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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 25, No. 0, pp.1395-1415
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Jan 2025
Received 13 May 2025 Revised 11 Sep 2025 Accepted 16 Oct 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.25..202510.1395

Factors Affecting Vietnamese University Students’ Choice of Online Tools for English Vocabulary Acquisition

Nhon Dang ; Bich-Truyen Nguyen
(First/Corresponding author) Ph.D., School of Languages, Tan Tao University Tan Duc E-City, Duc Hoa Commune, Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam nhon.dang@ttu.edu.vn
(Co-author), School of Languages, Tan Tao University, Tan Duc E-City, Duc Hoa Commune, Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam truyen.nguyen2103126@std.ttu.edu.vn


© 2025 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

This research study examines the factors affecting Vietnamese university students’ choice of online tools that are used for learning English vocabulary. Focusing on intermediate third-year students at a university in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, the study explored the preferences for specific online tool features among students of English, Information Technology, and Business and the primary reasons behind their selection of the tools. Using a mixed-methods approach that incorporates surveys, semi-structured interviews, and an AI technique of Random Forest Classifier, the study identified the significant factors that students often considered when selecting their preferred tools. The results showed that students gravitated toward media platforms and their availability over dedicated vocabulary learning apps, and the selected tools should have features of flexibility, gamification, audio, and visual aids for vocabulary learning and retention. Uncovering the features students value for vocabulary acquisition provides key insights for educators, technology developers, and curriculum designers to optimize students’ experience in learning English vocabulary.

Keywords:

vocabulary acquisition, influencing factors, online tool preference, Vietnamese students of English, Random Forest

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Tan Tao University Foundation for Science and Technology Development under the Grant No. TTU.RS.24.699.012. The authors would like to thank Mr. Dong Tran from the School of Information Technology, Tan Tao University, Vietnam, for his support with Random Forest coding.

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