The Effect of Explicit Instruction of Collocations on EFL Learners’ Language Proficiency

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of explicit instruction of collocations on EFL learners’ English proficiency. To this end, the performance of two groups of EFL learners in the form of time-series assessment was compared. To ensure the homogeneity of the participants, a pretest namely Preliminary English Test (PET) was administered. The teacher and the textbooks for both groups were the same, however in the experimental group there was an explicit emphasis on collocations in all four language skills. Moreover, these students were required to keep track of collocations by taking careful notes and using them in their productive skills in order to activate and internalize them. They were also instructed to transcribe the listening passages of the textbook after the tests were administered in class. The control group was only implicitly exposed to collocations. Continuous formative assessment was used to keep track of the learners’ progress towards reaching the intermediate proficiency level. To conclude the three-month course, FCE (First Certificate in English) past-papers were given to both groups and a comparison was drawn in their performance. The results indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control group, suggesting that teaching collocations explicitly may lead to improvement in language proficiency.

Keywords

• Explicit instruction of collocations,EFL learners,test performance,proficiency exams

Eşdizimliliğin Belirgin Öğretim Yöntemiyle Öğretilmesinin İngilizce’yi Yabancı Dil Olarak Öğrenenlerin Dil Yeterliğine Etkisi

Abstract

Bu çalışma eşdizimliliğin belirgin öğretimi yöntemiyle İngilizce’yi yabancı dil olarak öğrenenlerin dil yeterliğine etkisini araştırmıştır. Bu amaçla, iki öğrenci grubunun performansları zaman serisi değerlendirme biçiminde karşılaştırılmıştır. Katılımcıların homojenliğini sağlamak için, ön test uygulanmıştır. Her iki grubun kitapları ve öğretmeni aynı olmuştur ancak deney grubunda eşdizimlilik her dört dil becerisi için belirgin biçimde vurgulanmıştır. Buna ek olarak, bu öğrencilerden eşdizimliliği kavramak ve yerleştirmek için dikkatli bir şekilde not almaları ve kullanmaları istenmiştir. Ayrıca, testler uygulandıktan sonra dinleme metinlerini yazıya aktarmaları istenmiştir. Eşdizimlilik kontrol grubundaki öğrencilere ise örtük bir şekilde sunulmuştur. Öğrencilerin orta seviye yeterliliğe ulaşma sürecini takip edebilmek için sürekli biçimlendirici değerlendirme kullanılmıştır. Üç ay süren dersin sonunda, FCE (First Certificate in English) sınavının geçmiş örnekleri her iki gruba da uygulanmış ve iki grubun performansları karşılaştırılmıştır. Sonuçlar deney grubunun kontrol grubuna göre daha başarılı olduğunu göstermiştir. Bu sonuçlardan da eşdizimliliğin belirgin bir biçimde öğretilmesinin dil yeterliğinin gelişimine olumlu katkı yapabileceği anlaşılmıştır.

Keywords

• Eşdizimliliğin belirgin öğretim yöntemiyle öğretilmesi,yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğrenenler,sınav performansı,yeterlik sınavları

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