An investigation into the effects of using corpus in enhancing efl students' collocation learning

Abstract

Despite the crucial role of collocations in communicative competence, many EFL students still lack the ability to fluently produce them due to various reasons. To address this issue, researchers have adopted corpus into teaching and learning collocations. Since this potentially advantageous approach is not well studied in Vietnam, the current study aims to investigate the effects of corpus use in enhancing EFL learners' collocation learning at the University of Foreign Language Studies - The University of Danang (UFLS-UD). Using a mixed-method approach, which combines data collected from pretest-posttest and a questionnaire, as well as semi-structured interviews with 22 EFL students, whose major is English Language Teacher Education, the study aims to investigate the effects of using corpus to enhance students’ collocation learning. The findings revealed that there was a statistically significant improvement in participants’ performance regarding their learning of collocations after the application of corpus-based activities. Furthermore, their responses indicated a positive attitude toward the usefulness of using corpus-based tool, despite facing challenges when working with the concordance lines. Some valuable recommendations including the increase of instructors’ support, development of specific corpus-based tasks, and the extension of time and space allocated for corpus use were also put forth to promote the effective use of corpus.