Teaching Collocations to Foreign Language Learners through Listening to Podcasts Using an Interactive Website

  • Mohamed Ek Amin GHOUES University of Oum el bouaghi (Algeria)
  • Mokhtar HAMADOUCHE University of Oum el bouaghi (Algeria)
Keywords: Collocations, interactive website, collocational competence, EFL learners, podcasts

Abstract

The importance of incorporating collocations in EFL syllabi cannot be overstated.  Although collocations could massively contribute to EFL learners’ fluent written and spoken production, they are seldom taught in any principled manner in classrooms. Thus, using collocations correctly and appropriately remains a particular challenge even to advanced EFL learners. A pilot study is conducted to explore the role of an interactive website aimed at improving the collocational competence of 25 third-year EFL students from the Department of English at Oum El Bouaghi University (Algeria) through listening to podcasts. Pre-tests and post-tests were selected as research tools. The study is mainly quantitative, in which the primary aim is to draw comparisons between students’ results and performance on collocations before and after listening to podcasts using an interactive website. The results of the study have revealed that participants’ scores after listening to the podcasts were significantly higher than their scores before interacting with the podcasts.  In the light of their overall scores, the use of an interactive website to teach collocations through listening to podcasts has immensely contributed to EFL learners’ rate of learning the target collocations.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Altenberg, B. (1998). On the phraseology of spoken English: The evidence of recurrent word-combinations. In A. P. Cowie (Ed.), Phraseology: Theory, analysis and applications (pp. 101-122). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bahns, J. (1993). Lexical collocations: A contrastive view. English Language Teaching Journal, Volume 4, No. 1, pp. 56-63.
Bahns, J. & Eldaw, M. (1993). Should we teach EFL students collocation? System, Volume 21, No. 1, pp. 104-114.
Benson, M., Benson, E. & Ilson, R. (1997). The BBI dictionary of English word combinations (2nd edition). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., et al. (1999). Longman grammar of spoken and written English. Harlow: Longman.
Bolinger, D. (1976). Meaning and memory. Forum Linguisticum, Volume1, No. 1, pp. 1-14.
Boussalia, S. (2010). Students’ difficulties in English-Arabic translation of collocations. Unpublished master dissertation, Université des Freres Mentouri, Constantine, Algeria.
Brown, D.F. (1974). Advanced vocabulary teaching: The problem of collocation. RELC Journal, Volume 5, No. 2, pp. 1-11.
Carter, R. (1987). Vocabulary: Applied linguistics perspectives. London: Routledge.
Conklin, K. and N. Schmitt. (2008). Formulaic sequences: Are they processed more quickly than non-formulaic language by native and non-native speakers? Applied Linguistics, Volume 29, No. 1, pp. 72-89.
Cowie, A. P. (1991). Multiword units in newspaper language. In S. Granger (Ed.), Perspectives on the English lexicon: A tribute to Jacques Van Roey (pp. 101–116). Louvain-la-Neuve : Cahiers de l’Institut de linguistique de Louvain.
Cowie A. P. (1992). Multiword lexical units and communicative language teaching. In P. Arnaud, H. Bejoint (Eds.), Vocabulary and applied linguistics (pp. 1–12). London: Macmillan.
Darvishi, S. (2011). The investigation of collocational errors in university students’ writing majoring in English. Paper presented at the 2011 International Conference on Education: Research and Innovation, Singapore. IACSIT. Retrieved from: www.ipedr.com
De Cock, S. and S. Granger. (2004). High frequency words: The bête noire of lexicographers and learners alike. A close look at the verb “make” in five monolingual learners dictionaries of English. In G. Williams and S. Vesssier (eds.), Proceedings of the Eleventh EURALEX International Congress, pp. 233-243. Université de Bretagne-Sud: Lorient.
Erman, B. & Warren, B. (2000). The idiom principle and the open choice principle. Text, Volume 20, No. 1, pp. 29-62.
Fan, M. (2009). An exploratory study of collocational use by ESL students: A task-based approach. System, 3, 110-123.
Farghal, M. & Obiedat, H. (1995). Collocations: A Neglected variable in EFL. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, Volume 33, No. 4, pp. 315-331.
Fayez-Husein, Riyad. (1990). Collocations: The missing link in vocabulary acquisition amongst EFL learners. Fisiak, Jacek, eds. Papers and Studies in Contrastive Linguistics: The Polish Linguistics Contrastive Project, 26. Poznan: Adam Mickiewicz University, pp. 123-136.
Firth, J.R. (1957). Papers in linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gitsaki, C. (1992) Vocabulary learning and teaching in Greece. Unpublished MA TESL thesis, Bangor, U.K., University of Wales.
Gitsaki, C. (1999). Second language lexical acquisition: A study of the development of collocational knowledge. Bethesda, MD: International Scholars Publications.
Gouverneur, C. (2008). The Phraseological patterns of high-frequency verbs in advanced English for general purposes. In F. Meunier and S. Granger (eds.), Phraseology in foreign language learning and teaching, pp. 223-246. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Halliday, M.A.K (1966). ‘Lexis as a linguistic level’ in Bazell, C.E., Catford, J.C., Halliday, M.A.K., Robins, R.H. (eds.) In memory of J.R. Firth. London: Longman.
Hewitson, A. & Steele, F. (1993). Review of Michael Lewis’s The Lexical Approach. Newsletter of MELTA, 18.
Hfaiedh, I. (2015, October 16). Interactive ICT Implementation in Formal and Informal Learning [Blog post]. Retrieved from Interactive ICT Implementation in Formal and Informal Learning. Educational Tools Portal.
