The Effects of Explicit Film-based Instruction on EFL Teacher Trainees’ Interpretation of Implied Meanings

Year 2019, , 581 - 605, 15.04.2019

Ugur Recep Cetinavci

https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.2.581

Abstract

Pragmatic competence is an indispensable dimension of overall language ability, and proper interpretation of implied meanings is a major constituent of pragmatic competence. In this regard, this study aimed to investigate the efficiency of a film-based instruction program devised to facilitate the interpretation of implied meanings in English. It was conducted with a quasi-experimental design. First, a multiple-choice discourse completion test was given to 144 English language teacher trainees with 77 people in the experimental group and 67 in the control group. After the 5-week instruction given to the experimental group, the test was administered to both groups again. The results revealed significant differences in favor of the experimental group. This makes the program a promising one as it made the participants, who were also prospective English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers responsible for helping their own students have pragmatic competence too, significantly more equipped about processing implied meanings as a major constituent of pragmatic competence.

Keywords

Film, implied meanings (implicature), pragmatic competence, teaching pragmatics, teacher training

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