International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching

and Research
ISSN: 2322-3898-[Link]
© 2025- Published by Islamic Azad University, Najafabad Branch

Please cite this paper as follows:

Madhi Al-Saedi, M. B., & Sarkhosh, M. (2025). Impact of Etymological Elaboration and Captioned Video on
Iraqi EFL Learners’ English Idiomatic Expressions Development. International Journal of Foreign Language
Teaching and Research, 13 (55), [Link]://[Link]/10.71962/jfl-2025-1127934
Research Paper

Impact of Etymological Elaboration and Captioned Video on Iraqi EFL

Learners’ English Idiomatic Expressions Development
Majid Bani Madhi Al-Saedi1, Mahdi Sarkosh2*
1
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of English, Urmia State University, Urmia, Iran
2*
Assistant Professor, Department of English, Urmia State University, Urmia, Iran

Received: August 08, 2024 Revised: October 08, 2024 Accepted: November 20, 2024

Abstract
This study explored the impact of etymological elaboration and captioned video on the
development of English idiomatic expressions among Iraqi EFL learners. Recognizing the
significance of idioms in language mastery, the research aimed to identify effective teaching
strategies that enhance learners' comprehension and usage of idiomatic expressions. A sample of
70 advanced female learners, aged 19 to 26, was randomly assigned to three groups: an
etymological elaboration group, a captioned video group, and a control group. The study
employed a pre-test and post-test design to measure idiom familiarity before and after a 10-
session treatment program. Results indicated that both etymological elaboration and captioned
videos significantly improved idiom learning, with etymological elaboration proving to be the
most effective method. The findings highlight the importance of integrating cognitive and
multimedia strategies in EFL instruction to facilitate idiomatic expression acquisition.

Keywords: Captioned video, Etymological Elaboration, Idiomatic development, Idiomatic

expressions

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 90 Madhi Al-Saedi, M. B., & Sarkhosh, M., Vol. 13, Issue 55, 2025, pp. 89-102

Introduction
The ultimate goal of each teaching learning method devised by scholars is to provide the learners
by different types of language competence. In this vein, Wray (2000) asserts that idioms and
idiomatic expressions are one of the most important components of language mastery. In other
words, mastery of idiomatic forms of expressions including idioms, collocations, and sentence
phrases, collectively referred to as formulaic sequence is one of the important components of
successful language learning. Similarly, Li (2000) claims that idioms play an important role in
daily communications among people, therefore, an adequate knowledge of idiomatic expressions
and their use is an essential part of language competence.
Regarding the importance of idioms and idiomatic expressions in language competence, it
can be concluded that teaching, learning and using idioms are important parts of any language.
As a matter of fact, one of the language teachers’ and language specialists’ duty is to find a
proper and effective technique to teach and learn idioms. This issue gains extra importance and
can be beneficiary to teachers and learners in (EFL) context because of the cultural bound of
idioms and the fact that their meaning and the conveyed message are sometimes totally different
from their literal meaning (Moreno, 2011).
Wang and Wang (2013) have noted that idiom is a language in the formation of the
unique and fixed expressions in the using process possessing exclusive features and patterns
which are frequently used in speech or printed form. According to Wang and Wang (2013)
idioms possess a significant importance for language learners since they can convey not only the
language that is desired by the speaker or writer but also the cultural norms which exist within
the language and society.
Highlighting the importance of idioms, Spears (2005) mentions the challenges of learning
idiom and their abundance. He asserts that all languages have phrases that cannot be understood
literally and, therefore, cannot be used with confidence. idioms are a big part of language and
community around the world. The native speakers of every language use idioms all the time.
Idiomatic usage is so widespread in all cultures, and of course in English, that without utilizing
idioms it appears very difficult to talk or write. Additionally, he points out that idioms are unclear
or erratic because their meaning is not fixed and easily understood by nature.
There is no doubt that idioms create difficulties for learners of English as a foreign or
second language (EFL/ESL) because of the ineradicableness of their meanings in the case of heir
literal meaning. For example, when confronted with idioms, nonnative speakers can find
themselves in a hard situation since idioms are omnipresent in any human language. So, a proper
demand a language requires extensive knowledge of its basic idioms. The level of idiomatic
knowledge is in fact an important sign of a learner’s skill (Maisa & Karunakaran, 2013; Thyab,
2016; Macis & Schmitt, 2017).
Taking the fixed form and unpredictability of the meaning of the idioms into
consideration, idioms constitute a notoriously difficult area of foreign language learning and
teaching since idioms are conventionalized expressions whose overall meaning cannot be
determined from the meaning of their constituent parts. For instance, students often complain
about the difficulties involved in understanding idiomatic expressions such as to fall in love, to be
over the moon or to be under the weather, since the image of a person falling, standing over the
moon or being placed under meteorological conditions apparently holds no relation whatsoever
with the states of love, happiness and sadness conveyed by these expressions respectively.
In this vein, Irujo (1986 as cited in Zarei, 2013) claims that “idioms do not say what they
mean’ because they are not literal” (p. 13). Besides the difficulty in comprehending the meaning
expressed by the idiomatic expression, another problem faced by the EFL/ESL learners deals
with the proper usage of such expressions since as Irujo (1986 as cited in Zarei, 2013), asserts,

