The effect of an online collocation dictionary on advanced learners use of collocations in l2 writing

Chuyên khảo phân tích The effect of an online collocation dictionary on advanced learners use of collocations in l2, đánh giá các khía cạnh quan trọng, đề xuất hướng nghiên cứu

• Tác giả: Dung Thi Phuong Cao
• Người hướng dẫn: Dr. Richard Badger
• Trường học: The University of Leeds
• Chuyên ngành: Education
• Đề tài: Tác động của từ điển collocation trực tuyến đến việc sử dụng collocation trong viết L2 của người học nâng cao
• Loại tài liệu: thesis
• Năm xuất bản: 2018
• Địa điểm: Leeds

Mục lục chi tiết

• LỜI MỞ ĐẦU
• 1. CHƯƠNG 1: INTRODUCTION
• 1.1. Background and rationale of the study
• 1.2. Context of the study
• 1.2.1. Organization of the Vietnamese education system
• 1.2.2. English in Viet Nam
• 1.2.3. University of Social Sciences and Humanities
• 1.2.4. Admission and English curriculum for English major students
• 1.2.5. Dictionaries for language learning
• 1.3. Structure of the thesis
• 2. CHƯƠNG 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
• 2.1. The concept of collocation
• 2.2. Other linguistic terms referring to collocational phenomenon
• 2.3. Identification of collocations in the study
• 2.4. The degree of acceptability of the combinations
• 2.5. Classification of collocations
• 2.6. Classification of collocations in this study
• 2.7. Learners’ use of collocations
• 2.8. Causes of collocational errors
• 2.8.1. Lack of collocation awareness
• 2.8.2. Cross-linguistic influence
• 2.8.3. Lack of knowledge of collocational properties
• 2.9. The role of dictionaries in language learning
• 2.9.1. Dictionary use and vocabulary acquisition
• 2.9.2. Difficulties and problems in dictionary use for production
• 2.9.3. The structure of general and collocation dictionaries
• 2.10. Introducing the research questions
• 2.11. Previously used research methods
• 2.11.1. Choice of research approach
• 3. CHƯƠNG 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
• 3.1. Observations by Recording Sheets
• 3.2. Research design of this study
• 3.3. The pilot study
• 3.3.1. Rationale of the pilot study
• 3.3.2. Choice and approach to participants in the pilot study
• 3.3.3. Pilot study procedure
• 3.3.4. Findings from the pilot study
• 3.4. Assessment of students’ collocations in written texts
• 3.5. Data collection procedures
• 3.5.1. First set of written texts
• 3.5.2. Introducing the dictionary
• 3.5.3. Recording sheets and the second written texts
• 4. CHƯƠNG 4: DATA ANALYSIS
• 4.1. Collocation analysis from the first set of written texts
• 4.2. Collocation analysis from the second set of written texts
• 4.3. Analysis of variety in collocational use
• 4.4. Questionnaire data analysis
• 4.5. Recording sheets analysis
• 4.6. Interview data analysis
• 4.6.1. Preparation of data for analysis
• 4.6.2. Choice of thematic analysis
• 4.6.3. Phases of data analysis
• 4.7. Types of errors
• 4.8. When learners approach the dictionary for help
• 4.9. How learners use the dictionary to look for collocations
• 4.9.1. Appropriate use of collocations
• 4.9.2. Variety of collocation use
• 4.10. Assessment of satisfaction
• 4.11. Assessment on accessibility and ease of use
• 4.12. Summary of the chapter
• 6. CHƯƠNG 6: DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS
• 6.1. Learners’ collocation use
• 6.2. Benefits of the OOCD
• 6.3. Suggested strategies for dictionary search
• 6.4. Effects of the OOCD on learners’ collocation use
• 7. CHƯƠNG 7: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS
• 7.1. Overview of the study
• 7.2. Contributions of the study
• 7.3. Implications for dictionary compilers
• 7.4. Limitations of the study
• 7.5. Suggestions for future research
• PHỤ LỤC
• Appendix 1. Link to access the OOCD
• Appendix 2. Recording sheets
• Appendix 4. Interview Questions
• Appendix 5. Amended recording sheets
• Appendix 6. First writing
• Appendix 7. Exercises to become familiar with the OOCD
• Appendix 8. Collocations in learners’ notebooks
• Appendix 9. Feedback on writing assignments
• Appendix 10. Second writing
• Appendix 11. Judgement of combinations from T12A, T22A by the British and American informants
• TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO

