The The Utilization of Wordwall as a Multisensory English Vocabulary Learning Tool for Slow Learners: A Case Study of Teacher Experience
Keywords:
Inclusive EFL Classrooms, Multisensory Instruction, Slow Learners, Teacher Scaffolding, Vocabulary InstructionAbstract
This study examines the utilization of Wordwall as a multisensory instructional tool for teaching English vocabulary to slow learners in inclusive EFL classrooms at the junior high school level. Slow learners often encounter difficulties in vocabulary acquisition due to slower cognitive processing, limited working memory, and challenges in retention. Consequently, instructional approaches must incorporate repetition, explicit explanation, and adaptive strategies aligned with learners’ cognitive characteristics.This research employed a qualitative case study design involving two participants: an English teacher and a shadow teacher experienced in teaching slow learners using Wordwall. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and teacher reflective documents, and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns related to multisensory instruction, pedagogical adaptation, and technology integration.The findings indicate that Wordwall functions as a complementary instructional tool that enhances learners’ motivation, engagement, and participation. Its visual, auditory, and interactive features facilitate vocabulary learning through image-word association, pronunciation support, and repeated exposure. However, vocabulary mastery remains dependent on explicit instruction, scaffolding, and continuous teacher mediation. Teachers assume critical roles as instructional designers, facilitators, motivators, and evaluators, adapting content, pacing, and task complexity to meet learners’ needs.Despite its pedagogical potential, several challenges were identified, including technological constraints, students’ limited digital literacy, the need for differentiated instruction, and concerns regarding assessment validity. Overall, the study concludes that the effectiveness of Wordwall is determined not by its technological features alone but by its integration within adaptive and pedagogically informed instructional practices.
Downloads
References
Akhmetova, D., Artyukhina, T. S., Bikbayeva, M. R., Sakhnova, I. A., Suchkov, M. A., & Zaytseva, E. A. (2020). digitalization and inclusive education: common ground. Vysshee Obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia, 29(2), 141–150. https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2020-29-2-141-150
Alahmadi, A., & Foltz, A. (2020). effects of language skills and strategy use on vocabulary learning through lexical translation and inferencing. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 49(6), 975–991. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-020-09720-9
Almekhlafi, A. G. (2020). designing and creating digital interactive content framework: description and evaluation of the almekhlafi digital interactive content model. Science Education International, 31(2), 130–141. https://doi.org/10.33828/sei.v31.i2.1
Alzaanin, E. (2020). combining case study design and constructivist grounded theory to theorize language teacher cognition. The Qualitative Report. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4047
Ayana, H., Mereba, T., & Alemu, A. (2024). effect of vocabulary learning strategies on students’ vocabulary knowledge achievement and motivation: the case of grade 11 high school students. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1399350
Babchuk, W. A. (2016). book review: qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation (4th ed.), by S. B. Merriam and E. J. Tisdell. Adult Education Quarterly, 67(1), 71–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713616671930
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Byundyugova, T., Kholina, O., & Petrova, E. A. (2021). visual techniques in the practice of implementing various inclusive approaches to learning in the context of digitalization. E3S Web of Conferences, 273, 12039. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202127312039
Covaci, A., Shih, J.-L., Ghinea, G., Huang, S.-H., & Lin, C.-H. (2018). multisensory games-based learning: lessons learnt from olfactory enhancement of a digital board game. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 77(16), 21245–21263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-017-5459-2
Creswell, J. W. (1994). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches.
Hreich, C. J., Ibernon, L., & Bourdin, B. (2024). educational practices for the language development of students with intellectual developmental disorder in the school setting: a systematic review. Frontiers in Education, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1422139
Fadhilah, N., & Daulay, S. H. (2025). utilizing wordwall as a media learning in enhancing students’ vocabulary: students’ perception. IDEAS. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas
García, V. B. S., & Rentería, J. M. (2024). students with special educational needs in regular classrooms and their peer effects on learning achievement. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03002-8
Ghoneim, R., Aljedaani, W., Bryce, R., & Javed, Y. (2024). why are other teachers more inclusive in online learning than us? exploring challenges faced by teachers of blind and visually impaired students: a literature review.
