Motivating Freshmen in Learning Vocabulary with Innovative Interactive Whiteboard Activities

Vocabulary is one of the most essential factors in English acquisition. Therefore, how to teach
vocabulary fascinatingly plays a crucial part in supporting students acquire new words better. Students’
motivation in vocabulary learning can be enhanced by using Interactive Whiteboard (IWB). It has been
globally known as a useful tool for teachers to draw students’ attention and boost their motivation by
many interactive activities. This paper examines the effect of IWBs on motivating students to learn
vocabulary. Mixed methods were used in this investigation. The research data in this thesis were drawn
from three main sources: questionnaire, vocabulary motivational scale, and focused group interview.
Thirty-five freshmen at Van Lang University, Vietnam participated in this study. The findings show
that IWB can be used to motivate freshmen in vocabulary acquisition. The final part of this paper
recommends some practical IWB activities for teachers to apply into vocabulary teaching.