A Comparative Study of Explicit and Implicit Mediators at Iranian High Schools: Students’ L2 Anxiety and Listening Comprehension
محورهای موضوعی : Research in English Language Pedagogy
Mohammad Darijani
1
(Department of Foreign Languages, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran)
Mehry Haddad Narafshan
2
(Department of Foreign Languages, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran)
Leila Anjomshoa
3
(Department of Foreign Languages, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran)
کلید واژه: Listening anxiety, Explicit mediators, pronunciation instruction, Listening comprehension, Implicit mediators,
چکیده مقاله :
As conceptualized in Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of mediation, the present quantitative study scrutinized the impact of explicit and implicit mediators on high school students’ L2 listening anxiety and listening comprehension. Over six months, two groups of 34 Iranian high school students were exposed to pronunciation instruction (explicit mediator-using phonetic rules- and implicit mediator-without phonetic rules), and a control group of 17 students received no pronunciation instruction. Pretests and posttests were used to measure learners’ improvements in listening anxiety and comprehension. Small changes were observed in both variables for the control group, whereas significant progress was found for both experimental groups, especially the explicit group. The results revealed that pronunciation instruction is a meaningful mediator in developing listening comprehension and decreasing listening anxiety among high school students, even when instructional time is restricted. This study has some practical implications suggesting that Iranian school teachers and book designers should consider pronunciation instruction effects when teaching listening to school students.
Abdi, A.Q. (2010). The explicit vs. implicit teaching of English vowels and stress patterns to Iranian high-school students. Unpublished master’s thesis, Payame-Noor University, Iran
Akbari, M., & Sadeghi, M.R. (2013). Foreign Language Learning Anxiety: The Case of Iranian Kurdish-Persian Bilinguals. International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 4(9), 2517-2525.
Ammar, A., & Spada, N. (2006). One size fits all? Recasts, prompts, and L2 learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 28, 543-574.
Atef-Vahid, S., & Kashani, A.F. (2011). The effect of English learning anxiety on Iranian high school students' English language achievement. Brain, 2(3),2067-3957.
Bailey, A. A., & Brandl, A. (2013). Incorporating pronunciation in the first-year Spanish classroom: An early intervention. In J. Levis & K. LeVelle (Eds.). Proceedings of the 4th pronunciation in second language learning and teaching conference (pp. 207-223). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.
Baran-Łucarz, M. (2017). FL pronunciation anxiety and motivation: Results of a preliminary mixed-method study. In E. Szymańska-Czaplak, M. Szyszka & E. Kuciel-Piechurska (Eds.), At the crossroads: Challenges in FL learning (pp. 107-133). Heidelberg & New York: Springer.
Brown, S. (2013). Listening myths: Applying second language research to classroom teaching. In M. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (pp.225-296). New York: Macmillan.
Couper, G. (2003). The value of an explicit pronunciation syllabus in ESOL teaching. Prospect,18(3), 53-70
Couper, G. (2006). The short and long-term effects of pronunciation instruction. Prospect, 21(1), 46-66.
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M.J. (2014). Once you have been speaking a second language for years, it’s too late to change your pronunciation. In L. Grant (Ed.), Pronunciation myths: Applying second language research to classroom teaching (pp. 34-55). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Doan, N. (2013). The effect of noticing on improving the pronunciation of Persian English language learners. Unpublished master’s thesis, Hamline University
Ellis, R. (2009). Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing, and teaching. Toronto, Canada: Multilingual Matters.
Farhat, P. A., & Dzakiria, H. (2017). Pronunciation barriers and computer assisted language learning (CALL): Coping the demands of 21st century in second language learning classroom in Pakistan. International Journal of Research in English Education, 2(2), 53-62. doi: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.2.53.
Field,J.(2004).An insight into listeners’ problems: Too much bottom-up or two much top-down? System, 32, 363-377.
Gorbani, M. R., Neissari, M., & Kargozari, H. R. (2016). The effect of explicit pronunciation instruction on undergraduate English as a foreign language learners’ vowel perception. Language and Literacy, 18(1), 57-70.
Gordon, J., Darcy, I., & Ewert, D. (2013). Pronunciation teaching and learning: Effects of explicit phonetic instruction in the L2 classroom. In J. Levis & K. LeVelle (Eds.). Proceedings of the 4th pronunciation in second language learning and teaching conference (pp. 194-206). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.
Hismanoglu, M. (2006). Current Perspectives on Pronunciation Learning and Teaching. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 2(1), 234-239.
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132.
Izadi, A., & Atasheneh, N. (2012). Communication apprehension in a foreign language: A case of Iranian EFL learners. Advances in Asian Social Science, 1(1), 79-81.
Khaghaninejad, M., & Maleki, A. (2015). The effect of explicit pronunciation instruction on listening comprehension: Evidence from Iranian English learners. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 5(6), 1249-1256. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0506.18
Khanbeiki, R., & Abdolmanafi-Rokni, S. (2015). The effect of explicit vs. implicit instruction on the learnability of English consonant clusters by Iranian learners of English. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 6(2), 103-112. http://dx.doi. org/10.7575/aiac. alls. v. 6n .2p. 103
Kim, J.-H. (2005). The reliability and validity of a foreign language listening anxiety scale. Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics 5(2), 213-235.
