A comparative study on the effectiveness of explicit and implicit instruction on the vocabulary development in 5th grade Turkish EFL classrooms

Yıl 2016, Cilt: 5 Sayı: 4, 241 - 260, 17.02.2017

Şengül Er Doğan Enisa Mede

Öz

The purpose of this research study is to examine and compare the effectiveness of implicit and explicit instruction on vocabulary development in fifth grade Turkish EFL classrooms. The study also attempted to find out the perceptions and feelings of EFL teachers about the implementation of these two instructional methods in their classroom practices. The participants were 89 fifth grade students and 2 teachers enrolled in a fifth grade English program at a private school in Istanbul, Turkey. The data were collected from pre- and post-tests as well as reflective journals. The findings of the study revealed that although there were no significant differences between explicit and implicit instruction on students’ vocabulary development, teachers perceived implicit instruction to be more motivating, interactive and enjoyable in fifth grade EFL classrooms.

 

Keywords:  Implicit    instruction,    explicit     instruction,    vocabulary development, teachers’ perception, EFL.