The Impact of EFL Learners’ Brain Dominance on their Vocabulary Achievement

Abstract

Over the recent years, following a tremendous interest of studies of specialization of the cerebral
hemispheres, there has been an increasing tendency toward the concept of brain dominance preference.
This study aimed at investigating the effect of EFL learners’ brain dominance on their vocabulary
achievement. In addition, due to the important role that gender may play in the process of language
learning, the potential role of gender in vocabulary achievement was also investigated. 50 participants of
this study were selected through a proficiency test which was administered among 86 male and female
EFL learners in Navid Language Institute in Shiraz. The proficiency test was administered for
homogenizing the participants. In addition, the learners’ vocabulary scores were stored to be compared
with the results obtained from the posttest. The selected participants were assigned to three groups
according to the results obtained from performing the Brain Dominance Inventory (Davis, Hafsah, and
Ruru, 1994). The results of the Inventory showed that 18 participants (36%) were left-brained, 23
participants (46%) were right-brained and 9 participants (18%) were whole-brained. The students had to
study Top Notch series (book 2B) at an intermediate level. All the participants received exactly the same
instruction, curriculum and course books. They also attended the same classes with the same teachers. At
the end of the term a vocabulary achievement test(posttest) was given to the 50 participants of the study.
Findings showed that the three groups involved, did not perform equally in their posttest performances,
because of their different brain dominance. Mean score of the left-brained group was much higher than
the other groups and the mean score of the right-brained group in turn was more than the mean score of
the whole-brained group. The results also indicated that there was no statistically significant difference
between male and female EFL learners’ vocabulary achievement regarding their brain dominance.