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 Impact of Etymological Elaboration and Captioned Video … 91

using idioms correctly is a very difficult task for English learners even if they know the intended
meanings because idioms are culture bound expressions. The problems faced by learners in
comprehending and using the idioms in the target language appropriately are among the
significant and demanding reasons for the necessity of mastering idioms which seems to be a
hard goal for L2 learners (Chuang, 2013).
Contributing to the difficulty of comprehension and proper using of idioms is their strong
relation or bound to the culture underlying every language. in other words, since idioms are
deeply rooted in the culture of the target language, understanding them without any knowledge of
the target culture seems very difficult. idioms are the reflection of customs, cultural beliefs,
specific features, social attitudes and norms of a society. There are morals, themes, and stories
behind idioms and L2 learners do not have a chance to learn and read about them (Cakir, 2011).
From teachers’ perspectives, they have always been interested in finding and applying
appropriate methods to teach idioms because of their significance in achieving language
competence. From a cognitive perspective, teachers should mainly focus on etymology and apply
etymological elaboration as a mnemonic approach to help EFL learners’ idiom learning,
comprehension and use (Moreno, 2011). Boers, Demecheleer and Eyckmans (2004) assert that
cognitive scholars believe etymological elaboration would assist learners in comprehending and
remembering the meaning of idiomatic expressions by getting the origin or literal meaning of
idioms. In fact, they consider the source domain of idioms to resort the meaning.
etymological elaboration is of pedagogical importance because knowing the etymology of
the idiom allows students to find the connections between figurative and literal meanings which
encourage the processing of images. Baleghizadeh (2012) advocates the positive effect of
etymological elaboration from a dual-coding theory-based perspective, claiming that data which
is delivered in a visual and verbal way is stored and retrieved easier than knowledge provided in
just one way. Therefore, in the case of idioms, the mental image for figurative idioms is expected
to facilitate the recall and retention of them. The other advantage of etymological elaboration is
to raise the knowledge of learners about the historical context of idiomatic expressions that
fosters the appreciation of the target community (Baleghizadeh, 2012).
On the other hand, one of the other dual-coding based used strategies in EFL/ESL classes
is video. This strategy as gained attention in light of technology development which enables the
teachers to have used videos in their classes to teach second languages to their students. As
Chang, Lei and Tseny (2019) explain, teachers use different types of media and videos to teach
different English skills since videos are believed to be good sources of input because students are
able to see the characters and situations. Simultaneously, videos are also interesting and increase
the motivation of students.
From a sociological perspective, in todays’ world, the availability and popularity of EFL
films and videos has increased, and the usage of captions as an add-on to them is generally
accepted. Captions activate multi-sensory processing involving all components of audio, video,
and print at the same time (Rodriguez & Diaz, 2017). Therefore, as Markham and Peter (2002)
argue, captioning may be one of the reasons that will support students when they interpret all of
the video material while listening and reading the captions. The researcher has therefore decided
to do a study investigating and comparing the effects of etymological development and video
captioning on learning English idiomatic expressions by posing the following questions:
RQ1: Does using etymological elaboration have any significant effect on Iraqi EFL
learners’ idiom development?
RQ2: Does using captioned videos have any significant effect on Iraqi EFL learners’
idiom development?
RQ3: Is there any significant difference between using etymological elaboration and
captioned videos on Iraqi EFL learners’ idiom development?

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 92 Madhi Al-Saedi, M. B., & Sarkhosh, M., Vol. 13, Issue 55, 2025, pp. 89-102

