چکیده:
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of meaning-focused versus form-focused input-oriented and output-oriented task-based instruction on elementary level Iranian EFL Learners‟ vocabulary comprehension and recall. For this purpose, a sample of 120 male students from a private school in Tehran was selected through convenience sampling and based on availability. The participants were divided into four groups, and each group was given a different treatment. The first group was taught through meaning-focused input-oriented vocabulary tasks; the second group was instructed through meaning-focused output-oriented tasks; the third group received form-focused input-oriented vocabulary tasks, and the fourth group received form-focused output-oriented vocabulary instruction. At the end of the treatment, the participants in all the four groups were given a vocabulary comprehension and a vocabulary recall posttest. The results indicated that meaning-focused tasks were more effective than form-focused tasks on both vocabulary comprehension and recall. At the same time, input-oriented tasks turned out to be more effective than output-oriented tasks on only vocabulary comprehension. In vocabulary recall, input-oriented tasks were more effective when they were form-focused, while output-oriented tasks were more effective when they were meaning-focused. The results of this study can have implications for teachers, learners, and curriculum designers.
خلاصه ماشینی:
A. in TEFL, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin Branch, Iran Received: May 4, 2016; Accepted: October 26, 2016 Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the effect of meaning-focused versusform-focused input-oriented and output-oriented task-based instruction on elementary level Iranian EFL Learners‟ vocabulary comprehension and recall.
A quick look at the relevant literature suggests that many studies have focused on grammar tasks, and the number of studies on the other components of language, like vocabulary, is small (Saeidi, Zaferanieh, & Shatery, 2012).
In response to this need, this study investigated the effect of form-focused and meaning-focused output- oriented versus input-oriented task-based instruction on Iranian EFL learners‟ vocabulary learning.
In a meaning-focused approach, "learners are usually not specifically taught the strategies, maxims and organizational principles that govern communicative language use but are expected to work these out for themselves through extensive task engagement" (Celce-Murcia, Dörnyei, & Thurrell, 1997, p.
Jahangard (2010) carried out a similar study in the Iranian context and concluded that form-focused vocabulary instruction can have a statistically significant effect on the end-of-the- course achievement of EFL learners.
Are there any significant differences among the effects of meaning- focused and form-focused input-oriented and output-oriented tasks on Iranian elementary level EFL learners‟ vocabulary comprehension?
2. Are there any significant differences among the effects of meaning- focused and form-focused input-oriented and output-oriented tasks on Iranian elementary level EFL learners‟ vocabulary recall?
RESULTS The First Research Question The first research question sought to investigate the effects of meaning- focused and form-focused input-oriented and output-oriented tasks on vocabulary comprehension.