The Impact of Flooding Input in Teacher Talk on the Advanced EFL Learners’ Knowledge of Cleft Sentences

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of input flooding through teacher talk on the Iranian advanced EFL learners' knowledge of pseudo-cleft structure. To achieve the objective, 60 male participants in the 15-18 age range who were studying for about 25 semesters at Shokouh institute in Rasht were selected from among 85 learners based on their performance on QPT. There were two groups in this study, and each group consisted of 30 students. A pretest, involving a topic with a particular situation was administered. Then, the experimental group received a 10-session treatment that was the use of input flooding of pseudo-cleft structure through teacher talk. Meanwhile, the control group received a 10-session placebo that was applying the traditional method without utilizing excessive use of pseudo-cleft structure. A posttest was then administered to both groups. The results of this study revealed that the experimental group that utilized input flooding of pseudo-cleft structure through teacher talk achieved higher proficiency to use regarding structure in topic-based writing than the control group. Based on the findings of this study, language teachers can utilize input flooding of these structures to improve their learners' knowledge of pseudo-cleft structure in writing. The findings showed that input flooding of mentioned structure through teacher talk made an appropriate context to have incidental learning for learners that led higher proficiency in their writing. Thus, teachers can exploit it to contribute to learners' learning.