Literature Review
There is no doubt that idioms are very important part of language and language learning since
they are constantly appearing in the speech of native speakers and it is difficult for EFL students
to learn and understand. Provided that there are various reasons as to why idioms should be
learned in an EFL school, there are several forms in which to teach them. According to Rizq
(2015), these methods can be divided broadly into the traditional method and the cognitive
linguistic approach. As Chen and Lai (2013) assert, in traditional approach to teaching idioms,
they were mainly taught using memorization and rote learning in which the learners were given a
list of phrases and were asked to memorize through constant repetition. However, Chen and Lai
(2013) criticize the traditional approach to teaching idioms for being time- and effort-consuming
because learners must pick up idioms without associations or previous knowledge.
The next approach to teaching idiomatic expressions is the Cognitive Linguistic approach
which is considered a modern school of linguistic thought. According to Evans and Green (2006),
the cognitive linguistic advocating this approach, aim to discover systemic vocabulary and
thought processes, implying that learning vocabulary according to cognitive linguistic
methodology involves researching conceptualization trends and human mind characteristics.
Moreover, Cognitive Linguistic agrees with the necessity to memorize some number of items, but
offers an approach which allows lexical items and multiple meanings to be seen as motivated,
which means “reflecting a pattern that can provide a set of principles acting as a schema for
acquiring new vocabulary” (Tyler, 2012, p. 7). Tyler (2012) stresses the value of structured,
inspired clarification in language instruction, because it will make it simpler for language learners
to understand and recall the encountered lexical items.
From a different categorization, Cooper (2012) introduces contextual clues as useful
method to learners in comprehending unknown idioms. Confirming the efficacy of context clue
method for teaching and learning idioms, Cain and Towse (2008) assert that idiomatic
expressions are understood in relation to the context in which they are used. the techniques used
to process and interpret language in context are deemed essential for improving comprehension
of idioms (Liu, 2017). If an idiom is new, it will (partly) be interpreted by examining the
definitions of the verbs in the phrase (Maisa & Karunakaran, 2013). In this way, the meaning
may be a valuable guide for learners to grasp idiom meanings. Learners mostly prefer context-
based strategies.
The next method is devoted to Willis (1990) who prefers procedures that render trends
look (personal communication), claiming that it will help students identify patterns and think
about idioms. Unsurprisingly, his approach uses formulaic sequence as part of the data collection
used to display terms in their normal usage. The rationale behind the efficacy of the mentioned
approach as Willis (1990) assert is that “the commonest pattern in English occurs again and again
with the commonest words in English. If we are to provide learners with language experience
which offers exposure to the most useful patterns of the language, we might as well begin by
researching the most useful words in the language” (p.38).
The other approach that belongs to Lewis (1993), downgrades the sense of the single
terms as a unit and favors the wider term as a lexical feature. The lexical phrasing is significant in
this method. Therefore, he selects lexical phrases on the basis of their “archetiicality” and his aim
is to provide “a large vocabulary, if low level students are initially unable to grammaticalize it”
and also “balance between relatively rare words carrying considerable meaning and relatively
wide and frequent pattern with low meaning content”(Lewis 1993 p.58).
The next approach for teaching idioms to be mentioned here is teaching idioms based on
their underlying themes or literal origins is a potentially useful approach. Boers et al. (2004)
outlines a teaching method based on problem-solving tasks in which students are made aware of

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 Impact of Etymological Elaboration and Captioned Video … 93

the origin of figurative idioms. The approach called as etymological elaboration coined by Boers,
et al. (2004) provides learners with the literal, original use of an idiom. In other words, using
etymological elaboration is trying to direct learners’ attention to the etymology of idiom in order
to make students understand the symbolic purpose behind idiomatic words.
The reasons provided by Stengers, et al. (2014) for using etymological elaboration for
teaching idioms is that incorporating information about the origin or literal uses of idioms lends
concreteness and imagibility to the idiom whereby facilitating learning, a phenomenon at the
heart of Dual Coding theory. The second reason is that getting familiar with the origin of the
idiom, the learner can make an educated guess at its abstract (idiomatic) meaning.
Cognitive linguistics focuses on the application of etymological elaboration as a
mnemonic approach to help EFL / ESL learners’ comprehension of the language. Through
acquiring the root or literal meaning of idioms, this approach allows learners to recognize and
recall the meaning of idiomatic expressions. In fact, they consider the source domain of idioms to
resort the meaning. This is an effective approach used in many paper-and-pencil experiments
(Boers, Demecheleer, & Eyckmans, 2004).
On the other hand, one of the techniques used in classes EFL / ESL is video. Teachers
have used videos in their classrooms since the period that technologies permitted, to teach second
languages to their students. Teachers use different kinds of media and videos to teach different
English skills (Chang, Lei & Tseny, 2019). Videos are good input sources since students can see
the characters and situations; videos are often fascinating, so they increase the enthusiasm of the
students.
According to Palmer (2007), instructional videos can be described as powerful media that
can provide narrative visualization and engage multiple senses of the students simultaneously.
Similarly, Whatley and Ahmad (2007) attribute the power of video in providing narrative
visualization and engaging multiple senses to the watch again feature of instructional videos since
using it learners can enrich their notes on the subject. Furthermore, as Chan (2010) asserts, in
addition to providing the learners with an environment to learn at the speed, time and setting they
can choose, tutorial videos also allow them to learn autonomously of others. Educational videos,
which have become very easy to produce and disseminate due to developments in new
knowledge and communication technology, play a significant role in the auditory and visual
delivery of the instructional message to the learner.
Considering the theory underlying the use of educational videos Jamet and Le Bohec
(2007) claim that according to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, Visual and verbal
information processing mechanisms are distinct and learning happens by forming relations
between visual and verbal channels, each of which has a small processing capacity. The main
claim of the redundancy principle, which is based on the cognitive theory of multimedia learning,
is that students learn better when animation/ illustration and narration are presented without
written texts rather than when animation/illustration and narration are presented together with
written words (Mayer, 2009; Mayer & Moreno, 2003). In other words, the redundancy effect
suggests that animated / illustrated and narrated presentation of teaching video material has a
more beneficial impact on the learning experience as compared to an animated / illustrated and
narrated introduction supplemented with captions or other written texts.
These days, popularity and availability of films and videos in the field of EFL has
increased and using captions as an addition to them become widely welcomed. Captions activate
multi-sensory processing that involve audio, video, and print components all at the same time
(Hwang & Huang, 2009). Thus, as Markham and Peter (2002) asserts, captioning can be one of
the factors that can help students since they view the whole content of video while they listen and
read the captions.