Tóm tắt

I. Tổng quan về tác động của từ điển collocation trực tuyến

Từ điển collocation trực tuyến đã trở thành một công cụ quan trọng trong việc hỗ trợ người học ngôn ngữ, đặc biệt là trong việc sử dụng collocation trong viết L2. Nghiên cứu cho thấy rằng việc sử dụng từ điển này có thể giúp người học nâng cao khả năng sử dụng collocation, từ đó cải thiện chất lượng bài viết của họ. Tuy nhiên, tác động thực sự của nó đến việc sử dụng collocation trong viết L2 vẫn cần được khám phá sâu hơn.

1.1. Định nghĩa và vai trò của từ điển collocation trực tuyến

Từ điển collocation trực tuyến cung cấp thông tin về cách kết hợp từ, giúp người học hiểu rõ hơn về cách sử dụng từ trong ngữ cảnh. Điều này rất quan trọng trong việc phát triển kỹ năng viết L2.

1.2. Lợi ích của việc sử dụng từ điển collocation trong học tập

Việc sử dụng từ điển collocation trực tuyến giúp người học tự tin hơn trong việc viết, đồng thời giảm thiểu lỗi sai trong việc sử dụng từ. Nghiên cứu cho thấy rằng người học cảm thấy thoải mái hơn khi có công cụ hỗ trợ này.

II. Thách thức trong việc sử dụng collocation trong viết L2

Mặc dù từ điển collocation trực tuyến mang lại nhiều lợi ích, nhưng người học vẫn gặp phải nhiều thách thức trong việc áp dụng collocation vào viết L2. Những thách thức này bao gồm sự thiếu hiểu biết về collocation và sự ảnh hưởng của ngôn ngữ mẹ đẻ.

2.1. Những khó khăn trong việc nhận diện collocation

Nhiều người học không nhận ra tầm quan trọng của collocation trong việc tạo ra văn bản tự nhiên. Điều này dẫn đến việc họ thường xuyên mắc lỗi trong việc kết hợp từ.

2.2. Ảnh hưởng của ngôn ngữ mẹ đẻ đến việc sử dụng collocation

Người học thường bị ảnh hưởng bởi cấu trúc ngữ pháp và cách kết hợp từ trong ngôn ngữ mẹ đẻ của họ, dẫn đến việc sử dụng collocation không chính xác trong tiếng Anh.

III. Phương pháp cải thiện việc sử dụng collocation trong viết L2

Để cải thiện việc sử dụng collocation, người học cần áp dụng một số phương pháp hiệu quả. Việc sử dụng từ điển collocation trực tuyến là một trong những phương pháp chính giúp người học nâng cao kỹ năng viết của mình.

3.1. Hướng dẫn sử dụng từ điển collocation hiệu quả

Người học cần biết cách tra cứu và áp dụng thông tin từ từ điển collocation một cách hiệu quả để cải thiện khả năng viết của mình.

3.2. Các bài tập thực hành với collocation

Thực hành thường xuyên với các bài tập liên quan đến collocation sẽ giúp người học ghi nhớ và áp dụng chúng một cách tự nhiên hơn trong viết L2.

IV. Kết quả nghiên cứu về tác động của từ điển collocation

Nghiên cứu cho thấy rằng việc sử dụng từ điển collocation trực tuyến có tác động tích cực đến sự tự tin của người học trong việc viết L2. Tuy nhiên, sự cải thiện về mặt thực tế trong việc sử dụng collocation vẫn còn hạn chế.

