the effects of video, audio, and printed aids on efl students’ acquisition and retention of english idiomatic and colloquial expressions

Nowadays, in classrooms, the medium of presenting information has moved beyond the traditional mode of texts to audio-visual aids. moreover, colloquial and idiomatic expressions are gaining more significance among efl learners due to their need for oral communication using a language rich in idioms and colloquialism. however, the impact of using printed, auditory, and visual aids have not been adequately researched in efl contexts. in the quantitative phase, this study aimed to investigate the effects of printed, auditory and visual aids on iranian efl learners’ acquisition and retention of colloquial and idiomatic expressions. in the qualitative phase, the study intended to explore the participants’ perceptions of visual and auditory aids as well as colloquial and idiomatic expressions through an interview. to this end, 60 efl students studying in two language institutes were asked to participate in the study forming two experimental and one control groups. regarding the first research question, the results of one-way anova and multiple comparisons indicated that the video group outperformed the audio and text groups in the acquisition of colloquial and idiomatic expressions; in addition, the audio group excelled their counterparts in the text group. regarding the second research question, one-way anova and multiple comparisons revealed that the video group had the best retention; next came the audio group and the text group came last. thematic analysis was used to analyze the obtained data relevant to the third research question revealing four themes: the dominance of formal english in efl classrooms, younger students’ preference for colloquial english, students’ problems with comprehension of colloquial english, and their inclination for visual aids. the study has implications for efl/esl pedagogy involving syllabus designers, material developers, language teachers, and learners to take into account the importance of colloquial english as well as the application of audio-visual aids in language classrooms.

The Effects of Video, Audio, and Printed Aids on EFL Students’ Acquisition and Retention of English Idiomatic and Colloquial Expressions

Nowadays, in classrooms, the medium of presenting information has moved beyond the traditional mode of texts to audio-visual aids. Moreover, colloquial and idiomatic expressions are gaining more significance among EFL learners due to their need for oral communication using a language rich in idioms and colloquialism. However, the impact of using printed, auditory, and visual aids have not been adequately researched in EFL contexts. In the quantitative phase, this study aimed to investigate the effects of printed, auditory and visual aids on Iranian EFL learners’ acquisition and retention of colloquial and idiomatic expressions. In the qualitative phase, the study intended to explore the participants’ perceptions of visual and auditory aids as well as colloquial and idiomatic expressions through an interview. To this end, 60 EFL students studying in two language institutes were asked to participate in the study forming two experimental and one control groups. Regarding the first research question, the results of one-way ANOVA and multiple comparisons indicated that the video group outperformed the audio and text groups in the acquisition of colloquial and idiomatic expressions; in addition, the audio group excelled their counterparts in the text group. Regarding the second research question, one-way ANOVA and multiple comparisons revealed that the video group had the best retention; next came the audio group and the text group came last. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the obtained data relevant to the third research question revealing four themes: the dominance of formal English in EFL classrooms, younger students’ preference for colloquial English, students’ problems with comprehension of colloquial English, and their inclination for visual aids. The study has implications for EFL/ESL pedagogy involving syllabus designers, material developers, language teachers, and learners to take into account the importance of colloquial English as well as the application of audio-visual aids in language classrooms.