The Effect of Pictorial Minimal Pair-based Stories on EFL Beginners’ Pronunciation Accuracy and Vocabulary Recall

This study investigated the effect of pictorial minimal pair-based stories on pronunciation accuracy and vocabulary recall among Iranian EFL beginners. Forty-five FFL learners of a language institute aged ۱۱ to ۱۳ were assigned to one control group and two experimental groups. The researchers taught the control group through stories without pictures and minimal pairs. Experimental group ۱ used stories, pictorial minimal pairs, and pictures, while experimental group ۲ used stories and pictorial minimal pairs without pictures. The current study used a researcher-made test of vocabulary and pronunciation as pre- and post-tests. The researchers ran one-way ANOVA to determine the significance of changes in performance, with an alpha level set at p < ۰.۰۵. After eight sessions, post-tests displayed that experimental group ۱ had significantly better pronunciation accuracy than the control group. However, there were no significant differences in vocabulary recall among the groups. The study proposes visual aids improve pronunciation but may not significantly influence vocabulary acquisition, highlighting the need for targeted strategies to improve both areas. The findings of this study are valuable for language teachers, curriculum designers, and teacher educators. It recommends incorporating pictorial stories with minimal pair vocabularies to improve pronunciation teaching.

کلیدواژه ها:

Pronunciation Accuracy ، Vocabulary Recall ، Pictorial Minimal Pairs ، EFL learners