted over four instructional sessions using story-based materials and interactive Liveworksheets activities. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired-samples t-test with a significance level of .05. The results showed that the students’ mean vocabulary score increased from 38.91 in the pre-test to 73.04 in the post-test, representing a 34.13-point increase. The proportion of students in the good and excellent categories also increased from 17.39% to 86.95%. The paired-samples t-test revealed a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores, t(22) = −17.201, p < .001. These findings indicate substantial improvement in students’ vocabulary performance following the intervention. However, because the study employed a one-group design without a control group, the improvement cannot be attributed exclusively to Liveworksheets. The study suggests that Liveworksheets-based, story-contextualized activities have potential as a supplementary approach to vocabulary instruction in junior secondary EFL classrooms.
Downloads
References
Aida, Y. (1994). Examination of Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope’s construct of foreign language anxiety: The case of students of Japanese. The Modern Language Journal, 78(2), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1994.tb02026.x
Andewi, W., & Waziana, W. (2023). Analysis of making a vlog to minimize public speak anxiety among EFL students. Issues in Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching, 5(2), 94–98. https://doi.org/10.37253/iallteach.v5i2.8682
Bai, Y., & Xian, H. (2024). Exploring the interplay of digital storytelling, L2 speaking skills, self-regulation, and anxiety in an IELTS preparation course. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04109-8
Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of self-regulation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 248–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90022-L
Choi, S. H., & Sinwongsuwat, K. (2024). Vlogging: An alternative to role-play in improving EFL learners’ conversation skills. REFLections, 31(2), 353–385. https://doi.org/10.61508/refl.v31i2.273312
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Dikmen, M. (2021). EFL learners’ foreign language learning anxiety and language performance: A meta-analysis study. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 8(3), 206–222. https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.908048
Fausen, Chairuddin, & Aditya, M. Y. (2022). The use of vlogging (video blogging) to encounter students’ speaking anxiety. SELL Journal, 7(1), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.31597/sl.v7i1.747
Horwitz, E. K. (1986). Preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of a foreign language anxiety scale. TESOL Quarterly, 20(3), 559. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586302
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x
Huang, L., & Liu, M. (2025). The impact of technology on foreign language anxiety: A systematic review of empirical studies from 2004 to 2024. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05921-6
Jin, S. (2024). Speaking proficiency and affective effects in EFL: Vlogging as a social media-integrated activity. British Journal of Educational Technology, 55(2), 586–604. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13381
MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb05543.x
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1989). Anxiety and second-language learning: Toward a theoretical clarification. Language Learning, 39(2), 251–275. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1989.tb00423.x
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the second language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01103.x
Madzlan, N. A., Seng, G. H., & Kesevan, H. V. (2020). Use of video blogs in alleviating public speaking anxiety among ESL learners. Journal of Education and E-Learning Research, 7(1), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.71.93.99
Manan, N. A. A., & Azizan, N. (2022). Vlogging as an assessment tool in ELT: A study among adult learners in a distance learning programme. Elsya: Journal of English Language Studies, 4(2), 109–123. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i2.8160
Meyer, H., & Patty, J. (2024). Reducing EFL students’ speaking anxiety through vlog in English Education Study Program at Pattimura University. Huele: Journal of Applied Linguistics, Literature and Culture, 4(2), 107–118. https://doi.org/10.30598/huele.v4.i2.p107-118
Saed, H. A., Haider, A. S., Al-Salman, S., & Hussein, R. F. (2021). The use of YouTube in developing the speaking skills of Jordanian EFL university students. Heliyon, 7(7), e07543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07543
Sepa Phalosa Ady, R., & Mardiah, Z. (2024). Foreign language speaking anxiety: A systematic review of a decade in South East Asia. Ethical Lingua: Journal of Language Teaching and Literature, 11(2), 332–350. https://doi.org/10.30605/25409190.722
Sun, Q., Alhowail, A., & Beckmann, N. (2025). Is foreign language anxiety malleable? A systematic review of longitudinal observation studies. System, 133, 103782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103782
Suryadi, S. B., Mubarok, F. U., Asri, A. N., Ulfa, F., Nurhasan, U., Rahmanto, A. N., & Juliadilla, R. (2024). Identifying EFL students’ speaking performance: Foreign language anxiety among non-English department students. International Journal of English Language and Pedagogy, 2(2), 45–52. https://doi.org/10.33830/ijelp.v2i2.9673
Wang, S. I. C., & Liu, E. Z. F. (2024). Validating Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale for high school students. International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design, 14(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJOPCD.338323
Woodrow, L. (2006). Anxiety and speaking English as a second language. RELC Journal, 37(3), 308–328. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688206071315
Wulandari, M. (2019). Improving EFL learners’ speaking proficiency through Instagram vlog. LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching, 22(1), 111–125. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2019.220111
Yu, Q. (2024). Foreign language anxiety research in System between 2004 and 2023: Looking back and looking forward. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1373290
