CHAPTER FIVE

Teaching and Learning of Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-word Verbs of English in The Context of Sudan

CHAPTER - 5

WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS / DIFFICULTIES OF

TEACHING/LEARNING OF IDIMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND

MULTI-WORD VERBS OF ENGLISH IN SUDAN?

            INTRODUCTION

            In this chapter, an attempt is made to state clearly (based on the experiments) the problems and difficulties of teaching and learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs of English in the context of Sudan. The data is taken from the Sudanese students’ production and reception at the university level (using a pre-test). Besides the above, there are questionnaire, for teachers and students. In this chapter, we shall also try to account for learners’ errors (through error analysis techniques).

            In general, we report an experiment in which 100 Sudanese university students were asked to fill out a questionnaire (27 questions) as well as answer a pretest. Also, we discuss the questionnaire (18 questions) given to their teachers (50). While we acknowledge the obvious limitations of the experiment (i.e. the small number of students included and, thus, the limited corpus of the material that we had collected and analysed), the data seem to confirm our hypotheses. However, the present chapter has the following main headings:

Data Collection: discussing the design and construction, objectives etc., of the elicitation techniques used to collect the data (5.2)
Data Analysis: tabulation and detailed presentation of the collected data (5.3)

            Each of the above headings will cover the three data tools used at this stage: the teachers’ questionnaire, the students’ questionnaire and the pre-test. As for the post-test, it will be dealt with in the next chapter of this study (Chapter 6).

5.2       DATA COLLECTION

            Introduction
            In this research, information is collected before the beginning of the experiments of the study and during the different and various stages. Questionnaires are filled out and pre-test is administered to ascertain the subjects’ knowledge (or lack of) idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs of English. It is important for the reader and the researcher to be aware of the information collected, as it relates to both students’ performance levels on these two vocabulary components and to their circumstances, goals and background as well as general context of their teaching and learning.
In this section, we confine ourselves to the research tools used at this stage:

·        teachers’ questionnaire
·        students’ questionnaire
·        pre-test

            In what follows the process of data collection and the tools for data collection are explained and discussed in detail. Our study being the teaching and learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs of English (in the context of Sudan), information about the learners’ background, what the students know (especially in respect of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs), what they want to know and what the program would like them to know in order to determine what to teach, the problems and difficulties they are encountering while dealing with these multi-word lexical items, curriculum, the materials they study, and the methodology that teachers use, is essential.

            To elicit information from the subjects and about them – their learning styles and strategies etc., the study focuses on the following as tools to be used for collecting data.

Methods used for data collection

            Students’ and teachers’ questionnaires are used to collect data as well as tests for the students.

Questionnaires

            Two questionnaires were administered to:

·                    The students of English language at two of the Sudan universities.
·                    The teachers of English at all Sudan universities.

Pre/Post-test(s)

            In this chapter, we shall discus the pre-test while we will leave the post-test till chapter seven i.e. after presenting and discussing the explicit taught course on idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.

Justification of tools used

            This research is mainly a questionnaire and test-based study.
For practical reasons, the researcher selected these two instruments (along with the general survey of ELT in Sudan provided in the theoretical part of this study, see Chapter 3) as devices together information from the subjects and about them.

Justification for using questionnaires

            In general, the questionnaire approach was chosen for the following reasons:
            It informs us directly about the students profile (background, attitude(s), preferences, opinions, learning styles and strategies…etc.
            It takes less time than other instruments.
            It makes the subjects more relaxed and they do not feel the pressure or anxiety of say, a recorded interview.
            It gives scope for open-ended questions as well as structured ones.
            It can be administered directly (individually or in groups) and can be collected immediately without delay.
            It can be sent by mail to distant subjects.

Justification for using test(s)

            The tests are used for data collection because;

·        they generally focus exclusively on the students’ proficiency in the language. Here, knowledge/mastery of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.
·        they invite candidates to display their knowledge or skills in a concentrated fashion, so that results can be graded, and inferences made from the standard of performance in the test about the general standard of performance that can be expected from the candidate, either at the time of the test or at some future time.

Ddd

5.2.1    TEACHERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE: Objectives and a detailed description:

Objective(s)

            The main objective(s) of this questionnaire is to identify the difficulties and problems of the students while learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs as well as those face the teachers themselves in the course of teaching those two components of vocabulary.

