PRACTICAL IDEAS
Using Quizlet to
engage teens
Pete Clements looks at using digital flashcards.
I
’m always looking for ways to keep my
teen classes motivated. This probably
won’t surprise you, but some form of
technology usually helps! As part of
an action research project for my MA
course (through NILE ELT) I decided to
see whether use of the digital flashcard
tool Quizlet motivated my teen classes to
undertake self-study. Did it? Yes and no ...
About digital flashcards ...
The use of digital flashcard websites for
memorising vocabulary and revising
new concepts seems popular at present.
The mission page for one such site,
Quizlet, states that ‘every month over
20 million active learners from 130
countries practice and master more than
140 million study sets’, all of which are
user-generated.
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Traditional paper flashcards have long
been a fixture in ELT classrooms and
have been reported as an effective
intentional learning tool for vocabulary
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acquisition According to Ashcroft
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& Imrie (2014), studies suggest that
flashcards allow for greater learner
autonomy, freedom, convenience,
motivation, and are suited to
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metacognitive strategies such as spaced
repetition. Digital flashcards, which can
be accessed by learners directly through
apps and sites, surely offer even more
convenience to tech-savvy learners.
Recent studies have highlighted the
positive impact of digital flashcards
on learner engagement (Barr, 2016),
autonomy (Ashcroft & Imrie, ibid)
and collaboration (Hung, 2015). Some
critics have stressed that vocabulary
n Volume 27 n Issue 2 www.modernenglishteacher.com 59
dM
introduced using flashcards is often
decontextualised, and that flashcards
engage learners mainly in shallow-
encoding tasks (as Gianfranco Conti has
mentioned in recent blog posts).
an
Teens and motivation
ing
When it comes to class time, my teens
are very motivated to study English.
Their level is pretty good, they are quite
confident speakers and tend to find
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their own ways to make tasks fun and
engaging. I’m hardly fighting a losing
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battle – in fact they’re a dream to teach.
They seem to enjoy my little teaching
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experiments too, well, most of them (the
Cuisenaire rods are now collecting dust).
nP
However, we do spend a fair bit of time
in class going over old ground. Learners
tend not to review much language in
their own time. Homework in the form
of interactive tasks (I’ve tried plenty
of things) is conveniently forgotten.
Controlled practice homework from the
workbook is normally being frantically
completed at the start of class. That’s fair
enough, I’d be unlikely to do that in my
own time too as the exercises aren’t the
most riveting! If only I could find some
fun review activities that would engage
learners to undertake self-study ...
Quizlet
Quizlet is a digital flashcard tool with a
range of interactive features. It allows
users to create their own study sets of
concepts or vocabulary to practise, and
to store these online. Users can learn and
review their study sets through a range
of activities. These include reviewing
ia
ed
basic flashcards, learning the vocabulary
items through multiple-choice activities,
completing a test based on the study set,
spelling practice and playing matching
games. There is also a collaborative
game called Quizlet Live which can be
played during class time.
The study
The aims of my action research were the
following:
nn integrate Quizlet into classroom
practice for teen classes throughout
one term
nn encourage and promote self-study
outside the classroom through use of
Quizlet study sets
nn evaluate the affective benefits of
using Quizlet inside and outside the
classroom
I also aimed to evaluate whether the
Quizlet activities undertaken facilitate
higher-order thinking skills. While using
flashcards for vocabulary acquisition
may have some drawbacks (as
mentioned), encouraging learners to
create their own flashcard sets seems like
a good way to deepen knowledge and
promote higher-order skills including
application, analysis and evaluation.
Procedure
I trained 23 learners (aged 12–17, level
A2+) to use Quizlet over ten weeks.
Learners (across two classes) agreed
to download the Quizlet app and
study a series of ‘study sets’ I devised
for the class at relevant stages of the
PRACTICAL IDEAS

