# Introduction ccording to Celce-Murcia (2001), vocabulary and grammar are two vital constituents of language attainment and usage (as cited in Belkhir, 2013, p. 77). Scholars like Celce-Murcia (2001), Nunan (2001) and Swan (2002) hold the view that unlike vocabulary, grammar has taken a significant amount of attention in the arena of English Language Teaching (ELT) methodologies (as cited in Belkhir, 2013, p. 77), and that is one of the gaps that this paper is trying to fill. Vocabulary is of considerable importance when learning or using any language (Ghazal, 2007, p. 84).Moreover, Gui (1985) and Meara and Jones (1987) state that one thing that a good number of Second Language Learners (SLLs) suffer from recalls terms. However, at the same time, they also add that there is no language without words, and a generous amount of studies imply that predicting one's overall proficiency in a language should be based on the size of his/her vocabulary knowledge (as cited in Gu, 1994, p. 2). Consequently, developing vocabulary is incontrovertibly essential and challenging at the same time, which means that this area should receive more attention from scholars (Gu, 1994, p. 2). a) The effectiveness of learning/teaching vocabulary for EFL learners Laufer (1986) and Nation (1990) have recognized that not having a good grasp of word knowledge might cause SLLs to struggle in both receptive and productive skills. Also, they have emphasized that no matter how much one has become proficient in a particular language, he/she should not stop learning new vocabularies; because it is a lifetime journey (as cited in Belkhir, 2013, p. 78). Thus, terminology can be regarded as the cornerstone of acing a new language, especially that it is the root that paves the way to success in all of the four core language domains -receptive skills: listening and reading, and productive skills: speaking and writing- (Belkhir, 2013, p. 78). As a result, Allen (1983) mentions that one of the most successful strategies learners can receive from their teacher to succeed; is learning vocabulary. He also says that learners will be able to excel both in that particular language and in real life too; because without words; a proper and meaningful communication amongst people cannot occur (as cited in Belkhir, 2013, p. 78). Moreover, a significant point to mention here is Milton's (2008) findings that suggest that vocabulary can be very successfully taught and learned with good materials among interested learners. It need not be unpleasant for learners to acquire very substantial volumes of words, nor does it require an excessive investment of time or effort from the teacher. (p. 235). In his same paper, his study's results also indicate that the procedures that he has used turned out to be "very effective indeed and required very little formal organization" (Milton, 2008, p. 235), and that can shed light on the effectiveness of unsupervised learning in the vocabulary field. # b) The importance of helping learners to be autonomous As cited in Morin & Goebel (2001) Hulstjin (1993) argues that the process of teaching vocabulary is not only dedicated to learning the vocabularies themselves, it is as well accompanied with teaching tactics to learners to enable them to be independent learners (as cited in Ghazal, 2007, p. 84). The previous statement can be related to the famous metaphor: 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,' and this is one of the gaps that this study is hoping to fill. Furthermore, Belkhir (2013) asserts that "vocabulary is inevitable in teaching and that it should be taught and recycled very often in and outside the classroom for vocabulary knowledge can ever be fully mastered" (p. 81). That can complement Milton's (2008) idea, which is as follows: one type of unsupervised learning can be by encouraging EFL learners "to try to continue their language study outside the classroom" (p. 227), and that might indicate how crucial unsupervised learning can be. Additionally, he said that when he suggested that to them in person; it has led to tremendously positive results (Milton, 2008, p. 227), and he mentioned some examples to guide learners through the process of learning. That can shed light on the teachers' responsibility in convincing learners that being autonomous can work and can lead to success, and in providing learners with some guidelines that can give them a push at the starting point. Recommending EFL learners to keep on learning outside of the classroom can lead to building a significant amount of vocabulary (Milton, 2008, p. 227). Moreover, Milton argued that casual exposure to the foreign language of this kind is the only way to build a large amount of vocabulary" (Milton, 2008, p. 227). Furthermore, Milton (2008) indicates that: These informal tasks appear practical, effective, motivating and enjoyable. There is every reason for thinking they would enhance, but should not replace a program of formal classroom input. Classroom input and direction probably provide the basis of vocabulary and other knowledge, which allows learners to derive both pleasure and language gains from the extra language-learning time spent in these informal activities. (p. 236) According to Milton (2008) one of the essential points for this idea to be successful is that learners must want to carry out these informal tasks and learn the study is willing to fill; since one of the main goals is to apply a strategy that might help increase the students' willingness to be autonomous learners to be successful in learning a Second Language (L2) -which is English in this case. As we have talked about the importance and effectiveness of vocabulary learning for EFL learners and its major role that it plays in raising the learners' proficiency level in a new language. It is now essential to talk about the concept of unsupervised learning in detail as a way to offer learners essential tactics that can help them learn vocabulary on their own. II. # The Concept of Unsupervised Learning The following section is going to discuss the process of moving from traditional learning to e-learning, how one way of e-learning can be unsupervised learning, and how MALL can be a form of unsupervised learning. # a) From traditional learning to e-learning First of all, Stephenson (2006) says that the oldstyle formal education system is "too passive, too parochial, too hierarchical, and too artificial. By harnessing IT effectively, educators can make