Volume 12 - Issue 66
/ June 2023
21
http:// www.amazoniainvestiga.info ISSN 2322- 6307
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.66.06.2
How to Cite:
Celik, B. (2023). Using QR codes to develop EFL learners’ pronunciation skills and expand vocabulary knowledge. Amazonia
Investiga, 12(66), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.66.06.2
Using QR codes to develop EFL learners’ pronunciation skills and
expand vocabulary knowledge
İngilizceyi Yabancı Dil Olarak Öğrenen Öğrencilerin Telaffuz Becerilerini Geliştirmek ve
Kelime Bilgisini Arttırmak için QR Kodlarının Kullanılması
Received: April 1, 2023 Accepted: May 30, 2023
Written by:
Bunyamin Celik1
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1595-7273
Abstract
Developments in technology have affected
education in an unprecedented way. The
affordability of mobile technologies has
prompted educators to implement mobile
enriched instructions in classes. In this regard,
QR codes have received much attention at
educational institutions for their advantages,
such as being flexible, handy, and cost-free,
particularly in the last two decades. For this
purpose, the current study was carried out at
TISHK International University in Erbil, Iraq, on
fifty advanced English students during the 2022-
2023 academic year, spanning 6 weeks. The
participants were chosen via stratified random
sampling method. Control group students
received traditional education, while
experimental group students were exposed to QR
code-based instruction through recorded audio
tracks, videos, presentations, and e-exams. The
findings, collected through exams and analyzed
using SPSS 25 in this quantitative study, revealed
that QR code-based instruction significantly
improved students' vocabulary knowledge and
pronunciation accuracy, with p-values of .002
and .003, respectively. The findings of this study
can have implications for education stakeholders
who aim to devise novel ways to enhance
students' levels with web-enhanced tools like QR
codes.
Keywords: QR codes, vocabulary enhancement,
pronunciation accuracy.
Introduction
English is regarded as a lingua franca to
communicate on a global scale, so it allows the
speakers to remove the barriers of
1
Ph.D., Lecturer, English Language Teaching Department, Faculty of Education, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq.
communication between people from different
nationalities to a great extent. Learning a new
language is a process that involves adapting not
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just to a new language but also to a new culture,
way of thinking, and geographical location
(Celik & Yildiz, 2019; Celik et al., 2022). Statista
(2021) reports that 1.5 billion people speak
English either natively or as a second language,
so it ranks first in the competition to be the most
widely spoken language in the world.
Accordingly, the number of methods to teach and
learn English has transformed considerably since
the advent of Grammar Translation Method
(GTM). The benefits of teaching can be traced
back to the teacher's ability to establish and
maintain rapport with students (Kapukaya &
Yildiz, 2023). Traditional teaching methods have
less emphasized interaction, communication and
hands-on activities. However, these notions have
been altered in this century as modern teaching
methodologies such as Communicative
Language Learning (CLL) and Task Based
Language Learning (TBL) emphasize the
necessity to switch the focus from the teachers to
the learners, so communication channels
between the students and the teachers can be used
actively during classes (Ding et al., 2019). In
addition, offering courses to appeal to different
styles with modern methodologies has received
much attention because some learners can learn
well in an auditory format, while others prefer
learning by visual materials. It can be seen that
modern teaching methodologies consider
learners’ differences and customize their learning
endeavors correspondingly. Moreover, the ratio
of students to teachers is very high in today's
schools. As a result, dealing with learners
individually becomes challenging for teachers.
With the proliferation of mobile technologies,
solutions such as English online chat and chatbot
apps have emerged to fill the demand for ESL
instruction (Yildiz, 2022a).
Technology plays pivotal roles to increase the
efficient delivery of the content to the learners in
modern education. Teachers can modify
classroom activities with the aid of technology to
improve language acquisition. Learning, both
inside and outside of the classroom, now heavily
involves the use of technology (Yildiz, 2021). It
is important to note that today's youth rely
heavily on computers and the internet. Existing
pervasive computer technologies have the
potential to revolutionize classroom settings
(Yildiz, 2022b). In this context, Quick Response
(QR) codes are technological tools to enhance
learning and teaching English to meet this need
(Bakla, 2018). These codes can be basically
defined as scannable images to be directed to
various links through which videos can be
watched; texts can be read; quizzes can be taken;
presentation can be examined and images can be
illustrated. Their popularity has grown
tremendously in this decade because they are
mostly free of charge, handy and time-savers. To
illustrate, an English teacher can create a QR
code on a reading passage to raise students’
awareness of global warming, and students can
access to information in a second just by a QR
code scanner installed on their mobile devices.
