Along the same line of promoting deliberate learning techniques, some vocabulary researchers have further
compared the effects of learning with word lists and cards among EFL learners. Spiri (2008) adopted a free online
flashcard tool, WordChamp, in a comparison study of Japanese university students drilling with digital flashcards
versus printed word lists. As expected, the students who studied vocabulary on WordChamp outperformed those
who studied with the word lists, while both of the learning techniques assisted the students in acquiring vocabulary.
In another study that compared Japanese junior high school students’ English vocabulary learning with word lists,
word cards, and computer drills, Nakata (2008) found that the computer group achieved the highest retention rates,
followed by the paper-based word card group and then the word list group. Based on these two empirical studies,
flashcards appear to be more effective than word list, regardless of their delivery form.