the effect of teacher gestures on iranian efl learners’ long-term retention of idiomatic expressions; an action research

The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of using three types of teacher gestures including representational (iconic and metaphoric) and emblematic gestures on long-term retention of some l2 (here, english) concrete, and figurative idiomatic structures among a group of volunteering female junior high-school learners in sabzevar, iran. via a multi-stage and through a mixed-method research design, over a period of eight weeks mainly focusing on an action research design, twelve learners of the eighth and ninth grades of high schools were presented with forty-eight english idiomatic phrases. post-tests on the immediate and delayed recall and recognition tests served as the primary tools for collecting the essential data along with frequent teacher notes on their performance. the report from wilcoxon signed-ranks test indicated that the median delayed post-test ranks were not statistically significantly different from the median immediate post-test ranks z = 12, p ≥. 754, which proved a positive effect of using gestures on long-term retention of idiomatic phrases. in the second phase, teachers’ and students’ views were also scrutinized that showed positive feedback over the process. this study has diverse implications for l2 classes, which were all presented in the light of recent studies on l2 vocabulary instruction.

The Effect of Teacher Gestures on Iranian EFL Learners’ Long-Term Retention of Idiomatic Expressions; An Action Research

The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of using three types of teacher gestures including representational (iconic and metaphoric) and emblematic gestures on long-term retention of some L2 (here, English) concrete, and figurative idiomatic structures among a group of volunteering female junior high-school learners in Sabzevar, Iran. Via a multi-stage and through a mixed-method research design, over a period of eight weeks mainly focusing on an action research design, twelve learners of the eighth and ninth grades of high schools were presented with forty-eight English idiomatic phrases. Post-tests on the immediate and delayed recall and recognition tests served as the primary tools for collecting the essential data along with frequent teacher notes on their performance. The report from Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test indicated that the median delayed post-test ranks were not statistically significantly different from the median immediate post-test ranks Z = 12, p ≥. 754, which proved a positive effect of using gestures on long-term retention of idiomatic phrases. In the second phase, teachers’ and students’ views were also scrutinized that showed positive feedback over the process. This study has diverse implications for L2 classes, which were all presented in the light of recent studies on L2 vocabulary instruction.