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 94 Madhi Al-Saedi, M. B., & Sarkhosh, M., Vol. 13, Issue 55, 2025, pp. 89-102

Methodology
Design of the Study
The study utilized a quasi-experimental design involving three groups of participants: an
etymological elaboration group (N=22), a captioned video group (N=20), and a control group
(N=23). Participants were advanced female EFL learners from a language center in Maysan
Governorate, Iraq. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative
data from pre-tests and post-tests with qualitative observations during the treatment sessions. The
treatment consisted of 10 sessions, each focusing on three idiomatic expressions, taught through
either etymological elaboration or captioned videos. The pre-test assessed participants' prior
knowledge of idioms, while the post-test evaluated their learning outcomes. Data analysis
involved ANOVA and paired samples t-tests to determine the effectiveness of the teaching
methods and to compare the performance of the groups.

Participants
The participants of this study included 70 female advance learners within the age range of 19 to
26, studying English as a foreign language in Maysan Governorate language center in Amarah,
Iraq. The first language (L1) for 70% of participants was Arabic; 30% of them spoke other
languages as their L1. However, because the medium of instruction in this very institute is
English, thus, teachers are not allowed to use languages other than English to clarify the
concepts. After determining the participants' age, sex, and language proficiency homogeneity,
they were then randomly assigned to an etymological elaboration group (N= 22), a video caption
group (N= 20) and a control group (N= 23).

Instruments and Materials

The researcher used a variety of data collection instruments to answer the research questions and
to collect the required data for the study. The employed instruments and materials consisted of
the following;

a. Homogeneity test
The Michigan English Test (MET) is a standardized, extremely valid and reliable (r=0.90)
advanced EFL test. The MET is being used to assess general English language proficiency in the
social, educational and professional contexts and is recognized as formal documented proof of
English proficiency in a variety of countries around the world. The MET measure indicates the
English language proficiency of the participants at the time of the exam and is accurate as long as
the level of proficiency of the examinee does not change.

b. Idiom familiarity test prior to the treatment (pre-test)

The pre-test was an idiom test that demonstrated the participants' previous knowledge of the
idioms to be used in the research. It contained 55 idioms that were selected from the Longman
American Idiom Dictionary (1999), Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms (2009) and the Collins
Co-build Dictionary of Idioms (2012). A total thirty minutes were given as the exam time to
answer the questions. Based on the pre-test results of the subjects, forty entirely unfamiliar
idioms were chosen to ensure learning and were taught during treatment.

c. Video Captions (Treatment Materials)

One of the instruments used in this stud to teach the idioms in English to EFL learners was
captioned videos. The video that students watched were chosen among the ones having clear
speaking and conversations and that the accents of the speakers were close to Standard English.

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 Impact of Etymological Elaboration and Captioned Video … 95

Thus, the international students can understand them better. While choosing the videos, it was
considered that the videos did not cause any kind of cross-cultural problems or they did not have
any kinds of inappropriate sentences or behaviors that could harm students or was in conflict with
cultural, social and religious beliefs of the participants. Due to the time limitations some parts of
the video were cut and the needed parts were sent to the participants. The researcher kept the
parts that included useful and intended idioms/phrases (the idioms/phrases that were used in the
pre-test). After reducing the time of the videos and cutting the unnecessary parts, transcripts were
written and added to the video as subtitles (captions).

d. The post treatment test (post-test)

The post-test was design based on the information obtained from the pre-test administered before
the treatment phase of the study, that is it included all forty unfamiliar idioms along with fifteen
known idioms in pre-test. Actually, the post-test was a restructured version of the pre-test. The
format, item number, allotted time, and target idioms were exactly the same as those of pre-test.
The post-test was used to screen out the effectiveness of video cations and etymological
elaboration on learning idiomatic expressions.

Data Collection Procedures

In order to conduct this study, three intact English classes including 70 female advanced EFL
students were selected randomly from among the classes held at Fahim language center. This
study was conducted in regular class time at Maysan Governorate language center in Amarah,
Iraq. Prior to the administration of the treatment, permission was obtained from the institute’s
supervisor. The students were assured that the results would be handled in a confidential manner.
Subsequently, a researcher made consent form was distributed among the initial sample to get
informed of their consent of taking part in this study followed by the researcher’s explanations
regarding the process of the study and the terminology of idiom, video captions and etymology.
After the preliminary preparations, the researcher administered Michigan English Test (MET)
which is a standardized, extremely valid and reliable (r=.90) advanced EFL test to reach a
homogeneous participant sample. Based on the results of the administered test, 5 outliers were
omitted and others were assigned into two groups. One of the classes was assigned as
etymological elaboration group (N= 22), control group (N= 23) and a video caption group (N=
20) at random. It is worth noticing that, because the pre-test and post-test used in this research
were designed by the researcher himself, prior being utilized, a pilot study was administered to
check the reliability of the target idioms, appropriateness of idiom difficulty, time limitation, and
the precision and lucidity of the research questions. As Farhadi, Jaafarpoor, and Birjandi(1994)
state, “On a ‘reliable’ test, one’s score on its various administrations would not differ greatly.
That is, one’s score would be quite consistent” (p.125).
As a result, 15 female students with the same level of English proficiency as the main
subjects of the study took these exams. The data collected was entered into the SPSS and the
Cronbach alpha was used to verify the reliability of the results. The pre-and post-test reliability
index (r = 0.72) suggested that the researcher-made experiments were reliable enough for the
purpose of this analysis. On the other hand, to deal with the validity of the designed tests and get
assured of them, the content and face validity of these tests, relevance of the questions to the
treatment, and their suitability to the research objectives and purposes, were evaluated by the
researcher consulting three experienced applied linguistic university lecturers who have been
teaching idioms for a number of years. The comments of the validity team and their suggestions
were taken into account, and before applying the tests, the needed modifications were made by
the researcher.