4.1. Phân tích dữ liệu từ bài viết của người học

Dữ liệu từ các bài viết cho thấy rằng người học thường xuyên mắc lỗi với collocation, đặc biệt là trong việc kết hợp động từ và danh từ.

4.2. Đánh giá sự hài lòng của người học với từ điển

Người học đánh giá cao tính tiện lợi của từ điển collocation trực tuyến, nhưng vẫn mong muốn có thêm nhiều ví dụ và giải thích rõ ràng hơn.

V. Kết luận và triển vọng tương lai của việc sử dụng từ điển collocation

Việc sử dụng từ điển collocation trực tuyến sẽ tiếp tục đóng vai trò quan trọng trong việc hỗ trợ người học nâng cao kỹ năng viết L2. Cần có thêm nhiều nghiên cứu để hiểu rõ hơn về tác động của nó.

5.1. Tóm tắt những phát hiện chính

Nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng mặc dù từ điển collocation trực tuyến có tác động tích cực, nhưng việc cải thiện thực tế trong việc sử dụng collocation vẫn cần được chú trọng.

5.2. Đề xuất cho nghiên cứu tương lai

Cần có thêm các nghiên cứu sâu hơn về cách mà từ điển collocation có thể được cải thiện để phục vụ tốt hơn cho người học.

Trích đoạn nội dung tài liệu

i The effect of an online collocation dictionary on advanced learners’ use of collocations in L2 writing Dung Thi Phuong Cao Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds School of Education September 2018 ii The candidate confirms that the work submitted is his/her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. © 2018 The University of Leeds and Dung Thi Phuong Cao iii Acknowledgements The completion of this thesis would have been impossible without the guidance, support and encouragement of several people to whom I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for their contribution: First, my deep appreciation and gratitude go to my supervisors, Dr. Richard Badger and Prof.

During this time, you have always provided me with invaluable support, guidance and advice. Your experience and knowledge have added immense value throughout my process of completing this thesis. Second, I would like to thank all my colleagues and supporting staff for helping me with collecting data. Without your support I would not have accomplished the thesis.

Third, I owe thanks also to my British and American colleagues and friends, Sidsell Millerstrom, Kendra Marcus, Peter Traynor, Ben Turner, Laura Grassick, and David Smith, who helped me a lot with the data analysis process. Finally but most importantly, special thanks to my husband for his support, sharing, and care during one of the most difficult times in my life. Thank you for giving me time to write the thesis. To my two children, thanks for being by my side and bringing me happiness and energy to overcome stressful periods.

iv Abstract This doctoral research investigates the effect of the use of the Oxford Online Collocation Dictionary on Vietnamese advanced learners’ collocation use in academic writing and their perceptions of the use of the dictionary as a supportive tool. The study aims to help learners improve their collocation use, especially advanced learners who are expected to enhance their store of vocabulary on their own. This study analysed students’ written texts, questionnaires, observations, and interviews. It was carried out in two phases.

In phase 1, 29 participants’ 350-word essays on an assigned topic were collected as baseline data. Participants were then instructed in the use of the Oxford Online Collocation Dictionary. In phase 2, a second set of essays were collected. Observations and questionnaires were also collected at this stage and 8 participants were chosen for in-depth interviews.

Results showed that the use of this online collocation dictionary as a supportive tool produced some benefits for learners, but these were mainly psychological rather than practical effects. Learners feel confident and assured that they have the tool as a resource. However, their collocation use did not show improvement overall. The study found that learners made mistakes with V-N collocation the most.

