Statement of the problem and rationale for the study
Writing is often perceived as challenging due to the need for various skills, including idea generation, grammatical accuracy, and appropriate language use (Ross, 1968, p 253) While students can typically formulate central ideas and use correct grammar, they struggle with effectively conveying messages and adding depth to their expressions This issue is particularly pronounced among low-level students, despite teachers' efforts in providing suitable materials, correcting written work, and employing diverse vocabulary teaching methods (Hsueh, 1994, p 1) Utilizing collocations can potentially alleviate these challenges, as they enhance both accuracy and fluency in writing Furthermore, introducing students to collocations—whether new or previously encountered—broadens 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
Familiarity with collocations significantly enhances students' ability to produce accurate language Sonomura (1997, as cited in Hsueh, 1994) emphasizes that academic writing in English requires a vast understanding of common collocations, which are essential for expressing ideas in a recognized and conventional manner This perspective is echoed by McCarthy and O'Dell (2005), who assert that incorporating collocations can elevate one's 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), collocations often go unnoticed by students because they consist of familiar and simple words, which makes comprehension easier This lack of focus from language teachers on collocations contributes to students' failure to learn them effectively To address this issue, Lewis (2001) suggests that educators should enhance learners' awareness of collocations by encouraging them to pay closer attention to 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,
Many students I've taught over the past two years are often unaware of collocation, struggle to identify them in texts, and do not actively seek to learn these important language combinations.
Students in class K45E17 face significant challenges with collocation, as evidenced by the pre-test results The production test revealed numerous errors in their initial attempts, particularly with verb + noun and adjective + noun combinations, which remained uncorrected in subsequent versions Additionally, their performance on the recognition test was subpar, often selecting incorrect collocates for even familiar terms, such as choosing "careful" instead of "good."
After completing the test, participants indicated that it primarily assessed vocabulary; however, they were unable to identify that the focus was specifically on collocations Furthermore, they admitted that they had never been taught collocations as a method to enhance their vocabulary.
I have chosen to conduct action research aimed at enhancing second-year students' awareness of collocation in English writing This initiative will utilize the CAR (Collocation Awareness Raising) Process, which is adapted from the original CAR Process developed by Ying and Hendricks in 2002.
Research aims and research questions
The present study aimed to investigate how the Collaborative Action Research (CAR) process enhances learners' awareness of collocation in English writing Additionally, it sought to identify the challenges students faced during the CAR process To achieve these objectives, the research was guided by specific questions focusing on these two key areas.
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 achieve 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, particularly in Vietnam It seeks to fill a gap in the literature and serve as a valuable reference for those interested in related topics Additionally, the researcher hopes to enhance students' understanding of collocation in writing and other English skills, while encouraging participants to identify their challenges during the Collaborative Action Research (CAR) Process and develop effective solutions.
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 outlines and analyzes the findings related to the two research questions, while also incorporating 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 distinct meanings It functions as an uncountable noun to describe the phenomenon of two or more words frequently being used together Conversely, it acts as a countable noun when referring to specific combinations of words that commonly occur together In this chapter, "collocation" will denote the first meaning, while "collocations" will be used to indicate the second.
The term "collocation," first introduced by Firth in 1957, refers to word combinations that are commonly associated, such as "make a decision." Derived from the Latin word "collocare," meaning "to set in order," collocation has gained significant attention in second language teaching and learning This focus has led to numerous studies by researchers, resulting in a variety of definitions that can be categorized into several groups.
Collocation refers to the regular combination of words used together, as defined by the Long Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics (2002) Similarly, the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2004) describes collocation as the arrangement or juxtaposition of words.
Collocation refers to the habitual combination of words that frequently occur together, as highlighted in various dictionaries According to the Encarta World English Dictionary (2006), it is defined as the association between two words that are commonly used together Similarly, the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (1992) describes collocation as a natural-sounding combination of words Despite differing definitions, all sources emphasize two key elements: the combination of words and their regular use, which contributes to their natural sound in language.
Collocation refers to the limitations on how words can be combined, such as the specific prepositions and verbs that pair with certain nouns (Kasuya, 2008) It is described as a set of words that frequently occur together, forming natural-sounding phrases (McCarthy & O'Dell, 2005) Understanding collocations is essential for effective communication and language proficiency.
A collocation is defined as a phrase made up of two or more words that follow conventional patterns of speech (Schutze, 1999) For example, "broad daylight" is a commonly accepted expression, while "bright daylight" is not Finegan (2004) emphasizes that collocation pertains to the unique and meaningful combinations in which words can be arranged.
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,
2009, p 100) defined collocations as “strings of specific lexical items that co-
Collocations refer to the combinations of words that frequently occur together, demonstrating a mutual expectancy beyond mere chance, as seen in phrases like "rancid butter" and "curry favor." According to James (1998), collocations are defined as the words that typically accompany a particular word Despite varying expressions of this concept, key ideas remain consistent: the notion of word combinations and adherence to conventional usage, highlighted by terms such as "normally," "conventional," and "predictable."
Third, collocation is defined based on a number of different perspectives
Mitchell (1971, quoted in Li, 2005) viewed collocations as lexico-grammatical units that integrate morphology and syntax into lexical discussions Firth (1975, quoted in Li, 2005) emphasized that collocations contribute to a word's meaning From a discourse perspective, Halliday and Hasan (1976, quoted in Li, 2005) defined collocation as the co-occurrence of two words, regardless of their grammatical types, often extending beyond sentence boundaries Finegan (2004) further noted that collocation reflects the co-occurrence of words, which is not merely a reflection of conceptual distinctions These definitions primarily focus on the grammatical and lexical dimensions of collocation, often neglecting other important aspects.
Collocations are defined in various ways, primarily focusing on the conventional co-occurrence of words While dictionary definitions emphasize this ability, research perspectives often explore different dimensions of collocations.
9 especially grammar and lexis, related to collocation However, those definitions are not really comprehensive To be more specific, collocation can
Collocations are defined as conventional combinations of two or more words that frequently co-occur, requiring attention to both grammar and meaning for correct usage (Nation, 2001, quoted in Li, 2005) For instance, the phrase "make tea" illustrates how collocations can involve words separated by several others, such as in "I made him some tea." It's important to note that not all adjacent words collocate, as seen in phrases like "although he" or "but if." Therefore, a comprehensive definition of collocation should encompass these elements: the conventional combination of words, grammatical considerations, and a focus on meaning In this research, collocation will simply refer to two or three words that frequently occur together, forming a meaningful chunk.
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 words For instance, "a young mother" is a compositional phrase, while collocations like "strong tea" exhibit non-compositionality Although the meaning of "strong" in this context is not entirely predictable, it can still provide some insight into its figurative interpretation Understanding these distinctions is essential for language learners to grasp the nuances of phrase meanings.
Collocations are defined by their non-substitutability, meaning that one word in the combination is essential and cannot be replaced While other words with similar meanings can be used in the same collocational context, they cannot substitute for the specific collocate associated with the headword For instance, although both "lovely" and "beautiful" can describe the weather, "yellow" cannot replace "white" in the term "white wine," despite being an accurate description of the wine's color.
Collocations are often non-modifiable by adding extra words or altering grammatical structures For example, the phrase "strong tea" cannot be changed to "stronger tea," illustrating the fixed nature of collocations in language.