Huang, Y.-L., Wu, B., & Chang, D.-F. (2017). mobile game-based learning with a mobile app: motivational effects and learning performance. Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Informatics, 21(6), 963–970. https://doi.org/10.20965/jaciii.2017.p0963
Imran, M., Almusharraf, N., Sayed, M., & Ghaffar, A. (2024). teachers’ perspectives on effective english language teaching practices at the elementary level: a phenomenological study. Heliyon, 10(8), e29175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29175
Julaika, S., & Fithriani, R. (2025). enhancing vocabulary mastery: students’ perspectives of marbel learn english as a learning tool. Scripta, 12(1), 101–110. https://doi.org/10.37729/scripta.v12i1.6397
Khasawneh, M. A. S. (2024). adapting multisensory techniques for dyslexic learners in english language learning: a case study approach. World Journal of English Language, 14(5), 553. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v14n5p553
Khawaji, T. M. (2025). the role of digital learning in addressing learning loss in efl learning and teaching from teachers’ perspectives. Journal of Posthumanism, 5(5), 3031–3059. https://doi.org/10.63332/joph.v5i5.1704
Lindner, K., & Schwab, S. (2025). differentiation and individualisation in inclusive education: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. International Journal of Inclusive Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1813450
Mathias, B., Sureth, L., Hartwigsen, G., Macedonia, M., Mayer, K. M., & von Kriegstein, K. (2021). visual sensory cortices causally contribute to auditory word recognition following sensorimotor-enriched vocabulary training. Cerebral Cortex, 31, 513–528. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhaa240
Merchán, T., & Yasnaia, C. (2020). a didactic strategy to teach english to slow learners. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Oktarini, N. M. M., Mahardika, I. G. N. A. W., & Oktarina, P. S. (2025). gamifying language learning: improving primary students’ vocabulary acquisition using wordwall. New Language Dimensions, 6(1), 83–94. https://doi.org/10.26740/nld.v6n1.p83-94
Pérez-Jorge, D., Olmos-Raya, E., Contreras, A. I. G., & Pérez, I. P. (2025). technologies applied to education in the learning of english as a second language. Frontiers in Education, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1481708
Putri, R., Khairani, Y., & Fithriani, R. (2025). efl students’ perceptions on using kahoot as a formative assessment tool in vocabulary learning.
Rahmani, A., Asadi, V., & Xodabande, I. (2022). using mobile devices for vocabulary learning outside the classroom: improving the english as foreign language learners’ knowledge of high-frequency words. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.899885
Saad, N. (2020). the effectiveness of using multisensory approach in enhancing achievement and retention of english vocabulary amongst intermediate female students with efl learning disabilities. Journal of Education and Practice.
Sakkir, G., Nurhikma, N., & Jabu, B. (2023). using the digital game wordwall to enhance efl students’ vocabulary mastery. Journal of Educational Science and Technology (EST), 9(3), 246. https://doi.org/10.26858/est.v9i3.56966
Salsabila, U. H., Andini, R. A., Istighfarin, D., & Salsabila, N. (2023). the use of wordwall as an evaluation medium for deaf children at slbn 1 kulon progo. Journal of Digital Learning and Education, 3(3), 218–225. https://doi.org/10.52562/jdle.v3i3.962
Schlesinger, N. W., & Gray, S. (2017). the impact of multisensory instruction on learning letter names and sounds, word reading, and spelling. Annals of Dyslexia, 67(3), 219–258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-017-0140-z
Teng, F. (2016). incidental vocabulary acquisition from reading-only and reading-while-listening: a multi-dimensional approach. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 12(3), 274–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2016.1203328
Zhan, L., & Cheng, J. (2025). the relationship between multisensory stimulus-integrated foreign language learning models and students’ psychological states and language skill development: an empirical analysis using the global learning assessment database. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1639885
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 LingPoet: Journal of Linguistics and Literary Research

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.