instruction more graphic, dynamic, and active than it is now" (p. 3). Which shows how everyday learning is heading towards being much more creative to be much more effective. Moreover, Mujahid (2002) mentions that "technology means nothing if it is not used" (p.1), which means that unless technology is being well-used; all kinds of learners will not benefit properly, and that focuses on the importance of giving learners a variety of options that can lead them to be positive autonomous learners. # In addition, Assareh and Hosseini Bidokht (2011) assert that: In this Global village that we live, education is not restricted in a special place like school, all learners should be life-long learners, and it should not be restricted to time and place. New education should help students to learn how to learn and what to learn. It should encourage them to think critically and innovatively. (p. 795) What is stated above totally complements the idea presented in this study since this study shares similar ideas and thoughts, such as the importance and effectiveness of unsupervised learning and the importance of helping increase the autonomy level among learners. E-learning is defined as all kinds of education that are received and transferred by electronic means. Furthermore, the arena of e-learning is blooming very fast, and its limits, boundaries, and rules are still blurry. (Assareh and Hosseini Bidokht, 2011, p. 791) Finally, in this section, the process of moving from traditional learning to e-learning has been discussed. Also, it will mention how one kind of elearning can be unsupervised learning and how it can help EFL learners in increasing their vocabulary knowledge. # b) From e-learning to unsupervised learning One type of unsupervised learning can be done by encouraging EFL learners "to try to continue their language study outside the classroom" (Milton, 2008, p. 227), and that might indicate how effective unsupervised learning can be. Additionally, Milton (2008) says that when he suggested that to them in person; it has led to tremendously positive results (p. 227), some examples that might help guide the learners were also mentioned in his paper. That can shed light on the teachers' responsibility in convincing learners that being autonomous can help and can lead to success, and in providing learners with some guidelines that can give them a push at the starting point. Recommending EFL learners to keep on learning outside of the classroom can lead to building a significant amount of vocabulary (Milton, 2008, p. 227). Moreover, "it has even been argued that casual exposure to the foreign language of this kind is the only way to build a good vocabulary" (Milton, 2008, p. 227). # Furthermore, Milton (2008) also indicates that: These informal tasks appear practical, effective, motivating and enjoyable. There is every reason for thinking they would enhance, but should not replace a program of formal classroom input. Classroom input and direction probably provide the basis of vocabulary and other knowledge, which allows learners to derive both pleasure and language gains from the extra language-learning time spent in these informal activities. (p. 236) Moreover, an essential point to mention here is also Milton's (2008) findings that suggest the following: Vocabulary can be very successfully taught and learned with excellent materials among interested learners. It need not be unpleasant for learners to acquire very substantial volumes of vocabulary, nor does it require a huge investment of time or effort from the teacher. (p. 235) In his same paper, his study's results also indicate that the procedures that he has used turned out to be "very effective indeed and required very little formal organization" (Milton, 2008, p. 235), and that can shed light on the effectiveness of unsupervised learning in the vocabulary field. According to Milton (2008) one of the major points for this idea to be successful "is that learners must want to carry out these informal tasks and learn the language." (p.227) and that it is one of the gaps that this study is willing to fill; since one of the main goals is to apply a strategy that might help increase the students' willingness to be autonomous learners to be successful in L2. As we have discussed how one way of elearning can be regarded as an unsupervised way of learning and how it can help EFL learners in increasing their vocabulary knowledge. The next paragraph is going to talk about how MALL (Mobile-Assisted Language learning) serves as a form of unsupervised learning. # c) MALL as a form of unsupervised learning The meaning of MALL can be defined and derived directly from its name; its name is selfexplanatory. With appropriate design and implementation of seamless language learning, we envisage that MALL has the potential of revolutionizing the language learning field by students' use of mobile devices as personal learning tools to synergize formal (in-class) and informal (out-of-class) language learning spaces. ( 2010) state that "no one has attempted to study mobile learning in unsupervised settings" (p. 743), and this is one of the goals that this study is aiming to fill. As we have talked about how MALL can be a form of unsupervised learning, the following section sheds some light on the effectiveness of watching videos for EFL learners and the theoretical framework behind that. # III. The Effectiveness of Using Videos for EFL Learners The idea of the effectiveness of using videos in learning a second language is supported by many researchers. For example, Mackey and Ho (2008), # Year 2019 Volume XIX Issue XI Version I ( G ) Mayer and Moreno (2002) and Rose ( 2003) have pointed out that rather than using traditional books, using audio-visuals will be much more effective for the learners (as cited in Hsu, Hwang, Chang & Chang, 2013, p. 404). In addition, according to Bahrani and Sim (2012) media has become a really broad area that audio-visuals are no longer specialized only for entertainment purposes; a lot of programs could be regarded as a rich material to learn a new language (p. 63). The way videos should be chosen is stated in King's (2002) An interesting point that might support this research indirectly is Hsu's (2013) study, which has indicated that students' writing skills have improved after watching some videos related to the topic (p. 62). The previous piece of information might predict possible improvement in learners' vocabulary size after