Abstract:Idioms, forms of figurative language, are used pervasively in both spoken and written discourse. However, mainly due to their figurative nature, they are often considered difficult to learn. The present study tried to first of all briefly investigate the language learners' attitudes toward learning L2 idioms. It then compared the effect of written vs. video-graphic contexts on the language learners' long-term and short-term retention of idioms. To know about the language learners' attitudes to learning English… Show more
“…As represented in the table, a mean score of 3.47 (SD = .862) was given to the statement "I can easily remember many idioms by remembering the short films", which indeed reflects the effect of context on the language learners" retention of idioms. This broadly supports the work of other studies (e.g., Chun & Plass, 1996;Khonbi & Sadeghi, 2017;Neissari et al, 2017;Rohani, Ketabi, & Tavakoli, 2012;Tabatabaei & Gahroei, 2011;Vasiljevic, 2015) which showed that when idioms presented through films and movie clips, better retention and intake is achievable. Another relatively high mean score (M = 3.69, SD = .604) was given to the students" positive perceptions toward the usefulness of short films in learning English idioms independently.…”
Having a good command of idioms of a foreign language is regarded as an important element in mastering that language. However, due to their opaque nature, extracting idioms’ figurative meaning appears to be a challenging endeavor for most foreign language learners. Grounded in the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, this study aimed to investigate the extent to which using short films has an impact on Saudi EFL learners’ receptive knowledge of idioms. Data were collected from 84 female undergraduate students at a university in Saudi Arabia using a pre- and post-test, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview. The findings revealed that the participants in the short films group significantly outperformed their counterparts in the blogger group. Moreover, the findings also showed that the participants had positive attitudes toward using short films to study idioms. In attempting to tackle the issue of how English idioms can be learned and taught effectively in the language classroom, the research findings provide helpful insights for both EFL teachers, learners, and curriculum designers. It is recommended for English teachers to become more acquainted with and adopt more flexible and engaging pedagogical methods such as short films in teaching idiomatic expressions to their learners. Employing short films as a complementary teaching material can further ease the burden of idiom learning and create a more motivating and engaging learning environment for the learner.
“…As represented in the table, a mean score of 3.47 (SD = .862) was given to the statement "I can easily remember many idioms by remembering the short films", which indeed reflects the effect of context on the language learners" retention of idioms. This broadly supports the work of other studies (e.g., Chun & Plass, 1996;Khonbi & Sadeghi, 2017;Neissari et al, 2017;Rohani, Ketabi, & Tavakoli, 2012;Tabatabaei & Gahroei, 2011;Vasiljevic, 2015) which showed that when idioms presented through films and movie clips, better retention and intake is achievable. Another relatively high mean score (M = 3.69, SD = .604) was given to the students" positive perceptions toward the usefulness of short films in learning English idioms independently.…”
Having a good command of idioms of a foreign language is regarded as an important element in mastering that language. However, due to their opaque nature, extracting idioms’ figurative meaning appears to be a challenging endeavor for most foreign language learners. Grounded in the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, this study aimed to investigate the extent to which using short films has an impact on Saudi EFL learners’ receptive knowledge of idioms. Data were collected from 84 female undergraduate students at a university in Saudi Arabia using a pre- and post-test, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview. The findings revealed that the participants in the short films group significantly outperformed their counterparts in the blogger group. Moreover, the findings also showed that the participants had positive attitudes toward using short films to study idioms. In attempting to tackle the issue of how English idioms can be learned and taught effectively in the language classroom, the research findings provide helpful insights for both EFL teachers, learners, and curriculum designers. It is recommended for English teachers to become more acquainted with and adopt more flexible and engaging pedagogical methods such as short films in teaching idiomatic expressions to their learners. Employing short films as a complementary teaching material can further ease the burden of idiom learning and create a more motivating and engaging learning environment for the learner.
Abstract-This study investigates how Yemeni EFL undergraduates recognize, comprehend, and use English idioms. It attempts to find out the link between English proficiency and idiomatic competence of a sample of 63 sophomores recruited from the Department of English at the Faculty of Education, Taiz University. Three idiom tests and a questionnaire were used to answer three research questions: a) To what extent are Yemeni EFL undergraduates able to process English idioms? b) What strategies do they use to learn idioms? c) What challenges do they encounter in acquiring idiomatic expressions? Findings of the study show that high-scoring students in the idiom tests outperformed their low-scoring counterparts in achievement tests of listening and speaking skills. The study highlighted some major challenges that face Yemeni EFL learners and the strategies they tend to use in order to tackle those challenges. Some implications and recommendations were suggested accordingly.
The focus of the article is on the idea of idiom teaching. The article aims to identify the main ways in which idioms are taught. A lot of attention is paid to the understanding of the meaning of the term ‘idiom’, to the main classifications of idioms and to the sequence of learning idioms. It has been found that it is necessary to study idioms comprehensively: pronouncing, reading, meaning, using, spelling, practicing. The article also argues for the importance of teaching idioms for better mastery of English.
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