Once students can read the text, they can take a
relevant quiz to check their comprehension
instantly. On the other hand, sending the same
text and quiz to the student can take much time if
the link has been sent by Learning Management
Systems or knowledge sharing groups on
WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram (Alzubi, 2019).
Considering the advantages of QR codes, it can
be stated that they have great potential to be
unlocked for language learning and teaching
purposes.
EFL students are not interested in a study of
English that focuses primarily on rote
memorization of grammar and vocabulary.
However, in elementary schools, English as a
Foreign Language and English as a Second
Language teachers, should focus on expanding
their students' vocabularies rather than teaching
them to read and write (Yildiz, 2019).
Afterwards, pronunciation is one of the sub-skills
of English along with grammar and vocabulary.
Pronunciation includes not only voicing the
words accurately but also rhythm, intonation and
stress (Celik, 2018). There has been a consensus
that commanding rules of pronunciation urges
the speakers to develop good habits towards
English, so those speakers can progress at a faster
pace than others. The speakers who mastered
pronunciation can communicate well and leave a
good impression. On the other hand, speakers
who are difficulty pronouncing words cannot
convey the meaning accurately, so having some
troublesome situations can be unavoidable.
Considering the importance of pronunciation
skill, its instruction starts at kindergarten with
phonics and continues till the end of university
education with graded activities (Levis & Grant,
2003). In addition, pronunciation plays essential
roles upon graduation in several aspects. For
instance, a newly graduated teacher can have
some interviews to be employed; candidates who
want to seek master programs abroad are
required to get internationally accepted
examinations such as TOEFL, IELTS, PTE
which encompass sections on mastery of
pronunciation; an administrator can inform the
teachers during workshops which necessitate
transferring the message to the audience with a
perfect English. Thanks to the advancements in
technology, there have been numerous web-
Celik, B. / Volume 12 - Issue 66: 21-30 / June, 2023
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enhanced tools to improve pronunciation such as
podcasts, e-dictionaries, e-books, movies and e-
quizzes (Kara, 2023). It can be stated that an
increasing number of opportunities arise to
master pronunciation in this century and be ahead
of other people in this respect.
Vocabulary is one of the most fundamental sub-
skills of English which determines the success
rate of the speakers or writers on the way of
conveying the message to the other side. It is
difficult for teachers in the modern world, when
most people are engrossed in technology, to
instill a love of reading in their learners (Yildiz,
2020). However, if they succeed, their students'
vocabulary will expand. It can be said that,
vocabulary is a central hub in communication
while composing sentences and expressing ideas
regardless of being in a spoken or written format.
Horst (2019) divides the vocabulary into 4 main
sections which are high frequency, low
frequency, academic and technical words. He
asserts that ordering the instruction considering
the priorities of the curriculum and the learners
can facilitate their learning and increase their
enthusiasm. Language learners whose
vocabulary knowledge are limited can pause
several times which may reduce their self-
confidence. On the other hand, learners who
master vocabulary can express their ideas in a
persuasive manner, so their self-confidence can
increase accordingly. In addition, figuring out the
meaning of the word can help the learners to
understand the concepts well in a song, poem,
story, novel, article, movie or series (Hunt &
Beglar, 2005). Considering the importance of
vocabulary knowledge, nearly all textbooks to
teach English reserve special sections only to
master vocabulary. In addition, vocabulary
knowledge of the learners is measured in many
local and international exams through fill in the
blank, matching, multiple choice, ordering
activities. Expanding word power is also in line
with Krashen’s (1992) input hypothesis which
hints that learning new concepts in a systematic
way can facilitate having a solid background in
English to be exposed whenever needed. It can
be argued that increasing vocabulary knowledge
is of paramount importance to master English in
terms of fluency and accuracy.
Purpose of the Study and Research Questions
Recent developments in technology have
attracted the attention of users in all aspects of
the life. Accordingly, the popularity of web-
based learning platforms has increased
dramatically as stakeholders of education have
been striving for offering more hands-on
activities to close the gap between the real life
and theoretical sessions. In this regard, QR codes
have been widely used recently to expand
learning with the help of mobile technologies.
