The Effects of Captioned Slides on Learning of English Idiomatic Expressions among EFL Intermediate Learners

Abstract

Using caption in teaching English as a second language has had its particular advocates throughout the history of language teaching. The present study intends to examine the potential effectiveness of captioned inputs for comprehension of English idiomatic expressions among EFL intermediate learners. It is set to determine how captioned inputs result in comprehension of English idiomatic expressions in comparison with non-captioned inputs. To this end, the Oxford Placement Test (OPT) was administered to 82 students in an English Institute of Shahrekord, Iran, to find out their English proficiency levels. The participants took a test of 40 multiple-choice items as a pretest to determine their background knowledge in English idioms. The questionnaire data revealed that learners who used captions could promote their attention and improved their learning processing. A reliable posttest was administered after teaching fifteen units of their English textbook during 15 weeks. The mean score by Kolmogorov-Smirnov showed the group using captioned slides of English idiomatic expressions outperformed the other group.