Minnie Sites and Enhancing Malaysian Upper Primary ESL Learners Vocabulary during VUCA Times

Abstract

Since mastering English has emerged as one of the most crucial abilities for students to gain, teaching English as a Secondary Language in the dynamic age of evolution takes a rigorous effort. As one of the most important abilities to improve in learning English is vocabulary, Malaysian Upper Primary ESL learners have been exposed to a list of vocabulary relating to their everyday lives through a CEFR-aligned curriculum at school. However, acquiring vocabulary is a time-consuming process that requires the learners to master the form and meaning range of a specific lexical word. Therefore, this paper investigated the use of Minnie Sites as a way to enhance vocabulary acquisition among upper-primary ESL learners. It involved 33 participants who were in their Upper Primary school level from a rural school in Kota Tinggi, Johor. This study uses a Design and Development Research (DDR) approach to generate interest in English vocabulary learning through five stages in the ADDIE model. Based on a comparison between the pre-and post-tests, findings indicated that there is a significant effect of using Minnie Sites to enhance vocabulary. This study implies the effectiveness of applying Minnie Sites among learners, teachers, and parents who value their children's vocabulary acquisition mainly at primary levels.