The primary goal of this study was to pinpoint
the effects of QR code-based instruction on
students’ vocabulary expansion and
pronunciation accuracy. To this aim, following
research questions were formed:
➢ Does QR code-based instruction enhance
vocabulary knowledge of EFL learners?
➢ Do QR codes raise the level of pronunciation
accuracy of EFL learners?
Literature review
QR codes have been widely used in various fields
such as marketing, communication, industry and
education since its advent in 1994 by a Japanese
company Denso Wave for use as a label for
automotive parts. They are mainly used to be
directed to various websites, make payment,
access to statistics and save contacts. To name a
few, some QR codes created by WHO can give
further details on some chronic diseases; a credit
card owner can proceed to make payments for a
product with a QR code, a newspaper article can
lead the readers to get some statistics about
global electric car sales and mobile phone users
can save the contacts or log in to social media
platforms with a QR code. The popularity of QR
codes has increased 750 % in 2020 after global
closures due to Covid-19, and there was a 433 %
surge in using the QR codes in 2022 (Ricson,
2023). It is inevitable that the effects of QR codes
in social life will be reflected in education.
Thanks to the feasibility of QR codes, QR codes
have been widely used in education to extend
students’ learning with supplementary materials.
Some scholars (Ramsden, 2008; Googova &
Koceska, 2014; Chee & Tan, 2021) argue that
QR codes are beneficial to raise standards in
education, while others (Bakla, 2018; Alzubi,
2019; Ding et al., 2019) elucidate that they pose
some risks for educators and learners. To name a
few, Shahril et al. (2019) postulate that QR codes
serve as an interactive tool to form a
communication bridge between the teacher and
the students. Additionally, Ali et al. (2017) assert
that QR codes can function to provide links,
videos and illustrations, so students’ learning can
be enhanced dramatically. In addition, Thorne
(2016) states that teachers can provide answer
keys with their explanations in an embedded way
with the help of QR codes, so students can have
privileges to learn from their mistakes and ask
any questions to be clarified in the following
session. Likewise, Young (2015) asserts that QR
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codes can be used to make interpretations on
images, so they can learn how to make comments
on images and devise novel ways to speak
English simultaneously. Similarly, Arikan and
Ozen (2015) contend that QR codes are
revolutionary tools to expand students’
vocabulary knowledge and improve their
pronunciation because the words can be written
and prompted to read aloud flexibly. Likewise,
Fasimpaur (2011) puts forwards the idea that QR
codes can be used as a scaffolding tool through
which students can construct their knowledge in
a graded way from easy to difficult. Afterwards,
Deineko et al., (2022) states that students are
already familiar with QR codes in their social
lives, so students’ motivation increases when
they use same tools for educational purposes
which they use in daily lives. Conversely, Hicks
and Sinkinson (2011) postulate that exposing
students to large chunk of information can be
overwhelming for some students whose levels
are not satisfactory enough. In the same vein,
Kossey et al. (2015) contend that students who
are suffering from visual or physical impairment
can find it difficult to scan and read in a relatively
small screen on the mobile devices, so they prefer
learning from a larger screen on the smartboard.
After that, Valencia (2023) postulates that ICT
literacy levels vary among students, so it can be
a hurdle to offer QR codes as a standard in all
stages regardless of students’ capabilities.
Correspondingly, the findings of the studies in
different domain of language learning differ
greatly. To illustrate, Rivers (2009) carried out a
comprehensive study about the effects of QR
codes on Japanese university students’ reading
comprehension and writing expansion which
unearthed that QR codes offered useful links to
develop reading and writing skills. Another
notable study was conducted by Huah (2014) on
76 Malaysian teachers during an intensive
training period which displayed that QR codes
increased teachers’ listening and speaking
competence tremendously. In the same vein,
Hung (2018) conducted a study on 48 Taiwanese
university students which displayed that QR code
instruction improved students’ speaking
performance to a great extent. Subsequently,
Robles Becerra (2022) conducted a study on 28
Spanish university students which revealed that
QR code enriched instruction enhanced their
grammar and vocabulary knowledge
dramatically.
He also reiterated that using Web 2.0 tools such
as Kahoot and Zip Grade with QR code was so
handy to save time and eliminate technical
problems. Moreover, Polok and Starowicz
(2022) conducted a study on 101 primary school
teachers who asserted that QR code enriched
instruction expanded their vocabulary
considerably. They also noticed considerable
improvement in their pronunciation. Afterwards,
Balintag and Wilang (2020) conducted a study on
Thai EFL students at a tertiary level which
revealed that QR code enriched instruction
reduced students’ anxiety and boosted their
writing performance dramatically. Additionally,
Sari et al. (2020) conducted a study on 240
university students in Indonesia to assess
students’ learning by Google Form which
revealed that students found such quizzes quite
helpful to measure their skills and learn from
their mistakes.