            It should be noted that this questionnaire serves multiple purposes (besides the one cited above): In addition to the overt purpose of finding out what are the problems/difficulties faced learning and teaching of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs, it also serves to awaken or bring to consciousness of the subjects, the existing knowledge and to focus attention on the topic. In detail, the main objectives behind administering the questionnaire to the teachers of English in Sudan universities were to achieve the following general purposes:

            To have their opinions, on the present English course (for students majoring in English) in Sudan universities, especially the position and weightage given to vocabulary component.

            To seek their views on the problems and difficulties face their students while learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs as well as those confront them (themselves) in teaching these two components.

            To find out how they perceive the problems and difficulties of their students in dealing with idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.

            To have an idea of the class-room methodology they follow in teaching idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs as well as materials used.

            To seek their suggestions as to how to improve the students’ knowledge of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.

            To have an insight about the necessary teaching techniques / learning strategies for handling idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.

            In sum, the teachers’ questionnaire (see Appendix 3) consists of 17 questions plus an annexed section on personal, professional and academic information about the teachers. These are questions seeking information about designation (teacher name, faculty (or school), university where he is teaching), qualification/education and years of teaching/lecturing experience. However, sensitive questions like age and social status were left out of the scope of the teachers’ questionnaire, since they are not relevant here. In what follows, we consider these questions in detail:

Questions 1 – 7

            In general, the first seven questions of the teachers’ questionnaire are of general nature. They are targeting the elicitation of the familiarity or non-familiarity of the teachers themselves with idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs as well as their students in terms of notions, concepts and the necessary materials which could be used in teaching and learning of these two components. Let’s take up each of them in turn in the following lines:

Q.1      Is more or less related to syllabus / curriculum aspects: It is sought to know the teachers’ areas of specialization: What language disciplines / courses they are teaching.

Q.2      In the first part of this question (a) the teachers were asked to express their views on the place/status of vocabulary in the English syllabus they are dealing with. In the second portion (b) which is closely to the first, teachers whose answers are ‘No’ are required to account for their discontent.

Q.3     a)          Is more specific Q2 seeking the opinion of the teachers on the position of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs among the other contents of vocabulary course(s) if an.
          b)           Aimed at eliciting the reasons for the dissatisfaction of those who opted for the answer ‘No’ in the above question.

Q.4      Is meant to get information indirectly about the textbooks, materials etc., by asking the teachers to list out the recent literature(s) that they have come across on the teaching/learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs which they would recommend others to use.

Q.5      A direct question wanted to find out whether the 4^th year students at English Departments (4^th, here, because it is the final or graduation year for the majority of the students and semi-final for honors students, in Sudan) are familiar with the two terms: idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs or not.

Q.6      Related to the previous question (No.5) which aimed at verifying the answers of those who selected ‘Yes’ by asking them to indicate whether their students could define idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs, using a five-scale quantitative measure ranged from (all of them to none).

Q.7      This question searches to know the attitude of the students towards idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in terms of their incline to use them in their production (writing & speech) or the use of some avoidance strategy.

Q.8      a)         It is intended to identify the problems and difficulties the students are most likely to face while learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs by providing the teachers with a list of some possible problems and difficulties.

                        They are asked to determine which of those problems and difficulties they think are liable to be met by their students.

b)                 The second portion (b) has the same above objective but it is an open-ended question asking the teachers to cite other possible difficulties and problems than those provided in (8.a) which might face their students.
Here leaving room for teachers to add whatever problems and difficulties their students encountered in the course of learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.

Q.9      This question leads to question 10. The first portion of this question is intended to indicate/know whether the teachers consider idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs as important areas of everyday English language use or not.
            The second part of this question required a clear statement of the importance of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs from those who answered ‘Yes’ in the first part.

Q.10.   I.          Is an approaching (a leading) question wanted to know how the teachers perceive and consider the claim that idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs are one of the most difficult and problematic areas of English for the foreign learners.
            Portion II of this question aimed at eliciting, from the teachers, the problems and difficulties that themselves faced while teaching idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. It is an open-ended question: No list of possible problems and difficulties is provided here.

Q.11    This question is related to the two questions which follow it (12, 13). The three questions are of specific nature using a multiplicity of concrete examples to verify whether these sentences make / pose problems and difficulties for the learners or not. Here, the teacher is asked to indicate whether his students have any difficulty in understanding the multi-word verb “round off” in a given context.

