Abstract-In this study, the most and the least common vocabulary learning strategies was explored among Eastern Mediterranean University international students. Besides, the role of personal factors such as gender and English proficiency level of students were considered. After distributing the questionnaire, the data were analyzed applying t-test and ANOVA. It was revealed that the level of importance of vocabulary learning strategy use was moderate for the EMU international students. Furthermore, it was found that metacognitive strategies and social strategies are the most and the least common vocabulary learning strategies respectively utilized by EMU international students for learning vocabulary. Regarding the role of gender and proficiency level, the t-test and ANOVA results indicated that gender was an effective factor; whereas, proficiency was not an influential factor in preference of students for using vocabulary learning strategies. Male students preferred detrimental strategies but females preferred metacognitive strategies.

Vocabulary learning is an integral part of language learning; however, it is difficult. Although there are many techniques proposed for vocabulary learning and teaching, researchers still strive to find effective methods. Recently, digital games have shown potentials in enhancing vocabulary acquisition. A majority of studies in digital game-based vocabulary learning (DGBVL) literature investigate the effectiveness of DGBVL tasks. In other words, there are enough answers to what questions in DGBVL literature whereas why questions are rarely answered. Finding such answers help us learn more about the structure of the DGBVL tasks and their effects on vocabulary learning. Hence, to achieve this aim, the available literature on digital games and vocabulary learning were systematically reviewed from 1996 to 2020. The results revealed seven themes such as motivation, authenticity, repetition, instantiation, dual encoding, interactivity, and feedback. Based on the available literature, these themes are factors, in digital games, that can contribute to enhancing vocabulary acquisition.

This study investigates the probable effect of a digital game-based vocabulary learning (DGBVL) task on the acquisition of some components of a word knowledge framework. In so doing, 124 Persian speakers (56 males and 68 females) were randomly assigned to either a control or an experimental group. The experimental group participants completed a DGBVL task for acquiring ten low-frequent inanimate object names, or lexical nouns, by playing a commercial adventure game. The control group participants practiced the same words in a fill-in-the-blank vocabulary acquisition exercise. In brief, first, all participants sat for a word-checklist and a proficiency test; next, they completed their tasks, and three weeks later, all participants sat for eight achievement tests. In the achievement test booklet, participants' knowledge of receptive, productive, recognition, and recall dimensions and scopes of meaning, orthography, and association were evaluated. The results revealed 1) the efficiency of the DGBVL task in enhancing the acquisition of these components, 2) the precedence of productive knowledge acquisition by the experimental group participants, 3) strong associations among the components acquired through DGBVL task assistance, and 4) gains in the components that were not associated with others due to the efficiency of DGBVL.

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