ten-week period. Activities in class
included periods of self-study using
various ‘Learn’ tools, and collaborative
games using Quizlet ‘Play’ tools. Class
time spent using Quizlet totalled
approximately 20 minutes per lesson
with the exception of tasks for creating
study sets, which required additional
learner training. The class were set
Quizlet-related homework (normally
independent study of the sets) each
week, and a record was kept of student
own study sets in preparation for a new
unit of study.
The table below shows an outline of the
classroom-based Quizlet activities used.
Although it was generally clear what
Quizlet activities would be undertaken
during the term, there was no fixed
time frame for trialling particular tasks.
For any technology to be successful in
the classroom its implementation must
The outline shows how I decided
Quizlet should be used in each
proceeding lesson, in response to
learner needs. Admittedly, tasks such
as the creation of study sets were
shoehorned into this process, though
not without their benefits.
Evaluation
During the ten weeks, student progress
was monitored using the ‘Class’

ia
activity through the ‘Class’ function be principled – it wasn’t appropriate to function, along with viewing class
on Quizlet. Towards the end of term, schedule the use of Quizlet every week performance on activities for each

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learners were tasked with creating their just because I was researching it! study set. The Class function keeps a
record of student activity on Quizlet

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Time on – how often they use each Quizlet
Lesson Activities Purpose activity for each study set. It records
Quizlet
1 – Unit 1 20 nn Learner training Introduce tool, this data in an activity log which both
minutes nn Study practice with Set 1: familiarise learners teacher and student can access. The
appearances with tool features class performance tool reviews how

nn Homework – practice Set 1
2 – Unit 1 10 nn Review Set 1 as a ‘Smart
minutes Start’. Play collaborative
x2 Match task
nn Final 10 minutes – introduce
Set 2: personality review
nn Homework: practice Set 2
an
well students are performing on various
Engage learners at the activities such as ‘Test’ and the ‘Play’
start of class features. It shows items that the class
Establish the idea
ing
as a whole are struggling to identify
of Quizlet as a class
routine during activities. This informed the
Use Set 2 as a ‘priming review stages in class.
glossary’ for next topic
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3 – Unit 1 10 nn Introduce Set 3: building Use Set 3 as a priming Aside from formative assessment
minutes confidence glossary for next topic based on the performance tool, I
nn Homework: practise Set 3
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gathered informal class feedback on

4 – Unit 1 20 nn Learner training – Quizlet Introduce different using Quizlet (verbally). The main,
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minutes Live collaborative game more formal evaluation of the tool

nn Play Sets 1–3 on Quizlet (based on other happened in week ten, when students
Live teacher feedback)
completed a questionnaire related to
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5 – Unit 1 – nn No class time dedicated to
Quizlet
nn Homework: look at the two
new sets uploaded in the
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One new set acts as the Quizlet tool.
a priming glossary for
Unit 2; the other is
a phrasal verb task Findings and discussion

class folder – preparation (identify the correct

for Unit 2 particle) adapted from Frequency of use
the book
6 – Unit 2 15 nn Play Quizlet Live with Sets 4 Engage learners at the
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minutes and 5 as a Smart Start start of class

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7 – Unit 2 Optional nn Students could review their Used to recall target

Quizlet sets for vocabulary language introduced
to include in an extended that formed part of
writing task the success criteria
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for the task

8 – Unit 2 10 nn Impromptu Quizlet Live on Review
minutes request at the end of class
nn Homework: review study
sets in preparation for Unit Student feedback showed that around
1 and 2 review 70% of students across the two classes
9 – Unit 45 nn Learner training Collaborative task used the Quizlet app at home. This
2/3 minutes nn Create your own study sets result was supported by the activity
in preparation for Unit 3 logs on Quizlet. Use of the app at
home compared to during class
10 20 nn Student evaluation of Gather information for time varied. Responses suggest that
minutes the Quizlet tool both this research and students spend more time at home
Complete the questionnaire lessons next term
using the Learn function compared