Q.12    In this question it is sought to know whether the students could comprehend the multi-word verb ‘put up with’ in a certain context.

Q.13    It is meant to check/show whether the students could understand the idiomatic expression ‘for good’ in a given context.

Q.14    This question addressed the problems of definition(s) and concept(s) in respect of idiomatic expressions. It is a general question aiming at knowing whether the students confuse and/or associate idiomatic expressions with proverbs and colloquial language since this association/confusion or lack of it may have its impact on the concepts/definitions of idiomatic expressions and hence their learning. That is, association/confusion may delimit the scope of idiomatic expressions – reducing the overall view of them to a sub-system.

Q.15    This question is asked to know the teachers view on the class-room methodology used in teaching and learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. They were required to indicate whether they agree that the best way to teach/learn idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs is ‘to treat them as new items and try to encourage the learners to guess their meaning from situation and context’ or not.

Q.16    This question related to the next one (Q.17) since it serves as an approach for the explicitly taught course in this study
            In general, statements a.b.c. and d concerned with the importance of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs while statements e,f,g,h and i addressed the aspect of classroom methodology which could be used in teaching/learning these two components.
            The teachers have to give their comments on these statements by choosing from a five-scale measure: Strongly disagree, Disagree, Not sure/Don’t know, Agree and Strongly agree.
            (For a detail view of these statements see Appendix 3).

Q.17    A direct question aimed at eliciting the opinion of the teachers towards introducing a separate explicitly taught course on “idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs” of English at the university level.
            Those who are for including that course should answer (Yes) while those who recommended the integration of these two components in the contents of other existing course(s) (i.e., vocabulary) can respond ‘No’.

THE LAST PART OF THE TEACHERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE

            A five-question section attached to the teachers’ questionnaire to have an idea about some personal, academic and professional information including designation (1 – 3) and education and teaching experience (4 & 5). It goes without staying that this information is also important and relevant to this study since the knowledge of teachers background might highlight the teaching techniques/methods they are able to use, their mastery over the subject-matter etc.

5.2.2            STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE: Objectives and a Detailed Description:

Objective(s)

            As it was indicated earlier, our study to identify and solve the problems/eliminate difficulties, face teaching/learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs of English in the context of Sudan. The recognition o such problems and difficulties can not be realized without an effective tool/instrument which can elicit information from the learners as well as their teachers. This questionnaire, thus, should cover issues like background information (personal, academic) their views on and their perception of those problems and difficulties they encounter during learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs, materials, methodology….learning styles and strategies used in learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. Though we can not claim that this questionnaire is exhaustive, a serious attempt has been made to address all the above issues.

            In general, the students’ questionnaire contains 27 questions (see Appendix 4) the first fifteen of them devoted to the ‘background profile’ of the students while the remaining address issues of problems /difficulties they face (when they are coping with idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs), classroom methodology, learning strategies used in dealing with these two components, their views on how to solve and eliminate the problems/difficulties etc.

QUESTIONS 1 – 15: STUDENTS’ PROFILE:

            As a background (and sort of learner analysis) to the experiments in this study the first section of the students’ questionnaire tried to fasten on the following variables.
It starts with questions related to the name(s) of the subjects, (for identification/designation…), age, sex, (religion), marital status, state of domicile and birth place, nationality, parents’ education and occupation, mother tongue, medium of instruction at school, other languages known,……and years of study of English before university.

Qs. 16-22

            In general, these questions seek to elicit from the learners the problems and difficulties they face in learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.
The multiplicity and diversity of the questions as well as using concrete and clarifying examples aim at verifying the existence of these problems/difficulties instead of getting vague or mechanic ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answers in abstract. In what follows, let’s consider and describe the above mentioned questions in some details.

Q.16    This question is meant for eliciting information about the leaner attitude towards multi-word verbs i.e. preference or non-preference: Do the learners prefer to use them in their production (speaking and writing) or use some avoidance strategy such as expressing the meaning in a different way using for instance single word verbs.

            A positive attitude (preference) towards multi-word verbs might indicate that they do not pose problems and difficulties for the learner or at least this might minimize these obstacles.