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 96 Madhi Al-Saedi, M. B., & Sarkhosh, M., Vol. 13, Issue 55, 2025, pp. 89-102

At administering the pre-test, the familiarity of the idioms and the participants initial
idiom knowledge was targeted and based on the results of pre-test administration, forty entirely
unfamiliar idioms were chosen and used in the treatment process. Each session was designed in
two versions i.e. one in the form of etymological elaboration and one in the captioned video form
that were used for groups, respectively. The participants were exposed to three idioms every
session which were taught at the end of the class (at least 20 minutes). In the etymological
elaboration group the pre-prepared elaborations and examples were sent every session to the
participants of the group and then in the case of any ambiguity it was discussed over by the
teacher. For the video caption group, the researcher, used videos to teach the idioms in English to
EFL learners. That is, he used video part that included useful and intended idioms/phrases adding
transcripts to the video as subtitles (captions). For the last group, the dictionary definitions of the
idioms to be learned by the learners were extracted and given to them with any explanation if
needed. After 10-session training program within which 4 idioms were taught using two different
strategies, a post test was administered to evaluate the participants’ learning and the effectiveness
of the applied teaching strategies.

Data Analysis Procedures

After homogenizing the sample of the study, the participants of the study were asked to take a
Idiom knowledge test to examine the existence of any significant difference between the groups
regarding their idiom knowledge. The gathered results were analyzed using an ANOVA test after
getting assured of the distribution normality of the scores.

Table 1
ANOVA Test Comparing the Observed Difference in Pre-test
Pre-test
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 16.709 2 6.236 1.073 .366
Within Groups 406.926 62 5.813
Total 425.635 64

According to Table 1 which shows the results of ANOVA test on pre-test scores, the
significance level p = .36 which is higher than 0.05 set for this study which indicates that all the
participants in all groups are similar in terms of idiom proficiency.
After the pre-test, the groups received their treatments. At the end of the treatment period
in order to evaluate the effect of aforementioned teaching strategies on participants’ learning,
they were given a post-test. Similar to the analysis done on pre-test scores, the scores of post-tests
were to examine the normality of distribution. Subsequent to the confirmation of the normality, in
order to check the participants’ learning three paired samples t-test were run on the pre-test and
post-test scores.

Table 2
Paired Samples t-test Run on the Scores after the Post-test Comparing the Performances in Pre
and Post-test
Paired Differences t df Sig. (2-
Mea Std. Std. 95% Confidence tailed)
n Deviati Error Interval of the
on Mean Difference

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 Impact of Etymological Elaboration and Captioned Video … 97

Lower Upper
Pair Control-pre- -6.95 3.86 .80 -7.32 -3.97 - 22 .02
1 test- Control- 7.00
post-test
Captioned-pre- -8.59 4.01 .78 -7.02 -4.11 - 19 .00
test- Captioned- 8.21
post-test
Etymological- - 4.72 .84 -6.74 -4.51 - 21 .00
pre-test- 11.6 8.14
Etymological- 0
post-test

According to the statistics depicted in the Table 2, since all the significance level indices
i.e. (.02. .00, .00), were lower than the set alpha level it was concluded that there were
statistically significant differences at the p< .05 level comparing the pre and post-test scores of all
three groups. Hence, it was concluded that using etymological elaboration, captioned videos and
English definition in control group have significant effects on Iraqi EFL learners’ idiom
development. However, considering the point that the groups were initially similar and had no
differences, therefore only their performances in the post-test were compared to spot the
outperformance of any of them over the others, the mean scores and standard deviation of the
groups were compared using another ANOVA test to spot any difference in the case of existence.