60 www.modernenglishteacher.com n Volume 27 n Issue 2


to the digital flashcards. The Learn
function offers multiple-choice options
for a definition, so students might be
using this for more support.
The matching game was clearly the
most popular activity to use in class.
In practice, students often work with
a partner when using the Match
activity. Comments about the Quizlet
Live tool suggest students enjoy the
collaborative and game-based nature
of the Live activity:
‘Because we work in a team and try to
win the game. It’s very interesting for me.’
‘... because I think it’s challenging
and fun.’
‘... helps us remember words and we
have to talk with other students.’
Application to other learning
No students stated that they had used
Quizlet prior to this study. With this in
mind, it’s positive to find that 20% of
students have used the app for other
studies (English in their own schools,
Chinese). In addition, class data on
Quizlet reveals that some students
accessed user-generated study sets
related to other subjects, such as
biology and psychology.
Game-based learning
Quizlet Live undoubtedly engaged
students and was often a requested
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activity even during break time. Assigning
students to random teams clearly had
benefits in building rapport and for
friendly competition. As a result of using
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Quizlet Live, other review games such as
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Kahoot! had been trialled in class.
Attitudes to Quizlet
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Nearly 70% of students across the two
classes felt that Quizlet helped them
learn English. There were a lot of positive
remarks made when completing the
statement ‘In my opinion, Quizlet is ...’:
‘very useful for children’
‘a very useful app for learning vocabulary.
It’s like a dictionary in a better way, but I
think it’s good for practising only words
because it’s not very effective for learning’
n Volume 27 n Issue 2 www.modernenglishteacher.com 61
‘a good choice to learn English and
Chinese language’
Setting homework tasks certainly
motivated more students to undertake
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self-study. However, the app still didn’t
have complete success in engaging
students outside of class – 25% of students
suggested they didn’t enjoy using the app
for homework and only 50% agreed that
an
they complete Quizlet related tasks set
by the teacher at home. According to the
class data, use of the app at home for both
ing
classes tailed off towards the final three
weeks of term.
Students found the task of making their
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own study sets mostly ‘interesting’,
‘useful’, but fairly ‘easy’. With this in mind,
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it probably didn’t stretch them enough.
While the task may seem to require
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many higher-order skills, it should be
noted that the students, as ‘screenagers’
or ‘digital natives’, are rather familiar
nP
with simple form completion, image
selection, data input or Google searches
that were needed to create the lists. In
reaction to this, I prompted learners to
stretch their skills more, by summarising
dictionary definitions, editing their
definitions, working in teams to ensure
collaboration, and experimenting with
word stress matching rather than word-
meaning tasks. The editing stage proved
the most challenging (which comes under
‘Applying’ in the Taxonomy). I will aim to
exploit this further next term by devising
an editing task based on existing user-
generated sets.
Conclusion
Quizlet was a useful tool to integrate into
classes. It engaged learners both inside
and, to an extent, outside the classroom.
The tool promoted collaboration and
engagement during class time, and
prompted some self-study (supporting
PRACTICAL IDEAS
previous research findings), although this
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has not been as frequent as expected.
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The Quizlet tool on its own does little
to exploit higher-order thinking skills.
However, there is potential for teachers
to exploit the tool more in this way –
something I hope to do next term.
References
Ashcroft RJ & Imrie AC (2014) Learning
vocabulary with digital flashcards. In N Sonda
& A Krause (Eds) JALT2013 Conference
Proceedings. Tokyo: JALT.
Barr B (2016) Checking the effectiveness of
Quizlet as a vocabulary tool for learning. The
Centre for ELF Journal 33–48.Tamagawa,Tokyo
Hung HT (2015) Intentional vocabulary
learning using digital flashcards. English
Language Teaching 8 (10).
Gianfranco Conti blog posts:
13 Commonly Made Mistakes in Modern
Language Instruction. Accessed via
https://gianfrancoconti.wordpress.
com/2017/07/15/13-commonly-made-
mistakes-in-modern-language-instruction/
(15/07/2017).
Patterns First – Why You Should Ditch
Word Lists, Traditional Grammar Rules and
… Your Textbook. Accessed via https://
gianfrancoconti.wordpress.com/2017/05/21/
why-you-should-ditch-word-lists-and-
traditional-grammar-rules/ (21/05/2017).
Peter Clements is a teacher and
materials writer currently based
in Bangkok. His interests include
technology-assisted language
learning and teacher development.
He currently mentors trainees on the
Trinity DipTESOL, and blogs at www.
eltplanning.com