Implicit and Explicit Instruction of Intonation for the Iranian EFL Learners: A Prosodic Inquiry

Abstract

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of implicit and explicit instruction on the learnability of intonation through films. To this end, 40 Iranian EFL learners participated in 4 groups during 20 treatment sessions, i.e. implicit instruction and explicit instruction through giving episodes of TV series, parts of a movie and animated feature. The results indicated that the difference among the mean scores of the two groups was statistically meaningful. The participants with explicit instruction performed better compared to subjects who received implicit instruction. The second purpose was to find out if the gender of the participants of the present study played any crucial role in improving the level of intonation, for which, two of the four classes were male and the other two were female. The results obtained from implicit and explicit groups showed no significant differences between male and female classes. The results will be insightful for both teachers and material developers in designing appropriate materials and activities for teaching intonation.