HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- TRAN NHU QUYNH THE USE OF VERB-PREPOSITION COLLOCATIONS IN ACADEMIC ESSAYS BY EFL STUDENTS AT HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- TRAN NHU QUYNH THE USE OF VERB-PREPOSITION COLLOCATIONS IN ACADEMIC ESSAYS BY EFL STUDENTS AT HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: DR. PHAM THI NGUYEN AI THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ --------------- TRẦN NHƯ QUỲNH VIỆC SỬ DỤNG NGỮ KẾT HỢP ĐỘNG TỪ- GIỚI TỪ TRONG BÀI LUẬN TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS. PHẠM THỊ NGUYÊN ÁI THỪA THIÊN HUẾ, 2023 STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree in any university. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself.
Signed: Trần Như Quỳnh Date: 13/11/2023 i ABSTRACT The use of collocations in academic essays is an essential aspect of language proficiency for EFL university students. This study aimed to investigate HUFLIS second-year students’ perceptions of the use of verb-preposition collocations in academic essays, as well as common types of verb- preposition collocation errors. A mixed methods research design was employed, including questionnaires, academic essays analysis and semi-structured interviews. While the data from the questionnaire were statistically analyzed, the data from the academic essays and interviews were collected and analyzed appropriately to provide insights into the study concerns.
The results indicated that all of the student participants had positive perceptions of the use of verb-preposition collocations even though they struggled with different levels of difficulty. In addition, the study discovered that the participants generated a large number of verb-preposition collocations in their academic essays, including verb-preposition (strong collocations), phrasal verbs (weak collocations), and verb-preposition-fixed elements (idioms). The findings also revealed that the percentage of incorrect verb-preposition collocations produced was high, and the most common types of errors were using incorrect prepositions and omitting prepositions. The results also provided pedagogical implications for EFL teaching and learning.
ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Undertaking this Master of Arts thesis has been proven a challenging endeavor for myself, being someone who still finds researching something intricate and demanding. Completing this thesis, honestly, was not something I thought I would be capable of achieving. While inner strength is often cited as a key to success, I owe completing to the love and support of the precious individuals in my life. Their endless belief in me and their constant encouragement have been the driving force behind my determination to overcome every obstacle along the way to success.
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my research supervisor, Dr. Pham Thi Nguyen Ai, for her invaluable guidance, expertise, and ongoing support throughout the entire research process. She is one of the most dedicated lecturers I have had the chance to work with. Her insightful feedback and encouragement have been instrumental in shaping this study and ensuring its quality.
Secondly, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Ms. Thai Ton Phung Diem, MA. for her invaluable support and assistance in providing her students’ essays for the mid-term test. Her dedication to the teaching profession and commitment to helping students improve their writing skills is truly commendable.
I would also like to show my sincere appreciation to the second-year students of HUFLIS who participated in this study and generously provided their essays for analysis. Their contributions have been invaluable in shedding light on the use of verb-preposition collocations in academic writing. In addition, I am extremely grateful to the faculty and staff of HUFLIS for their ongoing cooperation and assistance in facilitating the data collection process. Their support and enthusiasm for this research project are greatly appreciated.
iii It is important for me to acknowledge the contributions of all the researchers, scholars, and educators in the field of collocations in EFL academic writing, whose previous work and insights laid the foundation for this study. Lastly, I would be remiss in not mentioning my family, my friends, and my loved ones for their unwavering support, encouragement, and understanding throughout this research endeavor. Their unconditional love, their belief in me, and their encouragement have been a constant source of motivation to overcome all challenges that I encountered while pursuing this thesis. Although undertaking a Master of Arts thesis is an arduous experience, every single hardship is worth it since it helps me realise how loved and lucky I am.
I express my heartfelt gratitude to all those mentioned above, as well as to any individuals or organizations inadvertently left unnamed, for their support, encouragement, and contributions that have made this study possible. With all these people’s tenderness and support, I feel empowered to continue exploring and growing in my chosen path. iv List of Tables Table 2. Lewis’s (2000) collocation categories.
Benson et al. Hudcovičová et al.’s (2021) categories of verb-preposition collocations. Causes of lexical collocation errors. Causes of grammatical collocation errors.
Three main clusters of the questionnaire. Frequency distribution of verb-preposition collocations in students’ academic essays. Frequency of verb-preposition collocation errors. Frequency distribution of verb-preposition collocation errors in academic essays.
53 v List of Figures Figure 4. Second-year students’ level of familiarity with the term “collocations”. Second-year students’ opinion of the importance of collocations in academic essays. Second-year students’ frequency of verb-preposition collocations in academic essays.
Second-year students’ perceptions about the level of impacts of verb- preposition collocations on academic essays. Second-year students’ perceptions about the benefits of verb-preposition collocations in academic essays. Second-year students’ perceptions about the challenge to identify and use appropriate verb-preposition collocations in academic essays. Second-year students’ frequency of verb-preposition collocation errors.
Second-year students perceive the types of verb-preposition collocations in their essays. Students’ opinions about the level of influences of verb-preposition collocation errors on overall grades or evaluations. Second-year students’ approaches to reduce verb-preposition collocational errors. Second-year students’ opinion about the level of focus on verb-preposition collocation teaching and practice.
