An Investigation into the Impact of Personification and Group Make-Up on the Adolescent's L2 English Vocabulary Learning via M-Game-Mediated Blended Method

The present study endeavored to see whether or not employing personification in the process of L2 English via mobile-game (m-game) has any significant effect on Iranian adolescent's vocabulary learning. The effect of group's make-up in the virtual world of m-games on vocabulary learning through collaboration in the m-games was also investigated. To those ends, through conducting English Vocabulary Level Test (VLT), from among 180 Iranian high school freshmen, 168 males and females were homogenized as the participants of the study. Afterwards, they were randomly divided into two groups with 84 members to learn L2 vocabulary items through m-game-mediated blended learning method. After the time the participants were taught the instructional contents inside the classroom, they practiced the m-games with either personified or reverse personification plots in mixed or matched dyads in 18 blended sessions. The results revealed the ascending level of learning outcome that was favorable outcome was ensued from m-games with personified plots. Also, findings indicated that the matched mode of collective practicing of contents in the virtual playground (i.e., m-game) had greater effect on the participant's performance than its mixed mode. In other words, types of m-game and contact appeared to account for variation in the participant's performance.