The effect of interactive videos on Iranian EFL learners' lexical knowledge in the context of secondary schools

This study investigated the effects of watching English cartoons on incidental vocabulary learning and Iranian young learners’ attitudes towards watching English cartoons for EFL learning. The current study examined the effects of watching a series of cartoons (Caillou) on incidental vocabulary learning using a quasi-experimental design. A total of 21 young students from two intact classes of a private school located in Tehran, who were learning English as a foreign language (EFL), participated in the study. Immediately after 10 sessions of conducting the treatment for both experimental and control group, they were given a 25-item multiple choice test. Two weeks after the treatment, they were given another 25-item multiple choice test with 5 items in common with the immediate posttest. The participants were assigned to one of the two groups: Group A (10 sessions of watching Caillou series cartoons) and Group B (10 sessions of reading comprehension task). T-test analyses were conducted to examine development between and within each group. Results revealed that the experimental group demonstrated significant gains based on the multiple choice test. In addition, Group A gained better results in the delayed posttest. After conducting the task, an attitude questionnaire was given to the participants of the experimental group.