On the other hand, some studies revealed that
some points need to be improved to increase the
efficiency of QR based instruction. For instance,
Alzubi (2019) received 41 teachers’ opinions on
QR codes which revealed that the necessity to
sign up with a valid e-mail address, the obligation
to make payment after a two-week trial period,
lack of ICT literacy and prohibition of mobile
phones at some institutions are some hindrances
to use QR codes widely. Similarly, Vigil (2017)
conducted a study in the US on teachers,
administrators and students which unearthed that
QR code based instruction can have negative
implications if orientation period for all parties
has been ignored or completed in a hurry. He also
highlights that self-efficacy, overall attitudes,
harmony between students and teachers, the
tendency of the parents to use technology for
educational purposes are factors to be considered
meticulously, so the success rate of the program
increases accordingly. Otherwise, some barriers
can turn into technophobia and reduce the
implementation of technology-enriched
instruction in classes. QR codes are promising
tools to revolutionize lessons, but their
effectiveness may vary depending on the
application. Careful planning, collaboration,
harmony, and regular workshops are key factors
for success. Careful planning, collaboration,
harmony and regular workshops are key factors
to success.
Methodology
Research Design
This study was undertaken according to the
procedures of quantitative research design which
required the researcher to conduct exams as pre-
test and post-test on vocabulary and
pronunciation. The effects of dependent variable,
QR codes, were investigated thoroughly prior to
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intervention and after the intervention period.
Once the exam results were fetched, they were
inserted into SPSS 25 to get detailed analysis via
independent samples t-test. According to the
analysis, some interpretations were made.
Lowhorn (2007) points out that quantitative
research design offers precious data to observe
the situation, measure objectively and figure out
the causal relationship between various
variables. Subsequently, Gerald (2018) asserts
that independent samples t test is used to
compare the means of independent groups and
come to the decisions whether statistical values
differ significantly or not in an objective manner.
Participants, Sampling and Setting
The current study was conducted at TISHK
International University where around 5000
students have been receiving high quality
education from qualified lecturers in 2022-2023
Academic Year in Erbil, Iraq. The language of
instruction has been completely in English which
has prompted the researcher to conduct the study
in this setting because it is feasible to measure the
effects of QR codes in improving students’
English proficiency. Stratified random sampling
method was employed to choose the sample from
the population. To illustrate, they were grouped
as strata based on their departments. In the next
phase, two students were chosen randomly from
each strata, so fifty participants aged between 17
and 22 from ten departments were chosen as
participants in an unbiased way to represent the
population as equal as possible. 23 (46 %)
participants were female, whereas 27 (54 %)
participants were male. The common point of
participants was taking Advanced English course
which was designed to help students master
English in four domains in their first year at
university by experienced lecturers of language
preparatory school of the university. The students
had a solid background in English and ICT which
was not excellent though, so it was easy to orient
them and collect data.
Instruments
The researcher composed two complete exams
from Scope 2 which has been published by
Oxford to teach English for B1 learners. This
series has a good reputation globally as it has a
user-friendly I-tools set, increases the degree of
difficulty gradually, offers extra worksheets on
each macro and micro-skill, teaches English in
context, provides relevant videos and games in
each unit. Rahmawati (2018) attests that a top-
notch text book should be a complete set which
includes a good design, illustration, cultural
connections, contextual perspective and
sufficient supplementary materials to increase
students’ learning and engagement. Once these
criteria were cross-checked, Scope 2 met these
criteria successfully. The researcher covered
three units and formed the questions based on
pronunciation and vocabulary which included 20
questions respectively. In other words, each
exam included twenty pronunciation twenty
vocabulary questions based on the covered units.
Pronunciation questions were composed to
measure some elements in pronunciation such as
phonetics, stress, rhythm, pitch, intonation, while
vocabulary questions were formed to check their
understanding in terms of parts of speech.
