Developing VOCAYO: A Tourism-Based Vocabulary Learning Application for EFL Students in Takengon: Pengembangan VOCAYO sebagai Aplikasi Pembelajaran Kosakata Berbasis Pariwisata bagi Siswa EFL di Takengon

Abstrak

This study reports the development of VOCAyo, a digital vocabulary learning application designed for EFL learners in Takengon, Central Aceh, with a specific focus on tourism contexts. Using the Dick and Carey instructional design model, the research followed six systematic phases: needs assessment, instructional analysis, learner and context analysis, formulation of objectives, development of assessment instruments, and prototype design. Data were collected from 120 students, 12 teachers, and 9 tourism practitioners through questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, curriculum reviews, and document analyses. Findings revealed a persistent gap between English instruction and the communicative demands of the tourism sector. Students and teachers highlighted the lack of contextualized vocabulary, while practitioners identified recurring situations requiring descriptive, hospitality, and transactional language. Despite these gaps, learners demonstrated strong motivation, high smartphone ownership, and readiness for digital learning. VOCAyo was therefore designed as a mobile-friendly, offline-capable app integrating tourism-based vocabulary, interactive tasks, and embedded assessments that ensure objectivity, usability, and fairness. The study contributes to mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) by embedding localized, socio-economic content into digital tools, bridging the divide between classroom instruction and real-world tourism communication.