The Effect of Explicit vs. Implicit Instruction on Algerian EFL Learners’ Production of Complaints

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of two approaches of instruction (explicit vs. implicit) on Algerian EFL learners’ production of complaints. Moreover, it sought to know whether or not gender affects the participants’ pragmatic production of the speech act in focus. Two intact third-year English-major groups (40 students) participated in the study. Each group consists of 29 girls and 11 boys. The pretest and posttest data were collected through a ten-item discourse completion test. Both groups’ production of complaints was analyzed using a holistic rating scale to evaluate the overall appropriateness of language use. The results revealed that the explicit group significantly improved in the posttest over the pretest, greatly outperforming the implicit group. Additionally, there is no significant difference between the males and females of the implicit group. However, in the explicit group, gender came out to exert a significant impact on the way male and female participants produced the speech act of complaining.