The Effect of Teaching Vocabulary through Artificial Intelligence (AI) on ESP Students’ Vocabulary Learning and Retention with Focusing on Accounting Students

Rajayi, Saeedeh; Piri Damagh, Hanieh; Saed, Maliheh

doi:10.22034/jespp.2025.513535.1000

The Effect of Teaching Vocabulary through Artificial Intelligence (AI) on ESP Students’ Vocabulary Learning and Retention with Focusing on Accounting Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Saeedeh Rajayi ¹

Hanieh Piri Damagh ²

Maliheh Saed ³

¹ Department of English Language, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran

² Department of Accounting, Faculty of Management, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

³ Department of English Language, Faculty of Foreign Languages,Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran

10.22034/jespp.2025.513535.1000

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the possible effects of teaching vocabulary through Artificial Intelligence (AI) on accounting ESP students’ vocabulary learning and retention. For the aim of this study, the researcher selected 80 accounting ESP students. For the aim of homogenizing, the researcher administered Oxford Placement Test (OPT) (2018) and based on the results of the test 50 pre-intermediate ESP students were selected as the research sample. The participants were members of two different classes in university. The researcher assigned the participants randomly into two groups of the experimental (n=25) and the control (n=25). The intended vocabulary (n=50) was selected from accounting book of students. Prior to intervention, the researcher-made vocabulary test was administered as the pretest. The treatment lasted for ten sessions and each session five vocabularies were taught to students of both group. The researcher used Memrise as the AI-based application for teaching vocabulary to participants of the experimental group. The researcher taught the same vocabulary conventionally by providing synonym to participants of the control group. After covering the treatment, the researcher-vocabulary test was administered as the posttest. Independent Samples T-test (t = 2.34, p = 0.000) indicated that AI-based application boost ESP students’ vocabulary learning. Moreover, delayed posttest was conducted two weeks after the posttest. Independent Samples T-test (t = 1.78, p = 0.003) indicated that AI-based application enhances ESP students’ vocabulary retention. Finally, the study provides useful implications for ESP instructors, syllabus designers, and material developers.

Keywords

accounting

artificial intelligence (AI)

ESP students

vocabulary learning

vocabulary retention