watching videos too. Another point that might be interesting too is that the results of Milton's (2008) study indicate that the "vocabulary uptake from a DVD film with sub -titles" (p.232 -233), has been effective. There are several theories that support the idea of the effectiveness of watching videos for EFL learners. They are going to be simplified, related, and mentioned below, starting from the most general ending with the most specific: 1. The Informal Language Learning Theory: Based on the informal language learning theory, language learning can occur outside the classroom setting unconsciously and incidentally through interaction with the native speakers or exposure to authentic language input through technology. However, an EFL context lacks the social interaction, which naturally occurs in an ESL context. (Bahrani & Sim, 2012, p. 142) One could agree with Bahrani and Sim, that learning is happening all the time, no one can stop it. However, EFL learners lack real interaction with authentic materials. Therefore, it must be said here that teachers are encouraged to try to engage EFL learners with L2 via watching videos daily so that we can get as close as we can to an English as a Second Language (ESL) context. # Task-Based Language Learning (TBLL)/ Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)/ Task-Based Instruction (TBI): focuses "on the use of authentic language and requires students to do meaningful tasks using the target language." (Althaqafi, 2018, p. 66). Nunan (2004) and Bygate, Skehan, and Swan (2001) mention that "TBLT is based on communicative and interactive tasks which require meaningful communication and interaction among learners." (as cited in "Differences Between Clt And Tblt English Language Essay", 2013, p. 3). EFL learners should be encouraged to watch videos in English as a way to help them to get exposed to the language and authentic materials. This approach is a branch of the approach that is going to be mentioned below. # Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)/ Communicative Approach: "Differences Between Clt and Tblt English Language Essay" (2013) mention the following: "CLT is an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages by emphasizing the use of communication or interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a particular language."(p. 1). Furthermore, Althaqafi (2018) defines this approach and the previous one in the field of 'grammar' as follows: "approaches such as CLT and Task-Based Instruction often require the learners first to study examples and then try to extrapolate the rules by themselves as in an inductive approach (rule-discovery) path." (p. 66). Again, that is also going to be done when EFL learners are asked to watch videos in English. 4 Multimedia instructional messages (which we also refer to as multimedia messages) are presentations of material using words and pictures that are intended to foster learning. The words can be printed text (such as text printed in a window on a computer screen) or spoken text (such as speech presented via computer speakers). The pictures can be static graphics such as photos, drawings, maps, charts, figures, and tables, or dynamic graphics such as video or animation. This approach supports the idea of the beneficial impact of watching videos on learners. Vocabulary can be very successfully taught and learned with good materials among interested learners. It need not be unpleasant for learners to acquire very substantial volumes of vocabulary, nor does it require a huge investment of time or effort from the teacher. (p. # 235) IV. # Grit: the Key to Success Finally, a really important point to mention here is the following term: "Grit". According to Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews and Kelly (2007) "grit is a personality trait defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals" (as cited in Eskreis-Winkler, 2015, p. 106). It has already been proven that the key to success in anything is to have a high grit level, and there is a scale that measures it, which is called the "Grit Scale" created by Duckworth et al. (2007) (p. 1089-1090). This means that the higher the grit level one has, the higher his/her chance to acquire the English language successfully. Teachers always need to find a way to help those who have low grit levels to increase it, so that they can have a chance to succeed. Eskreis-Winkler (2015) wrote her dissertation about "Building Grit", and the results indicate that "grit can be encouraged-and that it can be encouraged without being explicitly taught. Indeed, simply serving as a grit mentor increased goal commitment, persistence, and performance" (p. 136-137). It is very essential to mention that her supervisor was Angela Lee, Duckworth herself, one of the creators of the idea of the importance of grit as a factor of success. V. # Conclusion This paper highlighted the effectiveness of learning vocabulary in an informal setting. It has also mentioned the importance of providing learners with appropriate strategies to help them be autonomous learners. The second part talked about the concept of unsupervised learning. It discussed the process of moving from traditional learning to e-learning, how one way of e-learning can be unsupervised learning, and how MALL can be a form of unsupervised learning. Afterward, the third section talked about the effectiveness of using videos in learning a second language and highlighted some important theories that back up this idea. The fourth section briefly mentioned the idea of how little steps lead to success and how short length videos can increase students' vocabulary use.Finally, the fifth part has talked about the importance of grit as a significant element to help enhance students' achievement and development. 2006, p. 4).We can say here that communication with EFL students can be done face-to-face as well as online and the educational material for learners can also be provided via the internet, which helps to ease the job for the teacher and aids students learning. 6. Little Steps Lead to Success: As Brenner-Roach (2017) mentions in his article 'small continuous steps do make a difference' (p. 3). This may indicate that for individuals to accomplish a certain task successfully, they should do something easier than what they expect themselves to do. That also suggests that tiny steps do make a difference in the long run. 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