Data Collection Procedure
The researcher, who has been teaching English
professionally for over 15 years at different
stages of education, formed a committee to
design and implement the study successfully, so
each step can be handled more professionally by
exchanging ideas of the colleagues. Apart from
the researcher, two EFL experts were assigned to
help the researcher organize the whole process
from beginning till the end. In this regard,
students were oriented with an intensive
workshop, so they figured out all the steps before
commencement. In the orientation period, the
researcher introduced the goal of the study, some
sample exams and some tips. Additionally,
students asked any question in their mind to be
clarified. Later, the students took the pre-test to
measure their current level in terms of
pronunciation and vocabulary. Once pre-test
exam was taken, the intervention period started
with a QR code enriched instruction.
The Cycle of Lessons in Experimental Group
Data collection period lasted 6 weeks when they
learned by the textbook and some links to be
directed through QR codes. For example, the
researcher turned essential words of the units into
voice in a sentence, so they could listen to the
recorded versions of the key words in a context.
In addition, they learned how to use stress and
intonation during these activities. The recorded
versions allow the students to listen to them until
they master in a stress-free atmosphere, so they
could have a chance to improve their
pronunciation. After listening to the key words in
a sentence, the students were required to record
their voices twice. In the first recording, they
recorded the same version as the researcher sent,
while in the second assignment, they were
required to compose unique sentences by given
key words. The researcher also sent some videos
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through QR codes on phonetic transcriptions, so
they could learn basics of English pronunciation
gradually.
Students had ample opportunity to practice
extensively in terms of vocabulary enhancement.
For example, the researcher displayed the
definition of key words randomly on the
smartboard asked the students to match
definition with the word. Additionally, the
researcher composed various fill in the blank
activities to sharpen their vocabulary skills. In
the final phase, the researcher formed some mock
exams which encompassed multiple choice
questions. Meanwhile, all the activities in
vocabulary enrichment section were
accompanied with QR codes as well. After taking
the mock exams by Zip Grade, the researcher
analyzed their common mistakes based on the
detailed report which showed records of each
student question by question. The reports of each
student were also e-mailed to each student, so
they could have a chance to learn from their
mistakes and eliminate them in the upcoming
exams. As illustrated clearly, QR codes were
central hubs to direct their learning to different
channels by links, illustrations, mock exams,
recordings, videos etc. Detailed illustration of
activities in experimental group was given below
in Figure 1.
Fig 1. Practical reflections of QR codes in experimental group
The Cycle of Lessons in Control Group
The cycle of lessons in control group was not
changed. They followed the instruction in an
orthodox way. In other words, they followed the
lessons according to the pre-defined syllabus.
Findings
Findings of the study were illustrated by two
tables and two figures which showed the analysis
of exam results in terms of vocabulary and
pronunciation through independent samples t
test.
Table 1.
Independent samples t test analysis in vocabulary
Variables
Groups
N
Mean
SD
t
df
Sig
Pre-test
Control
25
53.20
13.910
Pre-test
Experimental
25
54
17.017
-.182
48
.856
Post-test
Control
25
54.40
16.222
Post-test
Experimental
25
71.80
21.010
-3.278
48
.002
Note. P< 0.05
Putting QR
codes into
Practice
Listening the
recordings of
key words in
context Composing
sentences
based on the
key words
and recording
them
Watching
videos on
phonetic
transcriptions
Matching
definitions,
doing fill in
the blank
activities
Taking mock
exams
Analyzing
the exams
based on Zip
Grade report
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Table 1 illustrated the difference between pre-
test and post-test in terms of vocabulary.
According to the figures in Table 1, it was
unsubtle that there was no significant difference
between experimental and control group students
because p-value,.856, was less than 0.05. It was
also figured out when mean scores were
compared which were 53.20 and 54 respectively.
However, the gap between control and
experimental group increased dramatically in
terms of post-test results. According to post-test
results, p-value, .002, was less than 0.05, so there
was a significant difference. In other words, the
experimental group outperformed the control
group. Control group students increased their
average by only 1.20 points, while experimental
group students increased their average 17.8
points. It can be stated that experimental group
students who followed a QR based instruction
progressed more significantly than control group
students who were exposed to traditional
education. The comparison of their vocabulary
marks can also be observed in Figure 2 below:
Fig 2. The average of vocabulary marks in each group
Table 2.
Independent samples t test analysis in pronunciation
Variables
Groups
N
Mean
SD
t
df
Sig
Pre-test
Control
25
51.20
12.014
Pre-test
Experimental
25
51.60
18.412
-.182
41
.928
Post-test
Control
25
53
10.801
Post-test
Experimental
25
66.80
19.305
-3.278
37
.003
Note. P< 0.05
Table 2 visualized the difference between pre-
test and post-test in terms of pronunciation. The
same cycle, like vocabulary, was observed in
terms of pronunciation as well. Once pre-test
results were compared, it was noticed that there
was not a noticeable difference between pre-test
and post-test in control and experimental group.
