Statement of the problem and rationale for the study
Writing is often perceived as a challenging task due to the diverse skills required, such as idea generation, grammatical accuracy, and appropriate language use (Ross, 1968) While students typically manage to formulate a central idea and utilize correct grammar, they struggle with employing the target language effectively to communicate their messages with precision and depth This issue is particularly pronounced among low-level students, despite teachers' efforts to provide suitable materials, correct written work, and implement various vocabulary teaching methods (Hsueh, 1994) Utilizing collocations can be a valuable strategy to tackle this challenge, as it improves both accuracy and fluency in writing Additionally, introducing students to collocations—whether new or previously encountered—can enhance their understanding of word meanings and their contextual usage (Lewis).
2000, pp 13 – 14) The importance of collocation in improving learners‟ writing skills is borne out by Conzett‟s study (2000, quoted in Hsueh, 1994, p
Understanding collocation enhances students' ability to produce accurate language Sonomura (1997, as cited in Hsueh, 1994) emphasizes that academic writing in English requires a vast repository of common collocations, which are essential for creating familiar and recognized expressions This perspective aligns with McCarthy and O'Dell (2005), who assert that incorporating collocations can significantly improve writing style.
However, there is a lack of emphasis on teaching collocations to learners of English as a second language According to Marton (1977) and Briskup
According to Ying and Hendricks (2002), the primary reason collocations are often overlooked in language learning is that they consist of familiar and simple words, making comprehension easier Consequently, language teachers tend not to emphasize collocations, leading students to miss opportunities to learn them To address this issue, Lewis (2001) suggests that educators should enhance learners' awareness of collocations by encouraging them to focus on word combinations during reading activities.
“This does not mean finding rare words but rather finding relatively common words which intermediate students already know (or half-know) and pointing out the words they occur with.”
Besides, having been a writing teacher of 2 nd -year students for two years,
After two years of teaching, I have observed that many students are largely unaware of collocation, struggle to identify collocations within texts, and show little motivation to learn them.
Students in class K45E17 face significant challenges with collocation, as evidenced by pre-test results showing numerous mistakes in their initial attempts, particularly with verb + noun and adjective + noun combinations Their performance in the recognition test was also poor, often selecting incorrect collocates for familiar words, such as choosing "careful" instead of "good" for "care." Notably, after completing the test, they mistakenly identified it as a vocabulary assessment, failing to recognize its focus on collocation, and expressed that they had never been taught collocations to enhance their vocabulary.
In light of the reasons discussed, I have chosen to undertake action research aimed at enhancing second-year students' awareness of collocations in their English writing This initiative will employ the Collocation Awareness Raising (CAR) Process, which is adapted from the original framework developed by Ying and Hendricks in 2002.
Research aims and research questions
The present study aimed to investigate how the CAR process can enhance learners' awareness of collocation in English writing and to identify the challenges students face during this process This research is guided by two key questions: first, to what extent does the CAR process improve collocation awareness, and second, what difficulties do students perceive while engaging with the CAR methodology?
1 To what extent does the CAR Process help to raise the participants‟ awareness of collocation in writing English?
2 What difficulties are perceived by the participants when they went through the CAR Process?
Scope of the study
First, the researcher chose to investigate the effectiveness of one specific process – the CAR process that aims to raise students‟ awareness of collocation in writing English
Second, the participants of this study were twenty 2 nd -year students in class K45E17, which the researcher is teaching writing this semester.
Methods of the study
This study aimed to enhance participants' awareness of collocation in English writing by employing an action research approach, which focuses on improving specific situations To accomplish this objective, various instruments were utilized.
A pre-test and post-test (production test) were targeted at investigating the students‟ use of collocations in their writings before and after the CAR Process
Another pre-test and post-test (recognition test) tried to find out the learners‟ ability to recognize correct collocations before and after the CAR Process
The CAR Process was implemented between the pre-tests and post-tests to evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing participants' awareness of collocation in English writing.
A survey questionnaire was conducted to gather participants' insights on the advantages of the CAR Process and to identify the challenges they encountered during its implementation.
Finally, semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face with eight participants to clarify and supplement the data collected from the questionnaire.
Significance of the study
This study aims to benefit students, teachers, and researchers by addressing the limited research on raising awareness of collocation in English writing in Vietnam It seeks to fill a gap in the literature, providing a valuable reference for those interested in similar topics Additionally, the researcher intends to enhance students' understanding of collocation not only in writing but across other English skills Furthermore, the study encourages participants to recognize their challenges during the Collaborative Action Research (CAR) process and develop effective solutions to overcome these difficulties.
The rest of the paper includes two other parts as follows:
Part B consists of three following chapters:
Chapter 1 – Literature Review – provides the background of the study, including definitions of key concepts (collocation and language awareness) and review of related studies
Chapter 2 – Methodology – describes the participants and instruments of the study, as well as the procedure employed to conduct the research
Chapter 3 – Results and Recommendations – analyzes the findings related to the two research questions and includes participants' suggestions for addressing the challenges they encountered during the CAR Process.
Part C - Conclusion – summarizes the main issues discussed in the paper, the limitations and contributions of the research, as well as some suggestions for further studies
PART B - DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1 – LITERATURE REVIEW
The term "collocation," as defined by the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (7th edition), has two meanings It serves as an uncountable noun to describe the frequent pairing of two or more words, while it is a countable noun when referring to specific word combinations that commonly occur together In this chapter, "collocation" will denote the general concept, whereas "collocations" will refer to particular instances of word combinations.