            However, in this question seven sentences were provided and the students are asked to choose between a pair of verbs: one is a multi-word verbs and the second is a single-word verb. The options of verbs (whether single or multi-word) are mixed against each sentence to avoid mechanical and blind ticking

Q.17    This question is in a task form. It aims at reassuring the reader of the students’ ability or lack of it in replacing the multi-word verbs with single ones. A task if they achieved successfully might give an idea about their knowledge and mastery of this difficult and complex component of vocabulary in terms of comprehension and production.
            However, the multi-word verbs given in this question are of three-word type.

Q.18    After posing the two previous operational questions (16 & 17), this question wants to know the learner general reaction / impression towards those verbal combinations in terms of the difficulty/ease of their understanding and the ability to substitute them with single-word verbs.

Qs. 19 & 20
            These questions focus on the oral skills (listening and speaking) in relation to idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.
            The former is general in nature leads to the latter which is specific.
            Both aim at eliciting whether the learners use and understand easily idiomatic expressions in their speech or they have problems/ difficulties in dealing with them.

Q.21            Considering that the absence/presence of some language terms (in L₂) from/in the learner’s language (L₁) may have influence on their learning/teaching (transfer, development, etc) the present question targeting to detect the existence or non idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in the subjects’ L₁.
            In other words, this question wants to check the availability (or non) of these components in the students’ mother tongue in order to detect the problems/difficulties for better teaching and learning.
            The subjects are asked to give two idiomatic expressions and two multi-word verbs in L₁ and to translate them into English.

Q22.    This question is related to the previous one in the sense that the existence of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in the subjects L₁ or the absence of them might create some problems/difficulties. However, it is a direct question listing some problems and difficulties, that might most likely face the students while learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs, and asking them to indicate which of those obstacles they are actually encountering.

Q.23    It addressed issues related to classroom methodology, teaching techniques/procedures and materials trying to elicit the subjects opinions on the best methods etc. to achieve mastery over idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.
            This has the long-term objective of devising a course on idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs and developing appropriate and adequate materials.

Q.24    This question is meant for eliciting information regarding textbooks. In this question, the students were asked to indicate whether they are familiar or not with the literature on idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. A list of basic and specialized boks and workbooks is provided.

Q.25    This question related to the emotive (affective) domain: the subjects are asked to express their opinion and show their attitude towards encountering and using idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in speech and writing.

Q.26    The students’ opinions and multi-word verbs and their pervasiveness (existence) through English Language (and of course in many other languages), are sought. These statements deal with the importance of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in every language: A command of these two vocabulary components gives students confidence. They also consider the counter-view of the importance of these two language items: that is, some of them (writers etc) state that these two language items/components are frills(secondary).

Q.27    It is sought to know what Language and / or literature areas the students are interested in, so as to benefit from this fact/information in outlining and devising a course on “idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs” i.e. whether one will plan the course around language items (vocabulary, grammar,….) or on literary basis for instance (fiction, drama, poetry) or other areas.

5.2.3    THE PRE-TEST: Objectives and a Detailed Description

Introduction

            After devoting the previous pages to a detailed description of the teachers’ and students’ questionnaires, the next task will be to describe the second technique of data collection used in this research i.e. tests. Generally speaking, tests, like examinations, invite candidates to display their knowledge or skills in a concentrated fashion, so that the results can be graded, and inference made from the standard of performance in the test about the general standard of performance that can be expected from the candidate, either at the time of the test or at some future time.

General Objectives of Tests

            In general, test may be used as a means to

1.         give the teacher information about whether the students are at the moment to help decide what to teach next;
2.         give the students (as well as others: researchers, teachers,…) information about what they know, so that they also have an awareness of what they need to learn or review;
3.         assess for some purpose external to current teaching (a final grade for the course, selection);
4.            motivate students to learn or review specific material;
5.         get students to make an effort (in doing the test itself), which is likely to lead to better results and a feeling of satisfaction;
6.         give students tasks which themselves may actually provide useful review or practice, as well as testing;
7.         provide students with a sense of achievement and progress in their learning.
            To the aim(s) of this stud, points 1, 2, 4 and 7 above seem of some relevance.

            However, in this research, tests are administered to ascertain the students knowledge (or lack of it) of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs as well as to detect the problems/difficulties faced their teaching and learning: They give an idea about these problems/difficulties.

            Tests give the teachers/searchers information about what the students know, so that they also have an awareness of what they need to learn or review.
            Tests provide an important (starting) point for data collection because they focus on the students’ proficiency in the language.