61 vi List of Abbreviations %. British National Corpus C1. Corpus of Contemporary American English EFL. English as a Foreign Language ESL.
English as a Second Language GPA. Grade Point Average HUFLIS. Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies L2. Second Language VSTEP.
Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency vii Table of Contents Statement of Original Authorship. iii List of Tables .iv List of Figures. vi List of Abbreviations .vii Table of Contents. viii Chapter 1: Introduction.
Rationale of the Study. Organization of the Study. 3 Chapter 2: Literature Review. Definitions of Key Terms.
Verb-preposition Collocations. Categories of Collocations. Categories of Verb-Preposition Collocations. Causes of Collocation Errors.
Categories of Verb-Preposition Collocation Errors. Research Using Elicitation Techniques. Research Using Production Data. Summary of the Chapter.
Academic Essay Samples. Semi-structured Interviews. Data Collection Procedures. Procedures of Collecting Questionnaire Data.
Procedures of Collecting Students’ Academic Essays. Procedures for Collecting Interview Data. Questionnaire Data Analysis. Students’ Academic Essays Analysis.
Interview Data Analysis. Reliability and Validity of the Research. Summary of the Chapter. 37 Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion.
Students’ Perceptions about the Use of Verb-Preposition Collocations in Academic Essays. Second-year Students’ Knowledge about the Term “Collocations”. The Importance of Collocations in Academic Essays. Frequency Distribution of Verb-Preposition Collocations in Students’ Academic Essays.
The Level of Impacts of Verb-Preposition Collocations on Academic Essays. The Benefits of Verb-Preposition Collocations in Academic Essays. Level of Difficulty in the Use of Verb-Preposition Collocations in Academic Essays. Common Types of Errors When Using Verb-Preposition Collocations in Academic Essays.
The Frequency of Making Verb-Preposition Collocation Errors in Academic Essays. Types of Verb-Preposition Collocation Errors in Second-Year Students’ Essays. The Level of Influences of Verb-Preposition Collocation Errors on Overall Grades or Evaluations in Academic Essays. Approaches to Reducing Verb-Preposition Collocation Errors.
The Level of Second-year Students’ Focus on Verb-Preposition Collocation Teaching and Practice. Suggestions about Strategies or Techniques to Improve the Understanding and Usage of Verb-Preposition Collocations. Summary of the Chapter. 67 Chapter 5: Conclusion and Implications.
Pedagogical Implications for Students. Pedagogical Implications for Teachers. Pedagogical Implications for Curriculum Designers. Suggestions for Further Studies.
Summary of the Chapter. 96 Appendix 3: Collocation analysis sheets. 97 Appendix 4: Academic essay samples. 98 Appendix 5: Marking criteria.
106 xi Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter of the study serves as an introduction, laying down the fundamental rationale behind the research. It provides a thorough background and contextualizes the research topic within its relevant circumstances. Furthermore, this chapter specifies the research aims and questions that will guide the study. Additionally, it highlights the significance of the research, identifies the research problems, and outlines the organizational structure of the study.
Rationale of the Study Writing is a skill that is needed throughout one’s life in many circumstances (Browker, 2007). The use of collocations has been approved to become an element to boost students’ writing skills (Abdullayeva, 2022; Adelian et al., 2015; Bhumadhana & Gajaseni, 2010; Namvar, 2012). Grammatical collocations are considered as an essential component for learners to express ideas more efficiently and accurately in academic writing (Alsulayyi, 2015; Rezvani, 2011). Furthermore, grammatical collocations contribute to the overall coherence and cohesion of the essay, leading to a better understanding of the thesis statement and supporting ideas.
Verb-preposition collocations, in particular, are of great significance in academic writing as they contribute to the accomplishment of texts (Vyatkina, 2016). Understanding and employing proper verb-preposition collocations are regarded as an essential step of learning for non-native English speakers to produce fluent and accurate academic writing. However, despite the significance of verb-preposition collocations, choosing and using these collocations appropriately in academic writings might be an ongoing challenge for English as a foreign language (EFL) students (Kamarudin et al. The consequences of improper verb- preposition collocation usage in academic writing can be detrimental.
Essays might lose their clarity, coherence, and effect due to incorrect chosen verb-preposition collocations (Sadeghi & Panahifar, 2013; Zhang & Reynolds, 2023). As a result, the quality of their written work may 1 suffer overall if EFL students are unable to accurately convey their intended meanings (Sadeghi & Panahifar, 2013; Wu, 2021). Previous research on collocations has primarily focused on lexical and grammatical collocations, as well as their impacts on language learning. Furthermore, a number of studies (e., Phoocharoensil, 2011; Shih, 2000; Shitu, 2015) were conducted to investigate students’ perceptions and common errors of collocations.
Despite their significance, verb-preposition collocations have received less attention in the literature, especially in the context of Vietnam although they have been used frequently and a main source of errors made by EFL learners. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by specifically exploring the use of verb-preposition collocations in academic essays. By systematically studying these aspects, the researcher was stimulated to conduct the study to investigate HUFLIS second-year students’ perceptions on the use of verb-preposition collocations in academic essays and the common types of errors that they frequently make when applying verb-preposition collocations in academic essays.