Abstract:
This study aimed to investigate the effect of role-play through dialogues vs. written practice on Iranian intermediateEFL learners’ knowledge of English idioms. The question this study tried to answer is if role-play through dialoguesvs. written practice has a significant effect on Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ knowledge of English idioms. Tofind the answer to the question, 30 intermediate level students from Iranian institute were selected. They were both
male and female. Intermediate level students who were dealt for the current study were selected because they werelearning all skills of language at the same time, they were familiar with words, and their English proficiency wasenough to speak English and understand the importance of speaking. The students were selected administrating OPTwhich divided into two groups, one experimental group (Role-Play through Dialogues) and one control group (Written
Practice). The results of this study revealed that the experimental participants performed better on learning idiom.
Machine summary:
"The current study consists of two groups of intermediate EFL students participated in class with a teacher in which one group was thought idioms according to written practice, and the other group learned it through dialogues.
At the end, a posttest was administered, similar to the pretest, to evaluate the changes that might have occurred in the participants’ idiom knowledge as the result of applying the role play (dialogue) practice and the traditional way of teaching idioms (written practice).
The study concluded that although both methods of instruction for idiomatic competence were helpful at improving Iranian EFL learners’ idiomatic knowledge after the treatment, learners who received instruction in idiomatic competence through role playing in dialogue significantly outperformed the learners who were taught dialogue idioms via written practice.
To recapitulate the findings of the study, out of the two treatments given to the two experimental groups, dialogue role play had a significantly higher impact on the idiom learning of the participants largely due to the fact that in designing and performing the conversations, the learners needed to interact with one another cooperatively, whereas in the paragraph writing group, the learners engaged in an individual activity rather than an interactive and communicative one.
In these activities, students learn idioms through dialogues and using the dialogue classroom enhances learners’ knowledge of idioms The results of this study were positive and there was a positive relationship between role play through dialogues and knowledge of English idioms of Iranian intermediate EFL learners."