Table 3
ANOVA Test Comparing the Differences between groups in Post-test
Post-test
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 310.285 2 103.428 18.595 .000
Within Groups 389.350 62 5.562
Total 699.635 64

Based on the result abridged in Table 3, the significance value corresponding to teaching
strategy grouping variable turned out to be less than .05 (F = 18.595, p =.00<.05). Therefore, the
difference among the groups was significant. The conclusion, hence, is that there is statistically
significant difference among the groups using etymological elaboration, captioned videos and
English definitions in control group to enhance EFL learners’ idiom learning. To perform a more
detailed investigation of the data and find the most effective teaching strategy in improving idiom
learning of the participants, the researcher conducted a post hoc test to compare the groups in
pairs more detailed.
According to the results the p value for comparing Control group with Captioned video
and etymological elaboration groups were .01 and .00 which all are lower than the set alpha level
i.e. 0.05 indicating that all the groups were different in comparison to the dictionary definition
one, implying that both techniques outperformed the dictionary definition technique used in
control group in improving the participants’ idiom proficiency. Also, the comparison between
captioned video group and etymological elaboration showed that p = .00 which mean that the
difference between the performance of these two groups was statistically different. Checking the
mean difference revealed that the etymological elaboration group outperformed the captioned
video group implying that the etymological elaboration teaching strategy was more effective than
others in improving participants’ learning of the target idiomatic expressions.

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 98 Madhi Al-Saedi, M. B., & Sarkhosh, M., Vol. 13, Issue 55, 2025, pp. 89-102

Table 4
Post Hoc Test Comparing the Observed Difference in Pairs
(I) grouping (J) grouping Mean Std. Sig. 95% Confidence
Differenc Error Interval
e (I-J) Lower Upper
Bound Bound
Control Captioned -2.471* .809 .016 -4.60 -.34
Etymological -5.694* .778 .000 -7.74 -3.65
Captioned Control 2.471* .809 .016 .34 4.60
Etymological -3.224* .778 .001 -5.27 -1.18
Etymological Control 5.694* .778 .000 3.65 7.74
Captioned 3.224* .778 .001 1.18 5.27

Discussion
According to Cieślicka (2015), the salient reason for not being fluent and figuratively competent
in English for SL/FL learners could be the lack of proper and correct exposure to English
conceptual concepts and idiomatic expressions even to the highest levels of language learning.
The next reason provided for the difficulty of understanding and learning idioms which was
related to the mismatch between the message conveyed by the idiom and the literal meaning of
the component words is believed by Gibbs, Wilson, and Bryant (2012) to be that idiomatic
phrases are expressions that usually bring an image to mind and they are frequently used in
different types of communication almost everywhere since the image can differ considerably for
every individual unless it occurs in a particular context. Therefore, there is a need for a proper
teaching or learning techniques to solve the problem of lack of context. EFL learners are not
exposed to authentic English in the social life and they do not have ample opportunities to use
English or to be involved in it. The problem of non-native learners of English could be best
solved by the novel approach that the researchers apply. This approach exposes the EFL learners
to the real story behind the idioms or the origin of the expressions. It is worth noticing that
knowing the etymology of idioms is crucial in improving language proficiency since the idioms
were coined in definite time and because of specific cultural reasons.
The results of present study revealed that implementing etymological elaboration on
idiom-learning of EFL learners was the most effective strategy of all three ones. Hence, the
findings can be justified from a cognitive perspective. Since as Moreno (2011) asserts, it is
believed by most of the scholars that teachers should mainly focus on etymology and apply
etymological elaboration as a mnemonic approach to help EFL/ESL learners’ idiom learning,
comprehension and use. The efficacy of captioned videos can also be related to the fact that
teachers use different types of media and videos to teach different English skills since videos are
believed to be good sources of input because students are able to see the characters and situations
(Chang, Lei & Tseny, 2019). Simultaneously, videos are also interesting and increase the
motivation of students. In addition, from a sociological perspective, in todays’ world, the
availability and popularity of EFL films and videos has increased, and the usage of captions as an
add-on to them is generally accepted. Captions activate multi-sensory processing involving all
components of audio, video, and print at the same time (Hwang & Huang 1999).
This study findings can be supported by Conceptual Metaphor Theory. According to this
idea, idioms are not just a collection of random words with a meaning. A physical setting that
depicts the source from whence the idioms were developed may also be used to determine the
meaning of idiomatic terms. Furthermore, the findings are also consistent with the Dual Coding

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 Impact of Etymological Elaboration and Captioned Video … 99

Theory. This idea states that etymological elaboration and captioned videos are useful in evoking
a mental picture of a tangible situation that can be remembered alongside the verbal form (Boers,
2007). The conditions for understanding, learning, and remembering new words—and, in
particular, for comprehending idiomatic expressions—are often improved by this mental picture.
The findings of the present study are consistent with a number of studies such as Fazel
and Bagheri (2010); Bagheri and Fazel (2010); Tabatabaei and Reisi (2011); Baleghizadeh and
Mohammad Bagheri (2012), Ozdemir, Izmirli & Sahin-Izmirli (2016), Aydin (2017) and Teng
(2022). All these studies verified the significant role of etymology, providing definition and
captioned videos in idiom comprehension and indicated that etymological elaboration, providing
definition and subtitled videos elevated learners’ performance.
The findings of this study revealed that associating idioms with their origin could
reinforce the idiom learning. These results are in line with the study done by Zhang (2009) who
examined the effect of etymology on receptive and productive knowledge of target idioms. The
results of Zhang research support the present findings in that Zhang (2009) found that etymology
was effective in the production of target idioms. It should be noticed that there is a difference
between the present research and Zhang in that it explored the effect of etymological elaboration
on the learning of idioms in web-based and on-line learning environment.
The findings regarding the effectiveness of etymological elaboration on learning idioms
are also in line with eh findings of the study done by Baleghizadeh and Mohammad Bagheri
(2012) who applied etymological elaboration to facilitate idiom learning. Similarly, the results
had demonstrated the significant effect of etymological elaboration on EFL students’
comprehension and retention of idioms.
Regarding the efficacy of captioned videos on learning and particularly vocabulary
learning, the results are in contrast with Ozdemir, Izmirli & Sahin-Izmirli (2016) who
investigated the effect of captioned vs. non-captioned instructional videos on the motivation and
achievement. In contrast to the findings of current study, their results had revealed achievement
scores of students do not vary according to the instructional video type under investigation
(captioned vs. non-captioned).

