Considering that students in study 1 indicated that vocabulary was the most difficult problem regarding reading comprehension, we assessed students’ preferred method for memorizing vocabulary. The results showed that 51% of the participants (26 of 51) preferred to memorize vocabulary by writing words down (Figure 3). However, only two students perceived IT devices as the best tool to do so. We believe that this does not imply that IT is unnecessary, but instead, that IT-based systems should be developed to fit current preferred practices.
4.3. Information technology devices for Learning English
About half of the participants (25 of 51 students) utilized IT devices for learning English, and they used different tools for different purposes (Figure 4).
MP3 players were the most popular tools for learning English, with 15 students indicating that they used these. Ten participants used electronic dictionaries, while several students used smartphone applications. A device for memorizing vocabulary, “Blinker,” popular in Korea, was used by only one of the students to improve vocabulary.
We believe that the use of smartphones including cell phones will gradually increase [9]. However, we did not find any device that helps students speak for oral reactions [10]. Overall, the results suggest that listening devices with high portability are helpful for one reason or another. In fact, it was interesting that MP3 devices were used more than traditional IT devices such as the personal computer. A more detailed investigation of the available IT devices is warranted in the future.