Using Instagram for Teaching Idioms to Iranian Upper-intermediate EFL Learners

Abstract

In this study, the efficacy of using Instagram as a smartphone assisting tool on teaching idioms to Iranian upper-intermediate EFL learners was examined. Oxford Placement Test (OPT) was utilized to determine the level of the learner's proficiency. Then, 60 selected participants were divided into two groups namely experimental and control groups. The learners in the experimental group learned idioms through Instagram (pictures, examples, and texts) and the learners in the control group learned them through the traditional method (texts, meaning, and examples). T-test was used to determine the significance of the experimental group improvement in learning idioms compared with the control group. The findings showed that the experimental group learners outperformed the control group learners and the increase in their scores was significant showing that Instagram is a good application for learning idioms. The results of this study might be useful for both EFL students and professors to learn and teach better.