Conclusion
The findings of this study highlight the critical role of effective teaching strategies in enhancing
EFL learners' understanding and use of idiomatic expressions. Both etymological elaboration and
captioned videos significantly improved idiom acquisition, with etymological elaboration
emerging as the superior method. This suggests that incorporating etymological insights into
language instruction can facilitate deeper comprehension and retention of idiomatic expressions,
ultimately contributing to greater language proficiency. The study advocates for the integration of
cognitive approaches and multimedia resources in EFL curricula to address the challenges
learners face with idioms, thereby enriching their overall language learning experience. Future
research could explore the long-term effects of these teaching methods and their applicability
across different language contexts.
The findings of this study carry significant implications for English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) instruction, particularly in the teaching of idiomatic expressions. By
demonstrating the effectiveness of etymological elaboration, the research suggests that educators
should incorporate this method into their curricula to enhance learners' comprehension and
retention of idioms. This approach not only deepens students' understanding of the language but
also fosters a greater appreciation for its nuances. Additionally, the positive results associated
with captioned videos highlight the value of integrating multimedia resources into language
learning, catering to diverse learning styles and increasing student engagement. As idiomatic
expressions are crucial for achieving fluency, language programs should prioritize their

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 100 Madhi Al-Saedi, M. B., & Sarkhosh, M., Vol. 13, Issue 55, 2025, pp. 89-102

instruction, equipping learners with the tools necessary to navigate real-life conversations more
effectively. Furthermore, the study underscores the importance of cognitive strategies in language
acquisition, encouraging educators to focus on methods that promote deeper understanding rather
than mere memorization. Overall, these implications advocate for a more dynamic and
resourceful approach to EFL teaching, paving the way for future research to explore the long-
term effects of these strategies and their applicability across various linguistic contexts.

References
Bagheri, M. S., & Fazel, I. (2010). Effects of Etymological Elaboration on the EFL Learners'
Comprehension and Retention of Idioms. Journal of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied
Linguistics, 14(1), 45-55.
Baleghizadeh, S. (2012). The effect of etymology elaboration on EFL learners’ comprehension
and retention of idioms. 3L, Language, Linguistics, Literature, 18(1), 1-17.
Baleghizadeh, S. & Mohammad Bagheri, M. (2012). The effect of etymology elaboration on EFL
learners’ comprehension and retention of idioms. The Southeast Asia Journal of English
Language Studies, 18(1), 23-32.
Boers, F., Demacheleer, M. & Eyckmans, J. (2004). Cross-cultural variation as a variable in
comprehending and remembering figurative idioms. European Journal of English Studies,
8, 375-366.
Cain, K., & Towse, A. S. (2008). Working memory, short-term memory and reading
development: Introduction to the special issue. Memory, 16(3), 203-206.
Çakir, I. (2011). The effects of note-taking on listening comprehension and recall of EFL
learners. International Journal of Instruction, 4(2), 61-80.
Chan, L. K. S. (2010). The relationship between cognitive style and learning preference in EFL
writing: A study of Hong Kong learners. RELC Journal, 41(1), 5-24.
Chang, C., Lei, H., & Tseny, J. (2019). Media presentation mode, English listening
comprehension and cognitive load in ubiquitous learning environments: Modality effect
or redundancy effect? Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 27(4), 631-654.
Chen, I. J., & Lai, C. F. (2013). Enhancing EFL learners' use of vocabulary learning strategies
through computer-mediated glosses. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 26(1), 1-21.
Chuang, Y. C. (2013). The effect of pre-task planning on L2 writing performance: A meta-
analysis. Journal of Second Language Writing, 22(4), 305-327.
Collins Co-build Dictionary of Idioms. (2012). London: HarperCollins Publishers.
Cooper, T. C. (2012). Processing of idioms by L2 learners of English. TESOL Quarterly, 46(2),
284-310.
Dervić, M., & Bećirović, S. (2020). Prerogative of the lexical approach in communicative
language teaching. European Journal of Education Studies, 3(2), 1-21.
Evans, V., & Green, M. (2006). Cognitive linguistics: An introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.
Farhadi, H., Jaafarpoor, A., & Birjandi, P. (1994). Testing language skills: From theory to
practice. Tehran: SAMT Publications.
Fazel, I. &Bagheri, M.S. (2010). Effects of etymological elaboration on EFL learners’
comprehension and retention of idioms. Applied Linguistics, 14(1), 45-55.
Gibbs, R. W., Jr., Wilson, N. L., & Bryant, G. A. (2012). Figurative language: Normal adult
cognitive research. In M. J. Spivey, K. McRae, & M. F. Joanisse (Eds.), The Cambridge
handbook of psycholinguistics (pp. 465–484). Cambridge University Press.
Cieślicka, A. B. (2015). Idiom acquisition and processing by second/foreign language
learners. Bilingual figurative language processing, 208-244.

