Investigating the Relationship Between Iranian EFL Learners’ Use of Strategies in Collocating Words and Their Proficiency Level

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

English Department, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL learners’ use of strategies in producing English collocations and their proficiency level. Participants were 115 undergraduate university students at 3 proficiency levels, that is, low, intermediate, and high, majoring in English language at the Faculty of Letters and Humanties at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran. Their selection was based on their scores on a proficiency test (Oxford Quick Placement Test, OQPT). Participants’ knowledge of collocations and the strategies used were examined through a fill-in-the-blank and a translation test, both of which were accompanied by a self-report questionnaire. Findings showed that all the strategies in the self-report questionnaire were employed by the participants. However, retrieval, literal translation, and L2 common and delexicalized words were the most commonly employed strategies. Quantitative analysis of the data also revealed that the participants’ overall use of strategies in producing correct collocations was lower than their use of strategies in producing incorrect collocations. Results also showed that the participants in the 3 proficiency groups appeared to have adopted the same strategies and did not differ much in their total use of strategies. Nevertheless, there were differences among the 3 groups in producing correct collocations. These findings have immediate implications for EFL learners, teachers, and materials designers.

Keywords

References

Ahmed, M. (1999). Vocabulary learning strategies. In M. Lewis (Ed.), Teaching collocation: Further development in the lexical approach (pp. 3-14). London: Language Teaching Publication.
Allan, D. (2004). Oxford placement test. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bahns, J., & Eldaw, M. (1993). Should we teach EFL students collocations? System, 21(1), 101-114.
Biskup, D. (1992). L1 influence on learners’ renderings of English collocations. A Polish/German empirical study. In P. J. L. Arnaud & H. Béjoint (Eds.), Vocabulary and applied linguistics (pp. 85-93). London: Macmillan.
Brown, H. D. (2004). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. London: Longman.
Chen, M. H. (2008). A study of English collocation competence of college students in Taiwan. Unpublished master’s thesis, Department of Applied Foreign Languages, National University of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan. 
Crowther, J., Dignen, S., & Lea, D. (Eds.). (2002). Oxford collocations dictionary for students of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dörnyei, Z. (2003). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administra­tion, and processing. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Ellis, R. (2004).  The definition and measurement of explicit knowledge. Language Learning, 54(3), 227-275.
Farghal, M., & Obiedat, H. (1995). Collocations: A neglected variable in EFL. IRAL, 33(4), 315-331.
Firth, J. R. (1957). Modes of meaning. In J. R. Firth (Ed.), Papers in linguistics (pp. 190-215). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2006). How to design and evaluate research in education. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Geranpayeh, A. (2006). A quick review of the English quick placement test. Retrieved from University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations: http://www.uniss.it/documenti/lingue
Granger, S. (1998). Prefabricated patterns in advanced EFL writing: collocations and formulae. In A. P. Cowie (Ed.), Phraseology: Theory, analysis, and applications (pp. 145-160). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hawraz, H. (2010). Major sources of collocational errors made by EFL learners at Koya University. Unpublished master’s thesis, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Hill, J., & Lewis, M. (1997). Dictionary of selected collocations. Hove: Language Teaching Publications.
Hill, J. (2000). Revising priorities: From grammatical failure to collocational success. In M. Lewis (Ed.), Teaching collocation: Further developments in the lexical approach, (pp. 47-69). Hove: Language Teaching Publications.
Howarth, P. (1998). Phraseology and second language proficiency. Applied Linguistics, 19(1), 24-44.
Jabbari. A. A. (2014). Collocational differences in Persian and English and their effect on learners’ production. International Journal of Educational Investigations, 1, 172-190.
Kaivanpanah, S., Yamouty, P., & Karami, H. (2012). Examining the effects of proficiency, gender, and task type on the use of communication strategies. Potra Linguarum, 17, 79-93.
Lewis, M. (2000). Teaching collocation: Further development in the lexical approach. Hove: Language Teaching Publications.
Lia, H. (2010). Gender effect on the use of CSs. English Language Teaching, 3(4), 28-32.
Liu, C. P. (2013). A study of strategy use in producing lexical collocations. In Selected papers from the Tenth International Symposium on English teaching (pp. 481-492). Taipei: Crane.
Mahmoud, A. (2005). Collocation errors made by Arab learners of English. Journal of King Saud University—Languages and Translation, 25(1), 35-43.
Nagy, W. (2009). On the role of context in first and second language vocabulary learning. US-China Foreign Language, 6(9), 57-61.
Nesselhauf, N. (2003). The use of collocations by advanced learners of English and some implications for teaching. Applied Linguistics, 24(2), 223-242.
Newman, A. (1988). The contrastive analysis of Hebrew and English dress and cooking collocations: Some linguistic and pedagogic parameters. Applied Linguistics, 9(3), 293-305.
Nowruzi Khiabani, M. (2000). Sources of collocational clashes. Zaban & Adab, 8, 1-11.
Oxford, R. L. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Boston, MA: Heinle and Heinle.
Phoocharoensil, S. (2011). Collocational errors in EFL learners’ interlanguage. Journal of Education and Practice, 2(3), 103-120.
Radmanesh, E. (2000). Common idioms and collocations in English and Persian. Tehran: Zaban Sara Publication Company.
Rebarber, T., Rybinski, P., Hauck, M., Scarcella, R., Buteux, A., & Wang, J.  (2007). Designing the comprehensive English language learner assessment (CELLA) for the benefit of users. In J. Abedi (Ed.), English language proficiency assessment in the nation: Current status and future practice (pp. 63-79). Davis: University of California.
Sadeghi, K. (2009). Collocational differences between L1 and L2: Implications for EFL learners and teachers. TESL Canada Journal, 26(2), 100-124.
Schmitt, N. (1997). Vocabulary learning strategies. In N. Schmitt & M. McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary: Description, acquisition, and pedagogy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tahriri, A., & Yamini, M. (2010). On teaching to diversity: Investigating the effectiveness of MI-inspired instruction in an EFL context. Journal of Teaching Language Skills of Shiraz University, 2(1), 166-183.
Tarone, E. (1981). Some thoughts on the notion on of communication strategy. TESOL Quarterly 15, 285-295.
Taylor, L. (2002). Learning second language vocabulary (2nd ed.). Hamel Hempstead: Prentice Hall.
Woolard, G. (2000). Collocation-encouraging learner independence. In M. Lewis (Ed.), Teaching collocation: Further development in the lexical approach (pp. 28-46). London: Language Teaching Publication.
Zarei, A. (2002). What is wrong with collocations? An investigation of the Iranian advanced learners’ problems with English collocations? Journal of Humanities of University Sistan and Balouchestan, 7(2), 240-280.
Zarei, A., & Koosha, M. (2003). Patterns of Iranian advanced learners’ problems with English collocations: A focus on lexical collocations. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 6(1), 137-169.
Ziahosseini, M., & Salehi, M. (2007). An investigation of the relationship between motivation and language learning strategies. Pazhuhesh-e Zabanha-ye Khareji, 41, 85-107.
Zughoul, M., & Abdel Fattah, H. (2001). Collocational competence of Arabic speaking learners of English: A study in lexical semantics. Journal of the College of Arts, 1(1), 1-19.
Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics
Volume 8, Issue 2
November 2017
Pages 93-118

Files

Cited by

Share

How to cite

Statistics