Effect of Psychosocial Factors on Iranian Adult EFL Learners’ Intonation

Intonation conducts a linguistic function and has a crucial role in discourse regulation. It is an essential skill that learners should acquire, mainly because it can impact comprehension and accuracy. Like other speech characteristics, intonation may comprise information about the speaker’s traits. Therefore, this study examined whether intonation is affected by age, gender, and autonomy. Based on the purpose of the research, the paradigm was quantitative, and the design was casual-comparative (ex post facto). Sixty-two intermediate EFL learners were conveniently selected from the private language institutes in Isfahan, Iran. Data were collected by the Learning Autonomy Scale and a teacher-made oral test. An ANOVA was used to measure the effect of gender, age, and autonomy and their interaction on intonation. The data analysis revealed that intonation scores were higher in the older age group and girls. Boys in the younger age group exhibited smaller mean values for intonation. In addition, those who were more autonomous scored higher in intonation. Therefore, it can be concluded that age, gender, and autonomy affect intonation. The findings of this study could be used in compiling English language course programs and determining speech therapy goals.

Keywords:

age , Autonomy , gender , Intonation , Psychosocial Factors