The former’s average was 51.20, and the latter
one’s average was 51.60. In the same vein,
p-value, .928, was higher than 0.05. It can be
concluded that the students who received a QR
based instruction increased their marks more
dramatically in experimental group than the
students whose lessons were covered with the
regulations of traditional instruction. The
comparison of their pronunciation marks can also
be observed in figure 3 below:
Fig 3. The average of pronunciation marks in each group
54
71,8
53,2 54,4
0
20
40
60
80
Pre-test Post-test Pre-test Post-test
Experimental Control
51.60
66.80
51.20 53
0
20
40
60
80
Pre-test Post-test Pre-test Post-test
Experimental Control
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Discussion
The impact of QR codes in enhancing students’
pronunciation and vocabulary knowledge was
sought in this study which uncovered essential
points to be considered. The first essential point
was about positive effects of using key words in
context. This activity increased students’
engagement and motivation dramatically.
Darling-Hammond and Snyder (2000) postulate
that teaching words in context enhances students’
motivation and enthusiasm considerably.
Another significant point to be highlighted was
about the positive role of turning text into
recorded versions which helped students to
develop their pronunciation gradually. This
finding was in line with Yoshida’s (2018) study
which revealed that recording versions of the
texts can yield better results in terms of
pronunciation skills. Subsequently, offering
supplementary videos on phonetic transcriptions
facilitated students’ learning because they
learned the theoretical background of relevant
pronunciation rules in given texts and audio
tracks. Speights Atkins et al. (2023) points out
that phonetic transcriptions help learners have
automaticity if they have been taught
systematically. Additionally, matching the
definition with the words had far-fetching effects
on students’ vocabulary enhancement. Nagy
(2019) asserts that matching activities are
essential to retain the meaning of the words in the
long term memory. Furthermore, fill in the blank
activities required the students to find the correct
word and make necessary changes according to
tenses, so they developed their skills to use the
words accurately as well as sticking to grammar
rules. In the same vein, they trained themselves
to race against time, submit the exam on time and
analyze their mistakes through Zip Grade exams.
Kara (2023) elucidates that Zip Grade exams are
beneficial to teach students how to manage time,
come to right decisions and learn from their
mistakes by detailed analysis.
Once overall progress was observed, both skills
have improved significantly. However, it was
noticed that vocabulary enhancement was greater
than pronunciation. In other words, the average
of pronunciation increased 15.20 points, while
the average of vocabulary rose 17.8 points. This
finding hints that QR codes-based instruction
offers more opportunities to teach vocabulary.
Grande and Pontrello (2016) state that QR code
enriched instruction expands newly hired
teachers’ and students’ vocabulary substantially,
so it is of greatest importance to support such
activities for the sake of mutual benefits.
Conclusion
The main goal of this quantitative study was to
obtain a clear understanding of QR code-based
instruction on pronunciation accuracy and
vocabulary expansion. The results unearthed that
QR codes expanded students’ vocabulary
knowledge through which they answered
vocabulary items in the activities in a more self-
confident way. In the same vein, students’
pronunciation accuracy rose substantially. They
developed their skills to pronounce words
accurately by paying attention to stress, rhythm,
pace and phonetic transcriptions. It was also
witnessed that technology enriched classes have
had the potential to convert the monotonous
lessons into more engaging ones because their
learning channels can be triggered in various
ways with well-designed activities. The final
point to be emphasized was that QR code
enriched instruction fostered communication
through recorded voices, videos, illustrations,
presentations, dictionary definitions, e-quizzes
because all assessment tools were completed
individually and analyzed in cooperation to
encourage the students join the activities
actively. Learning English through QR codes can
be activated with ubiquitous exercises, so there
has been a great potential to be unlocked.
Some recommendations can be made for future
studies. This study investigated the effects of QR
code-based instruction at a private university in
Erbil, Iraq which can spread to other universities
in the region. In addition, only freshman students
encompassed the participants which could be
enlarged with other stages to represent the
population well. Likewise, only quantitative
instruments were employed in this study which
could be enriched with qualitative instruments. In
the same vein, only pronunciation and
vocabulary skills were included in this study
which could be expanded with other skills.
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