A Comparative Study of the Effects of Animated Versus Static Funny Pictures on Iranian Intermediate EFL Students’ Intake and Retention of Idioms

The present study is a comparative investigation into the effect(s) of using animated versus static funny pictures on Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ intake and retention of English idioms. The researchers intended to find out whether higher intake and longer retention of English idioms could be gained by using animated funny pictures or static funny ones. In so doing, 60 intermediate EFL learners attending Rasa Institute, Boukan, West Azerbaijan, were selected using Solutions Placement Test (SPT). First, they were randomized into an experimental group and a control one. Then each group was provided with 25 idioms which were not known even by one student. These idioms were presented over 5 sessions. For the experimental group, the idioms were presented through animated funny pictures associated with their Persian equivalents and sample sentences. And for the control group, the same idioms were offered through static funny pictures with Persian translation and sample sentences. After this five-session treatment, students’ intake and retention of the instructed idioms were tested using an immediate post-test and a delayed one. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 software. Results of Independent and Paired Samples t-tests showed that using animated funny pictures could enhance intermediate students’ intake and retention of idioms.