The study also found that learners often used the dictionary while doing the writing, with some references to other dictionaries for collocation meaning-checking. The dictionary was highly evaluated as a tool for collocation check-up but some enhancements, mostly of content, need to be made. In particular, it needs to provide learners with the meaning of each group of collocates, and pronunciation description; more examples are also needed to illustrate how collocations are used. v Table of Contents Chapter 1 : INTRODUCTION .1 Background and rationale of the study.2 Context of the study .1 Organization of the Vietnamese education system .2 English in Viet Nam.3 University of Social Sciences and Humanities .4 Admission and English curriculum for English major students .5 Dictionaries for language learning .3 Structure of the thesis .8 Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .1 The concept of collocation .2 Other linguistic terms referring to collocational phenomenon .3 Identification of collocations in the study .4 The degree of acceptability of the combinations .5 Classification of collocations .6 Classification of collocations in this study .4 Learners’ use of collocations .5 Causes of collocational errors .1 Lack of collocation awareness .2 Cross-linguistic influence .3 Lack of knowledge of collocational properties .6 The role of dictionaries in language learning .1 Dictionary use and vocabulary acquisition .2 Difficulties and problems in dictionary use for production .3 The structure of general and collocation dictionaries .7 Introducing the research questions .8 Previously used research methods .1 Choice of research approach .58 Chapter 3 : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .2 Research design of this study .1 Observations by Recording Sheets .4 Assessment of students’ collocations in written texts .3 The pilot study.1 Rationale of the pilot study .2 Choice and approach to participants in the pilot study.3 Pilot study procedure .4 Findings from the pilot study .5 Data collection procedures .1 First set of written texts .2 Introducing the dictionary .3 Recording sheets and the second written texts .96 Chapter 4 : DATA ANALYSIS .2 Procedure for extracting and analyzing collocations .1 Collocation analysis from the first set of written texts .2 Collocation analysis from the second set of written texts .3 Analysis of variety in collocational use .4 Questionnaire data analysis .5 Recording sheets analysis .6 Interview data analysis .1 Preparation of data for analysis .2 Choice of thematic analysis .3 Phases of data analysis .2 Types of errors .1 When learners approach the dictionary for help.2 How learners use the dictionary to look for collocations .1 Appropriate use of collocations .2 Variety of collocation use .1 Assessment of satisfaction .3 Assessment on accessibility and ease of use .6 Summary of the chapter .205 Chapter 6 : DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS .2 Learners’ collocation use .3 Benefits of the OOCD .4 Suggested strategies for dictionary search .6 Effects of the OOCD on learners’ collocation use .220 Chapter 7 : CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS .2 Overview of the study .3 Contributions of the study .2 Implications for dictionary compilers .5 Limitations of the study .6 Suggestions for future research .234 List of References .236 Appendix 1: Link to access the OOCD .245 Appendix 2: Recording sheets .248 Appendix 4: Interview Questions .250 Appendix 5: Amended recording sheets .251 Appendix 6: First writing .252 Appendix 7: Exercises to become familiar with the OOCD .253 Appendix 8: Collocations in learners’ notebooks .261 Appendix 9: Feedback on writing assignments .262 Appendix 10: Second writing.264 Appendix 11: Judgement of combinations from T12A, T22A by the British and American informants .265 ix List of Tables Table 2.1 Collocations and their frequency in the BNC.1 Questions adapted from recording sheets of Atkins and Varantola .1 Grammatical patterns of collocations .24 Potential strong collocations of text 12A .25 Potential strong collocations of text 22A .26 Number of combinations not meeting the threshold .27 Combinations needing further judgement .28 Final judgement results .29 Distribution of judgement results .30 Distribution of the processed combinations .31 Odd collocations from the first set of essays .32 Distribution of judgement results of the second set of essays .33 Distribution of the processed combinations .34 Odd collocations from the second set of essays .35 Repeatedly-used collocations .36 Distribution of collocations looked up in the OOCD of each student .37: Collocations searched in the OOCD to avoid repetition .38: Words searched by using the OOCD in combination with other dictionaries.39 Phases of thematic analysis .1: Distributions of different types of combinations of each essay .2 Ratio of collocations used and odd collocations .3 Distribution of the types of errors in each collocation pattern .4 Comparison of odd collocations without and with the OOCD support .5: Ratio of odd collocations over collocations used in the first and second set of essays .6: Number of strong collocations (Log Dice >7) in the first and the second essay of each student.7: Distribution of the types of odd collocation in each collocation pattern188 Table 5.8 Students’ satisfaction towards OOCD use .9 Effectiveness of dictionary use .10 Summary of findings from recording sheets .11 Accessibility and ease of use .202 xi List of Figures Figure 4.1 A random concordance page of have and chance .2 Statistics and functions to look for collocation candidates .3 Distribution of odd collocations by patterns of the second set of written texts .4 Initial mind map of themes and sub-themes .5 Mind map of themes and key ideas .1 Distribution of odd collocations by patterns of the first set of written texts .2: Number of odd collocations in the two sets of essays.3: Distribution of combinations from the two sets of essays .4: OOCD search of stress, suffer, difficult .5: The OOCD entry for the word stress .1: Semantic sets of the base decision .2: OOCD search of the word challenge .217 xii List of abbreviations BNC The British National Corpus CALD Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary CALL Computer-assisted language learning CCED Collins COBUILD English Dictionary CDOEL Collins Dictionary of the English Language CIDE Cambridge International Dictionary of English Cloc Locative/Goal Complement Co Object Complement COBUILD The Collins COBUILD Dictionary for Learners of English Cs Subject Complement EFL English as a Foreign Language ESL English as a Second Language FEIs Fixed expressions and Idioms GRE Graduate Record Examination IELTS International English Language Test System LDOCE Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English MOET The Ministry of Education and Training MWEs Multiword expressions OALD Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary OALDCE Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English Od Direct Object OHPC Oxford Hector Pilot Corpus Oi Indirect Object OOCD The Oxford Online Collocation Dictionary Op Prepositional Object RS Recording sheets SAT Scholastic Assessment Test USSH The University of Social Sciences and Humanities 1 Chapter 1 : INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background and rationale of the study The pedagogical value of the dictionary as a source of information for language learning, collocations included, has long been emphasized by lexicographers (Wright, 1998; Hornby et al.

