The Effect of Audiovisual Input on EFL Learners' Receptive and Productive Vocabulary Knowledge of Concrete and Abstract Words

Not only is vocabulary a pivotal constituent of language learning, but also it does constitute an important part of the instructional process of a foreign language. Considering the undeniable role of vocabulary plays in language learning, this study explored the effects of audiovisual input on EFL learners' receptive and productive knowledge of concrete and abstract words. To this end, ۲۴ upper-intermediate English language learners were selected from Iran Language institute in Qom, with an age range of ۱۵ to ۲۵. A ۳۰–item pretest of concrete and abstract words was administered prior to the study. The words were selected from one movie and its corresponding book that included both receptive and productive vocabularies. During the eight-session treatment, the control group was instructed through the written input (the book) and the experimental group was taught via the audiovisual input (the movie). Results of the delayed posttest pointed to significant differences between the two groups in terms of vocabulary gains and the audiovisual group outscored the written input group regarding the vocabulary knowledge. More specifically, the study revealed that the audiovisual input significantly impacted learning concrete words. The study is a confirmation on the importance of audiovisual input in learning all different classifications of vocabulary in general and concrete words in particular. The study further implies that there would be a way for a more detailed scrutiny on the methods of acquiring various categories of vocabulary.

Keywords:

Audiovisual information , Word knowledge , Concrete vocabulary , Abstract vocabulary