TEST CONSTRUCTION

Test Sources

            It is well known practice in language teaching and testing to convert exercises into tests and vice-versa. On the basis of this fact we have made use of the exercises found in the following sources to construct the test(s) given to the subjects of this study:

-                                             Martinet and Thomson’s A Practical English Grammar : Ex. Book 2, OUP
-                                             Ronald E.Feare, 1980, Practice with Idioms, OUP
among other sources

Test Grammatical Categories and Items Representation

            The sub-tests deal with:

·        Verbal Idioms (e.g. put on/put up with)
·        Nominal Idioms: (flesh and blood)
·        Adjectival Idioms (short and sweet) and
·        Adverbial Idioms (for good, sooner or later)

The multiplicity of questions/items in the pretest

            Based on the theory of sampling, the idea is that there is a large number of items that could have been included in a test of English…
Any particular test is going to include only a small proportion of these items – the items actually included is a sample of the population of possible items.

            However, the multiplicity of the question and items in the pre and post-tests of this study is a remarkable characteristic which is due to the nature of vocabulary (in terms of quantity/quality): vocabulary size and vocabulary depth.

            This fact when applied while devising a test on the students’ proficiency on the present two vocabulary components (idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs) could be supported by quoting, from Oxford Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs 1994: p.422, the following:

            ‘Knowledge of a wide range of idiomatic expressions, and the ability to use them appropriately in speech and writing, are among the distinguishing features of a native-like command of English’.

            Some points to be mentioned and emphasized before giving a detailed description of the pre-test used in the research are:

1.         In constructing the pre-test (and the post-test) we retain the same format for both of them: They are parallel in numbers of questions and items but with some difference in the vocabulary items in terms of selecting idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs, which are not included in the one test for instance.
            In other words, in pre and post-tests we used the same yard-stick with different flavour and colour. I.e. the one is alternate for the other.

2.         The second is that this test is drawn mainly on Ronald E.Feare 1980, Practice with Idioms, OUP and J.Martinet and A.V.Thomson, a Practical English Grammar esp. Ex. Book 2.

Data Collection (tools)

            A detailed description of the pre-test (for the whole pre-test se appendix-5).
            The present test consists of five sub-tests: These are:

1.         a. gap-filling (passage completion),            b. transformation
2.            Substitution
3.         Error(s) identification/recognition (correct/incorrect)
4.            Multiple-choice items
5.         a. sentence writing,            b. paraphrasing/rewriting

Test-Types: Elicitation Techniques

            The pre-test items which were given to the subjects of this study can be classified into:

·        Gap filling/passage completion (Q.1a)
·        Transformation (from active to passive and from multi-word verb to derived – noun forms) (Q.1b)
·        Substitution (Q.2)
·        Error(s) recognition/identification (Q.3)
·        Multiple-choice items (Q.4)
·        Sentence writing (Q.5a) and
·        Paraphrasing/rewriting (of short text: paragraph) (Q.5b)

            In what follows, an attempt is made to describe and account for choosing these elicitation techniques rather than others. The reader is also reminded that since idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs are basically vocabulary components, the principles and techniques applied for vocabulary testing are used here. A brief look at these techniques should reveal the following types: see Penny Ur 1996: 69-73 under: Vocabulary Testing Techniques.
‘Multiple choice, matching, odd one out, writing sentences, dictation, dictation-translation, gap-filling/ gap-filling with a ‘pool’ of answers, translation, sentence completion….etc’.

Question one

    Passage Completion : blank-filling
            This sub-test is basically testing vocabulary. It focused on the receptive skill understanding of a passage. The task is a gap-filling by choosing, from a given list of 20 – multi-word verbs, the suitable ones.
            To illustrate let us take as an example the first paragraph of the passage and the accompanied instruction.

Rubric (instruction):
            Complete the passage choosing the suitable ‘multi-word verbs’ from the following list (the 20 blanks should be filled by all the 20 – multi-word verbs given in the list) (here, we provide only some verbs from the list) : Put up with, give up, carry out, etc.

Extract from the passage:

            ‘When war broke out William Smith was called up. He didn’t exactly jump at the chance of being a soldier, but he hadn’t any choice in the matter. He never really 1______________ being a soldier. He learnt to 2_________________ his rifle and his uniform and to 3___________ orders, but it did not interest him very much and he was glad when peace was made and he was demobilized.
(NB: This adapted extract is fro: Thomson and Martinet: A practical English Grammar, Ex.book2: For the full text see appendix 5.)