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 Impact of Etymological Elaboration and Captioned Video … 101

Hwang, Y., & Huang, P. (2009). The Effects of Video Captioning on L2 Learners’ Listening
Comprehension. Journal of National Formosa University, 29, 95-108.
Jamet, E., & Le Bohec, O. (2007). Effects of prior knowledge and text structure on
comprehension processes during reading of scientific texts. Journal of Educational
Psychology, 99(4), 791-806.
Li, P. (2000). Hong Kong from 6 students’ ability in English idiom comprehension in relation to
their general English [Link] master’s thesis, University of Hog Kong,
Hong Kong, China.
Liu, D. (2018). Idioms: Description, comprehension, acquisition, and pedagogy. New York and
London: Routledge.
Longman American Idiom Dictionary. (1999). Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited.
Macis, M., & Schmitt, N. (2017). Not just ‘small potatoes’: Knowledge of the idiomatic
meanings of collocations. Language teaching research, 21(3), 321-340.
Maisa, S., & Karunakaran, T. (2013). Idioms and importance of teaching idioms to ESL students:
A study on teacher beliefs. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
(AJHSS), 1(1), 110-122.
Markham, P., & Peter, L. (2002). The influence of English language and Spanish language
caption on foreign language listening/reading comprehension. Journal of Educational
Technology System, 31(3), 331-341.
Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning.
Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 43–52.
Mayer, R.E. (2009). Multimedia Learning (2nd edn). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Moreno, E. M. G. (2011). The role of etymology in the teaching of idioms related to colors in
anL2. PortaLinguarum, 16, 19-32.
Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms (3rd ed.). (2009). Oxford University Press.
Palmer, H. (2007). The role of idiomatic language in English language teaching. The Teacher
Trainer Journal, 21(1), 6-8.
Özdemir, M., İzmirli, S., & Şahin İzmirli, Ö. (2016). The Effects of Captioning Videos on
Academic Achievement and Motivation: Reconsideration of Redundancy Principle in
Instructional Videos. Educational Technology & Society, 19. 1-10.
Rodriguez, J., & Diaz, M. V. (2017). Media with Captions and Description to Support Learning
among Children with Sensory Disabilities. Universal Journal of Educational
Research, 5(11), 2016-2025.
Spears, R. A. (2005). McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions:
The Most Up-to-Date Reference for the Nonstandard Usage, Popular Jargon, and
Vulgarisms of Contempos. McGraw Hill Professional.
Stengers, H., Deconinck, J., Boers, F., & Eyckmans, J. (2014). Does copying idioms promote
their retention? Computer Assisted Language Learning, 29(2), 1-13.
Tabatabaei, O. & Reisi, F. (2011). The Contribution of Movie Clips to Idiom Learning
Improvement of Iranian EFL Learners. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1(8),
990-1000.
Teng, F., & Zhang, L. J. (2022). The Effects of Second Language Subtitled Films, Advance
Organizers, and a Mixture of Both on Vocabulary Development: A Comparative Study.
TESOL Quarterly, 56(1), 162-190.
Thyab, R. A. (2016). The Necessity of idiomatic expressions to English Language
learners. International Journal of English and Literature, 7(7), 106-111.
Tyler, A. (2017). Cognitive Linguistics and Second Language Learning: Theoretical Basics and
Experimental Evidence. New York: Routledge.

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad
 102 Madhi Al-Saedi, M. B., & Sarkhosh, M., Vol. 13, Issue 55, 2025, pp. 89-102

Wang, L. & Wang, SH. (2013). A Study of Idiom Translation Strategies between English and
Chinese. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(9), 1691-1697.
Whatley, J., & Ahmad, A. (2007). Using Video to Record Summary Lectures to Aid Students'
Revision. Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects, 3, 185-196.
Willis, D. (1990). The lexical syllabus: A new approach to language learning. London: Collins
ELT.
Wray, A. (2000). Formulaic language in learners and native speakers. Language Teaching, 32(1),
213-231.
Zarei, A. A. (2013). On the Learnability of three categories of Idioms by Iranian EFL
learners. Modares Educational Journal in TEFL, 27, 10-26.
Zhang, L. (2009). The effect of etymological elaboration on L2 idiom acquisition and retention in
an online environment (WebCT). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 11126.
[Link]

© 2025 by the authors. Licensee International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, Najafabad
Iran, Iran. This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0 license). ([Link] nc/4.0/).

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 13 (55), 2025 Islamic Azad University of Najafabad