Nation (2001) claims that they are helpful in a variety of tasks involving the comprehension and production of a text. General dictionaries, however, as Bogaards (2003) points out, are mainly used for receptive rather than productive purposes. In particular, they are mostly used to find the meanings of unknown words in reading tasks. Learners approach dictionaries much less frequently for productive purposes and once they approach them they mostly seek help with information on spelling; collocation searches in dictionaries are much less common (Harvey and Yuill, 1997; Bogaards, 2003).

Béjoint (1989) argues that dictionaries are not used as expected by the compilers. It seems that despite the efforts of dictionary compilers in recent years to improve the description and presentation of collocational information, language learners remain unaware of this potential resource. This is probably because they lack knowledge about the nature and the importance of collocations (Harvey and Yuill, 1997; Laufer 2010; Atkins and Varantola, 1998; Nesselhauf and Tschichold, 2002) The increasing use of electronic dictionaries in recent years may be because they are more convenient than traditional paper dictionaries (Hartmann, 2001). Although there are some concerns regarding the use of electronic dictionaries for language learning, in particular that information retrieved so quickly and painlessly will be forgotten easily, electronic dictionaries have the advantage of ‘providing the user with almost instant access to a database much larger than a single book’ (Nesi, 1999,p.

Some empirical studies have shown that compared to paper-based dictionaries, electronic dictionaries on CD-ROM or dictionaries linked to World Wide Web sites are more efficient and preferable in a variety of aspects: speed and ease of consultation, quality of information supplied (Laufer and Hill, 2000; Tono, 2001) and encouraging exploratory browsing (Nesi, 2000). 2 It was not until around 1960 that lexicographers started to take specific users’ needs into account in the design of lexicographic resources (Bogaards, 2003). Since then, different kinds of specialized dictionaries focusing either on the scope or the coverage of subject (e. medical or legal dictionaries) or a specific aspect of language (e.

dictionaries of idioms and proverbs) have been compiled.