Q. One b
            The passage completion question is followed by what we can describe, more or less, as a grammatical sub-test. It is a transformation task. The participants are asked to transform:

·        active into passive (5 items) and
·        verb forms into noun forms: nominalization (5 items)

            The main objective of this sub-test is to know whether the subjects can carry out structural change or not (transformation).
As examples of active – passive transform we found:

2.         His daughter always looked after him when he was ill.
3.         They have let the cat out of the bag.
            For nominalization, we took the following as illustration:
2.         The supply of food has broken down.
5.         Our plane took off very smoothly.

Question Two: Substitution

            This substitution sub-test is mainly vocabulary in nature.
The students were given 40 sentences, including underlined 40 idiomatic expressions, and they were asked to give their meanings, in the given spaces, by choosing from a list of 40 items. The objective is to test the students comprehension of various and different idiomatic expressions (including verbal idioms = phrasal verbs) and, then, their ability to substitute them with other equivalents.

Sample of definitions/synonyms provided in the list:

-                                             helped…to get over
-                                             discuss angrily with
-                                             forever
-                                             informal conversation
-                                             to use for one’s personal benefit
-                                             final annoyance
-                                             have trust in
-                                             tolerate
-                                             generally

Examples from sentences in question 2 are:

1.         For three days the wind blew hard and strong, but on the fourth day it died down.
2.         Please hold on; I’d like to ask a question before you continue your lecture.
20.       I was very concerned about my problems; I had them on my mind all the time.
30.       When I said liked her diner, which really was terrible, I told a white lie because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
39.       John finally was able to quit smoking for good; he’ll never touch another cigarette.
40.       By and large, Tom is an easy going person in almost everything he does.

Question Three: Errors Identification/Recognition

            This simple task required the testees to indicate which sentences are correct and which are not i.e. to distinguish or discriminate between wrong and right sentences.
It consists of 40 items and the participants had to mark the correct answers by (ü) and cross (X) the wrong ones.

            This sub-test is mainly grammatical in nature since it aims to test the students knowledge of the grammatical behaviour of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs: (adverb) positioning in relation to verbal idiomatic expressions, particle/preposition, no object, pronoun… etc. in relation to multi-word verbs as well as inflection and number: singular/plural, and word order = internal arrangement of idiomatic expressions. The wording of the instructions of this question is as follows:

Which of the following sentences are correct and which are not: indicate your answers by ticking (ü) the correct sentences and crossing (X) the wrong ones, in the given boxes.
NB: since the testees had to respond either correct or incorrect they might get 50% choice of guessing the correct answer(s). However, no attempt is made here to cater for this chance factor in marking by subtracting or other means. i.e. penalize the wrong responses by subtracting more than ½ mark.

Some examples from the sentences in Q.3 are:

1.   The student got ahead his school.
20. The student got ahead in school.
21. I kept careful eyes on the child.
30. The car suffered a lot of wear and tear.
31. The car suffered a lot of tear and wear.
40. Day out and day in, Bob stays at home.

Question Four: A multiple choice sub-test

This question focused on semantic aspects as well as grammatical issues. The objective is to test the students ability to complete given sentences by choosing the appropriate and suitable idiomatic expressions (including verbal idioms) in terms of vocabulary and grammar, correct meaning and use (comprehension task). 40 items are provided with four options against each sentence.

The rubric of this sub-test is as follows:
Choose the idiomatic expression, which has the best meaning in the context below, by drawing a circle round the letter of the correct answer.

Some examples of question 4 are:

1.         As elephant in a circus really ……………………….
a.       falls through
b.      shows up
c.       stands out
d.      stands in

6.         It’s hard to ………………… in a car when the streets are very crowded.
a.       get ahead
b.      go through
c.       get around
d.      get through

30.       The sixth time he called me at midnight was the ……………………
a.       lost cause
b.      last straw
c.       hot air
d.      big shot

40.       At first I accepted his suggestion, but later I had ………………….. about it.
a.                  second thoughts
b.                  heart and soul
c.                  small talks
d.                  neck to neck

Question Five

a.            Sentence Writing
            This task is vocabulary and grammar in nature: it tests meaning and form.
It deals with reception skill(s) (comprehension of a sentence) then production (writing a sentence) by answering open-ended questions should include sentences using idiomatic expressions (verbal combinations and others). The explicit/main objective is to produce meaningful, grammatical sentences containing idiomatic expressions.
In detail, we can say the objective of the represent sub-test is 3-fold:

1.            Identification of the idiomatic expressions (verbal and others) : (receptive skill).
2.            Comprehension of question or statement (receptive skill)
3.            Production/writing of a sentence (productive skill) using semantic and grammatical rules.