Howarth, P. (1998). Phraseology and second language proficiency. Applied Linguistics, Volume 19, No. 1, pp. 24-44.
Hsu, J.T. and C. Chiu. (2008). Lexical collocations and their relation to speaking proficiency. The Asian EFL Journal Quarterly, Volume 10, No. 1, pp. 181-204.
Keshavarz, M.H. and H. Salimi. (2007). Collocational competence and cloze test performance: A study of Iranian EFL learners. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Volume 17, No. 1, pp. 81-92.
Korosadowicz-Struzynska, M. (1980). Word collocations in EFL vocabulary instruction. Studia Anglica Posnaniensia, 12, 109-120.
Leed, R.L. & Nakhimovsky. A.D. (1979). Lexical functions and language learning. Slavic and East European Journal, Volume 23, No. 1, pp. 104-113.
Lewis, M. (1993). The lexical approach: The state of ELT and a way forward. Hove, England: Language Teaching Publications.
Lewis, M. (1997). Pedagogical implications of the lexical approach. In J. Coady& T. Huckin (Eds.), Second language vocabulary acquisition: A rationale for pedagogy (pp. 255-270). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Lewis, M. (Ed.). (2000). Teaching collocations: Further developments in the lexical approach. Hove, England: Language Teaching Publications.
Lewis, M. (2001). There is nothing as practical as a good theory. In Michael Lewis (Ed.), Teaching collocation: Further developments in the lexical approach (pp. 10-27). London: Language Teaching Publications.
Li, Chia-Chuan. (2005). A Study of collocational errors types I ESL /EFL College learners’ writing. Master thesis. Ming Chuan University.
Lin, Y. P. (2002). The effects of collocation instruction on English vocabulary development of Junior High School students in Taiwan. Unpublished master thesis, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Mahvelati, E. H and Mukundan, J. (2012). The role of cognitive style in collocational knowledge development of Iranian EFL learners through input flood treatment. English Language Teaching, Volume 5, No.10, pp. 105-11.
McCarthy, M. (1984). A new look at vocabulary in EFL. Applied Linguistics, Volume 5, No. 1, pp. 12-22.
McCarthy, M. (1990) Vocabulary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
McCarthy, M. J. and O’Dell, F. (2017). English collocations in use (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Milton, J. (2009). Measuring second language vocabulary acquisition. Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters.
Miyakoshi, T. (2009). Investigating ESL learners’ lexical collocations: The acquisition of verb+noun collocations by Japanese learners of English. Retrieved on 11 June 2014 from www.ling.hawaii.edu/ graduate/dissertations/Tomoko MiyakoshiFinal.pdf
Nattinger, J. (1980). A lexical phrase grammar for ESL. TESOL Quarterly, Volume 1, No. 3, pp. 337-344.
Nattinger J. (1988). ’Some current trends in vocabulary teaching.’ In Carter and McCarthy M. (eds.), pp. 62-82. London: Longman.
Nattinger, J.R. & DeCarrico, J.S. (1992). Lexical phrases and language learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nesselhauf, N. (2003). The use of collocations by advanced learners of English and some implications for teaching. Applied Linguistics, Volume 2, No. 2, pp. 223-242.
Palmer, H. (1933). Second interim report on English collocations. Tokyo: Haitakusha.
Robinson, P.J. (1989). A rich view of lexical competence. ELT Journal, Volume 43, No. 4, pp. 274-282.
Pawley, A., & Syder, F. (1983). Two puzzles for linguistic theory: Native-like selection and native-like fluency. In J. Richards, & R. Schmidt (Eds.), Language and communication (pp. 191-226). London, England: Longman.
Saudin, H. (2014). The realization of collocation in EFL students’ written texts across three proficiency levels. Proceedings of the 61th TEFLIN International Conference 2014. Book I, pp. 367-370.
Schmitt, N. & Carter, R. (2004). Formulaic sequences in action: An introduction. In Schmitt, N. (Ed.), Formulaic sequences: Acquisition, processing and use (pp.1-22). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Benjamins.
Sinclair, J.M. (1966). Beginning the study of lexis in Bazel, C.E., Catford. J.C., Halliday, M.A.K., Robins, R.H. (eds.) In memory of J.R. Firth. London: Longman.
Sinclair, J. (1991). Corpus, concordance, collocation: Describing English language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sung, J. (2003). English lexical collocations and their relation to spoken fluency of adult non-native speakers. PhD dissertation. Pennsylvania University.
Webb, S., & Kagimoto, E. (2009). The effects of vocabulary learning on collocation and meaning. TESOL Quarterly, 43, 55-77.
Wood, D. (2002). Formulaic language in acquisition and production: Implications for teaching. TESL Canada Journal, Volume 20, No. 1, pp. 1-15.
Wood, D. (2015). Fundamentals of formulaic sequences: An introduction. London: Bloomsbury.
Woolard, G. (2005). Key words for fluency intermediate: Learning and practising the most useful words of English. London: Thompson edition.
Wray, A. (2002). Formulaic language and the lexicon. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Yan, H. (2010). Study on the causes and countermeasures of the lexical collocation mistakes in College English. English Language Teaching (31 March 2010), pp. 162-165. ProQuest document ID: 839755762 http://search.proquest. com/docview/839755762?accountid=13567
Zhang, X. (1993). English collocations and their effect on the writing of native and non-native College Freshmen. PhD dissertation. Indiana University.
Published
2022-09-30
How to Cite
GHOUES, M. E. A., & HAMADOUCHE, M. (2022). Teaching Collocations to Foreign Language Learners through Listening to Podcasts Using an Interactive Website. Social Sciences Journal, 16(2), 553-572. https://doi.org/10.34118/ssj.v16i2.2486
Section
Articles