THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION AND EFL LEARNERS’ USE OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

Being able to communicate effectively is the optimal goal of all language learners; therefore, despite difficulties they face and restrictions they have while expressing themselves, they rely on employing diverse communication strategies (CSs). This descriptive study was set to analyze the Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ use of CSs in oral and written performances. To this end, 60 university students of EFL were selected. The participants’ oral and written performances were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using Dornyei’s (1995) taxonomy of CSs. The results of the study revealed that medium of communication plays a significant role in the use of communication strategies. The most frequent problem areas that led to the use of communication strategies were “lexical gaps”, “problems in discourse management”, and “uncertainty in conveying the message”, which can be considered by language teachers and material designers.