30 items are given including questions of general nature: required simple general knowledge related to the students’ activities and everyday life and experience.
Some examples of this question are given below:

1.         When might you wish that some noise would die down?
2.         To get ahead in life, what do you have to do?
20.       When would a person have to get something off his chest?
30.       Why is it necessary to study vocabulary time and again?

Question Five B:
Paraphrasing/Re-writing

This is a paraphrase (re-writing) sub-test testing receptive (comprehension of the passage) as well as productive skills (re-writing the paragraph).
A paragraph of eight sentences is provided containing highly idiomatic colloquial English. The main objective is testing the students’ ability to comprehend informal idiomatic language and change it into another variety (ordinary style) using other words and expressions, sentences patterns etc. In other words, this task addressed the interpretation and production aspects as well as the stylistic issue. Since it is a short passage we cite the whole paragraph as an illustration:

            ‘Sam is a real cool cat. He never blows his stack and hardly ever flies off the handle. What’s more, he knows how to get away with things… Well, of course he is getting on, too. His hair is pepper and salt, but he knows how to make up for lost time by taking it easy. He gets up early, works out, and turns in early. He takes care of the hot dog stand like a breeze until he gets time off. Sam’s got it made; this is it for him’.

5.3       DATA ANALYSIS

            In this section, we will analyse, present and tabulate the data collected in this study, under the following sub-headings:

·                                teachers’ questionnaire
·                                students’ questionnaire
·                                pre-test

5.3.1            Teachers’ questionnaire
5.3.1.1 A Detailed Analysis

            After describing the teachers’ questionnaire and stating clearly its objectives, under the heading ‘data collection’, we shall analyse this questionnaire in this sub-section.

Q.1      On the area(s) of specialization of the teachers.

            In this leading (introducing) question (since it serves as an approach to what follows esp. question 2), the English teachers at Sudan universities were asked to indicate their areas of specialization. What courses they are teaching.

A list of language disciplines was given to the informants and they were asked to tick the relevant areas (of course, they can tick more than one option).
TABLE-6
TQNN: Q.1 THE TEACHERS’ AREAS (LANGUAGE DISCIPLINES) OF
SPECIALIZATION

OPTIONS	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERENTAGE
Languages - grammar - pronunciation - vocabulary	35 / 50 10 / 50 25 / 50	70% 20% 50%
Linguistics	25 / 50	50%
Applied Linguistics	25 / 50	50%
ELT	20 / 50	40%
Literature	10 / 50	20%

Table 6 states that the teachers who responded to the questionnaire have the following language disciplines as primary speciality. They are presented below in order of priority of choice:

·        Grammar
·        Vocabulary, Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
·        ELT
·        Literature
·        Pronunciation

In the above list, grammar tops the options with 70% and pronunciation comes at the bottom (20%). Vocabulary shares with Linguistics and Applied Linguistics the second place (50%) which could mean that it is an area of concern and attention.
Note: Since the respondents were asked to select more than one area, the percentage adds up to more than 100.

Q.2.a) On the place/status of vocabulary course(s), if any, in English syllabus in Sudan Universities.
            The teachers are asked in this question to express their views on the emphasis/weightage given to the vocabulary course(s), if any, in the English syllabus they are dealing with, indicating whether they are happy or not by selecting from three options: Yes, No, To some extent.

TABLE – 7
TQNN: Q.2a THE TEACHERS’ OPINION(S)/VIEW(S)/ ON THE EMPHASIS/
WEIGHTAGE GIVEN T O THE VOCABULARY COURSE IN THE ENGLISH
SYLLABUS IN SUDAN UNIVERSITY

OPTIONS	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes	5 / 50	10%
No	35 / 50	70%
To some extent	10 / 50	20%

Table 7 reveals that the majority of the respondents *70%) are not happy with the emphasis/weightage given to the vocabulary courses in the English syllabuses they are dealing with.

