The Contribution of Movie Clips to Idiom Learning Improvement of Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

Abstract-Learning idioms in a foreign language in which there are numerous problems in exposing the learners to authentic situations has faced many pedagogical difficulties. Many researchers (Gibbs, 1992: Honeck, 1997: Simpson & Mendi, 2003) have tried to know more about the process of idiom learning and the effect of mother tongue on understanding idioms, because idioms are among the difficult areas of learning a foreign or second language. This study was an attempt to examine the impact of applying movie clips including idioms on the quality of idiom learning. To this end, 100 gifted high school students, aged between 16 and 18 were selected. Then, an Oxford Placement Test (OPT) was administered to select 60 intermediate students.Due to the matched-pair technique, they were divided into two equal experimental and control groups. In order to find out whether the students have any prior knowledge about the new idioms, a pre-test including an idiom multiple choice test was used. The control group was taught 30 idioms conventionally using synonyms and antonyms. The experimental group received the treatment and the idioms were taught using movie clips. After 10 weeks an idiom multiple choice test based on the materials taught was administered to both groups. Then, 60 students and 10 high school English teachers completed an attitudinal questionnaire reflecting their attitudes towards learning idioms through the suggested way. The statistical analyses of the collected data showed that there was a significant difference between the obtained means of the two groups, meaning that, the experimental group outperformed the control one. Therefore, teachers, students, test makers, test designers, and materials developers should consider the effectiveness of using movie clips and films in L2 idiom learning/teaching.

The Effect of a Socio-cultural Factor on the Organization of Communication Structure among Iranian Teenagers in EFL Context

“…The language improvement made through exposure to films as an authentic source of language input in this study is in line with the studies conducted by Roohani and Rabiei (2011) and Tabatabaei and Gahroei (2011) regarding the effect of exposure to films on improving different language skills especially vocabulary knowledge. When English TV programs including cartoons, movies, etc.…”

“…The effect of listening to TV and radio on enhancing EFL students' listening comprehension was examined by Brinton and Gaskill (1987). Tabatabaei and Gahroei (2011) examined the impact of utilizing movie clips on EFL learners' idiom learning. Moreover, Roohani and Rabiei (2011) investigated the effect of watching movies with subtitles (bimodal and standard) and without subtitles on incidental learning of formal and informal vocabulary in the classroom.…”

Edukacyjne aspekty języka formulicznego w doradztwie wielokulturowym

“…Both studies have a focus on students' learning. On the other hand, in an Iranian EFL context, Tabatabaei and Reisi Gahroei (2011) have showed that both students and teachers had a positive perception of movie clips as a tool to teach English idioms. We think that taking teachers' perception into consideration along with the students' in similar studies is significant to ensure the validity of findings.…”

“…Thus far, we can notice the stress of interrelation between cultural immersion and idiom learning. Considering these suggestions, we conclude that the application of etymology analysis could be used as a strategy to teach idioms with a more pragmatic approach and what it offers is greater potential to accomplish the goal of a cultureembedded teaching (Tabatabaei & Reisi Gahroei 2011).…”

Maritime English Vocabulary in Feature Films:The Perfect Storm(2000) andMaster and Commander(2003)

“…In the teaching of GE, video and feature films have an established role as authentic video genres. It has been found that using video has positive effects on the development of listening comprehension and oral production (Weyers, ), narration and description as micro speaking skills (Rifkin, ), listening comprehension and vocabulary (Lin, ), grammar (Herron, York, Corrie, & Cole, ), cultural competence, knowledge of contextualized use of language (speaking and listening skills in particular, vocabulary knowledge, and other non‐language‐related skills, e.g., critical and creative thinking skills; Seferoglu, ), vocabulary (Yuksel & Tanriverdi, ), overall language proficiency (Mekheimer, ), student interest and motivation (Mekheimer, ; Tabatabaei & Gahroei, ), and writing (Čepon, ). In a comprehensive research study on the effects of listening and reading on the incidental acquisition and retention of vocabulary, Vidal () has shown that reading provides more comprehensible input and is therefore more efficient if compared to audiovisual reception.…”