The term "collocation," introduced by Firth in 1957, refers to word combinations that are commonly associated, such as "make a decision." Originating from the Latin word "collocare," meaning "to set in order," the concept has gained significant attention in second language teaching and learning Consequently, numerous researchers have explored collocation, leading to a diverse range of definitions that can be organized into several categories.
Collocation refers to the regular combination of words that naturally co-occur in language According to various dictionaries, such as the Long Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, collocation is defined as the way words are used together regularly The American Heritage Dictionary describes it as the arrangement of words that commonly appear together, while the Encarta World English Dictionary emphasizes the frequent association between two words The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English highlights that collocations are habitual combinations that sound natural Despite the variations in wording, these definitions consistently emphasize the key elements of word combinations and their regular usage, which contribute to their natural sound in communication.
Collocation refers to the specific ways in which words are commonly used together, as highlighted by various researchers Kasuya (2008) defines it as the restrictions on word combinations, such as the pairing of certain prepositions and verbs or the association of specific nouns with particular verbs Similarly, McCarthy and O'Dell (2005) describe collocation as a pair or group of words that frequently occur together Understanding these patterns is essential for effective language use and communication.
A collocation is defined as a combination of two or more words that form a conventional expression, as noted by Schutze (1999) For example, the phrase "broad daylight" is commonly accepted, while "bright daylight" is less conventional Finegan (2004) emphasizes that collocation involves the meaningful assembly of words in various ways.
348) Another noted researcher, Hill (2000, p 51), believes that, “A collocation is a predictable combination of words: get lost, make up for lost time, speak your mind.” Nattinger and DeCarrio (1997, p 36, quoted in Boonyasaquan,
Collocations are defined as specific combinations of words that frequently occur together, exhibiting a higher likelihood of co-occurrence than random chance, as noted by Boonyasaquan (2009) According to James (1998), collocations refer to the words that typically accompany a particular word Despite variations in phrasing, these definitions consistently emphasize the concepts of word combinations and adherence to conventional usage, highlighting the predictable nature of language patterns.
Third, collocation is defined based on a number of different perspectives
Collocations are considered lexico-grammatical units that integrate morphology and syntax, as noted by Mitchell (1971, quoted in Li, 2005) Firth (1975, quoted in Li, 2005) emphasizes that collocations contribute to the meaning of words Halliday and Hasan (1976, quoted in Li, 2005) define collocation from a discourse perspective as the co-occurrence of two words, regardless of their grammatical types, often extending beyond sentence boundaries Finegan (2004) highlights that collocation reflects the ability of words to co-occur, rather than merely representing conceptual distinctions Overall, these definitions primarily focus on the grammatical and lexical dimensions of collocation, overlooking other important aspects.
Collocations are commonly defined as the conventional co-occurrence of words, as noted in various dictionaries and by researchers While these definitions often focus on grammatical and lexical aspects, they tend to lack comprehensiveness A more thorough understanding of collocation encompasses not just word combinations, but also their contextual usage and the nuances that influence their meaning in different settings.
Collocations are defined as conventional combinations of two or more words that frequently co-occur, highlighting the importance of both grammar and meaning in their usage (Nation, 2001, quoted in Li, 2005, p 15) For instance, phrases like "make tea" illustrate that collocations can involve words separated by several other words, such as in "I made him some tea." Additionally, not all adjacent words form collocations, as seen in phrases like "although he" or "but if." Therefore, a comprehensive definition of collocation should encompass conventional word combinations, grammatical considerations, and semantic relevance In this research, collocations will be referred to as groups of two or three words that commonly occur together to create a meaningful expression.
According to Manning & Schutze (1999), collocations have the following characteristics:
Non-compositionality is a key characteristic of certain phrases, where the meaning cannot be easily predicted from the individual components For instance, while "young mother" is a compositional phrase, the meaning of collocations like "strong tea" is less predictable Although "strong" may provide some insight into the figurative meaning within this context, the overall interpretation remains non-compositional, highlighting the complexity of language and the challenges it poses for learners.
Collocations are distinguished by non-substitutability, where one word in the combination is irreplaceable, yet can be substituted by other collocates with similar meanings within the same collocational field This means that while certain words can be interchanged, such as "lovely" and "beautiful" when describing the weather, others cannot be replaced despite their apparent suitability For instance, "yellow" may accurately describe the color of wine, but it cannot replace "white" in the phrase "white wine", highlighting the importance of collocational specificity.
Collocations are often non-modifiable, meaning they cannot be altered with extra words or grammatical changes For example, the phrase "strong tea" cannot be modified to "stronger tea."
Learning and using collocations can be challenging for learners due to their unpredictable meanings Direct translation from a learner's first language to the target language often leads to errors, as collocations cannot be substituted with non-collocates, even if they seem appropriate Consequently, students may mistakenly use words that sound reasonable but do not form correct collocations Therefore, it is crucial for learners to grasp the characteristics of collocations to enhance their understanding and application in language use.
The concept collocation is defined in a variety of ways by different researchers This in turn makes it hard to provide an accurate categorization of collocations