Kissling, E. M. (2013). Teaching pronunciation: Is explicit phonetics instruction beneficial for FL learners? The Modern Language Journal, 97(3), 720-744.
Koike, Y. (2014). Explicit pronunciation instruction: Teaching suprasegmentals to Japanese learners of English. In N. Sonda & A. Krause (Eds.), JALT 2013 conference proceedings (361-374). Tokyo: JALT.
Lantolf, J. (2001). Sociocultural theory and second language acquisition. (Ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. Oxford; New York, N.Y., USA: Oxford University Press.
Lord, G. (2005). How can we teach foreign language pronunciation? On the effects of a Spanish phonetics course. Hispania, 88(3), 557-567.
Lyster, R., & Ranta, L. (1997). Corrective feedback and learner uptake: Negotiation of form in communicative classrooms. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 19(1), 37-66.
Mahmoodzadeh, M. (2013). Investigating foreign language anxiety in Iranian classrooms: The effect of gender. International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 2(1), 61-70.
Minhong, Y. & Ailun, L. (2006). The effect of implicit learning on the learning of a second language pronunciation. Psychological Science, 3, 26.
Moghadam, S. B., Ghanizadeh, A., & Akbari, O. (2015). The Effect of Bilingualism on the Listening Strategies and Listening Anxiety among Iranian Junior High School Students. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2(4), 236-248. Retrieved from http://www. jallr.com/index.php/JALLR/article/download/76/pdf.
Mohseni, M. S. (2011). The effect of the explicit vs. implicit teaching of English consonant clusters on the Persian high-school students’ learning and retention. Unpublished master’s thesis, Payam-e-Noor University, Iran
Nahavandi, N., & Mukundan, J. (2013). Foreign language learning anxiety among Iranian EFL learners along gender and different proficiency levels. Language in India, 13(1).
Namaziandost, E., Neisi, L., Mahdavirad, F., & Nasri, M. (2019) The relationship between listening comprehension problems and strategy usage among advanced EFL learners. Cogent Psychology, 6(1). DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2019.1691338
Ngo, N. (2019). Understanding the impact of listening strategy instruction on listening strategy use from a socio-cultural perspective. System, 81(1), 63-77.
Niebisch, D. (2011). Integration der ausspracheschulung in den DaF-/DaZ-Unterricht. Babylonia, 2, 53-57.
Nowrouzi, S., Sim Tam, Sh., Zareian, Gh., & Nimehchisalem, V. (2015). Iranian EFL students’ listening comprehension problems. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 5(2), 263-269. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0502.05
Papachristou, V. (2011). Explicit vs. implicit pronunciation teaching to Greek children: The case of the acquisition of English vowels. In E. Kitis, N. Lavidas, N. Topintzi, & T. Tsangalidis (Eds.), Selected papers from the 19th international symposium on theoretical and applied linguistics (pp. 371-381). Thessaloniki, Greece: Monochromia.
Peltekov, P. (2020). The effectiveness of implicit and explicit instruction on German L2 learners’ pronunciation. A Journal of the American Association of Teachers of German, 53, 1.
Pourhosein Gilakjani, A. (2018). Teaching pronunciation of English with computer technology: A qualitative study. IJREE, 3(2), 94-114. http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-119-en.html
Rahimirad, M., & Zare-ee, A. (2015). Metacognitive strategy instruction as a means to improve listening self-efficacy among Iranian undergraduate learners of English. International Journal of Instruction, 8(1), 117-132. DOI:10.12973/iji
Richards, J.C., & Trew, G. (2011). Basic tactics for listening. Oxford University Press.
Ruellot, V. (2011). Computer-assisted pronunciation learning of French /u/ and /y/ at the intermediate level. In. J. Levis & K. LeVelle (Eds.). Proceedings of the 2nd Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference (pp. 199-213). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.
Saito, K. (2013). Reexamining effects of form-focused instruction on L2 pronunciation development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 35, 1-29.
Shabani, M.B. (2012). Levels and sources of language anxiety and fear of negative evaluation among Iranian EFL learners. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(11), 2378-2383.
Shamiri, H., & Farvardin, M. T. (2016). The effect of implicit versus explicit corrective feedback on intermediate EFL learners’ speaking self-efficacy beliefs. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6(5), 1066-1075.
Shams, A.N. (2005). The use of computerized pronunciation practice in the reduction of foreign language classroom anxiety. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Florida State University.
Sutrisno, A. (2018). Problems of Speech Perception Experienced by the EFL Learners. Theory and Practice in Language Studies,8(1), 143-149.
Syndicate, U. C. L. E. (2001). Quick placement test. Oxford University Press.
Vandergrift, L., & Goh, C. C. M. (2012). Teaching and learning second language listening: Metacognition in action. New York: Routledge.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Yamat, H., & Bidabadi, F. (2012). English language learning anxiety among Iranian EFL freshman university learners. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 7(8), 413-420.
Zohrabi, M., & Shokrzadeh, A. (2017). Process-oriented listening instruction: A study of Iranian EFL teachers' stated and actual practices. Journal of Teaching Language Skills (JTLS), 36(3), 145-174.
