Investigating the Mastery of Gen-Z Slang among Iraqi EFL Students: An Applied Study

Abstract

The present study aims to explore qualitatively and quantitatively the mastery level of Iraqi EFL students in Gen Z's English slang according to (Colley, H. , Hodkinson, P. & Colley, J., 2003) types of formal and informal learning, and (Ellis, 2008) comprehensible input. One hundred male and female students from four Iraqi universities participated in a two-part test. They were asked to answer a 44-item interview about their issues related to using Gen Z and input sources. They were also asked to answer a five-point Likert Scale to assess their mastery of fifty common slang words. The results revealed the validity and reliability of the two-part test because the weighted means, which were lower than the expected value, were usually distributed. Also, the study subjects were interested in enhancing their stock of slang by relying on individual informal sources, such as social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Cinemania and chatting online with strangers. Iraqi students were described as similar to their age because they are individualistic, self-independent, use text messaging, and avoid mutual communication.