Only 10% of the teachers are happy with the status of vocabulary. The remaining (20%) are content to some extent with the place of vocabulary in these syllabuses.

Q.2b On the cause(s) of the discontent (unhappiness) of teachers in respect of the vocabulary course(s) status in English syllabus.

The second part of question 2, which is an open-ended question, required the teachers who opted for the answer ‘No’ in question Q.2a to account for their discontent. See Table 8.

TABLE – 8
TQNN: Q.2b THE CAUSES OF THE DISCONTENT WITH THE VOCABULARY
STATUS IN THE SYLLABUS

CAUSES GIVEN	NUMBER OF RESPONSDENTS (PROVIDERS)	PERCENTAGE
It is not given the importance and concern it deserves	10 /*35	28.6%
It is neglected and marginal area	10 / 35	28.6%
It is not related to the other skills especially reading	5 / 35	14.3%
Vocabulary is considered and taught in isolation	5 / 35	14.3%
Others	5 / 35	14.3%

(* In the previous question 35 teachers say ‘No. The percentage is calculated on the basis of this number).

Table-8 accounts for the unhappiness of the 35 respondents (70%) who expressed their dissatisfaction in the previous question (2.a). It lists some of the causes given by the teachers who answered by choosing the option ‘No.’

Q.3a
On the position (place) of Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs among the other contents of vocabulary course(s).

Here, the informants were asked to indicate/express their views (satisfaction/ classification or others) on the status of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in vocabulary course(s), three options are provide: Yes, No and To some extent. See Table-9.

TABLE-9
TQNN: Q.3a THE TEACHERS’ VIEW(S) ON THE STATUS OF IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS IN THE VOCABULARY COURSE(S)

RESPONSES	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes (satisfaction)	5 / 50	10%
No (dissatisfaction)	40 / 50	80%
To some extent	5 / 50	10%

Table-9 exhibits the teachers’ views on the status of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in the vocabulary courses they are dealing with. 80% of the informants expressed their dissatisfaction with the position of IEX and MWV in these courses.
Only 10% of the teachers are satisfied with the status of these larger lexical units in the vocabulary courses. The remaining (10%) are content to some extent with the place of these multi-word lexical items the other components of vocabulary courses.

Q.3b
On the reasons of the dissatisfaction of some teachers with Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs status in vocabulary course(s).
This question is closely related to the first portion of question 3 (a).
Teachers who selected the answer ‘No’ are asked to give the reasons for their dissatisfaction with the position of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. See Table-10.

TABLE-10
TQNN. Q.3b THE REASONS OF THE DISSATISFACTION OF SOME TEACHERS
WITH IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS STATUS IN
VOCABULARY COURSE(S).

REASONS GIVEN	TOTAL RESPONDENTS	PERCENTAGE
No separate course to deal with IEX/ MWV	*20 / 40	50%
No special attention and concern are given to the problems / difficulties of IEX/ MWV	10 / 40	25%
They are considered and taught as the other vocabulary components regardless of their particularly (i.e. multi-word lexical items)	10 / 40	25%

*40 answered ‘No’ in Q.3a.
Table-10 mentions the reasons given by the teachers who expressed, in the previous question, their dissatisfaction with the status of IEX and MWV in the vocabulary courses. 40 teachers (80%) opted for the alternative ‘No’ in question 3.a: They are dissatisfied wit the place of these lexical items in the vocabulary courses.
10 out of them (25%) supplied the reason: No special attention and concern were given to the specific and potential problems/difficulties of these interesting but overlapping area of vocabulary.

Q.4 On the familiarity/non-familiarity of the teachers with the relevant literature of teaching/learning of Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs.

The respondents were asked to mention the recent literature on the teaching/learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs they have come across (See Table-11).

TABLE-11
TQNN: Q.4 THE FAMILIARITY OR NON-FAMILIARITY OF THE TEACHERS
WITH THE RELEVANT LITERATURE OF TEACHING/LEARNING OF
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS

BOOKS/REFERENCES/ TEXTBOOKS ETC. MENTIONED	RESPONDENTS	PERCENTAGE
-	0 / 50	-
-	0 / 50	-
-	0 / 50	-

Table-11 shows the familiarity/non-familiarity of the teachers with the relevant literature of teaching/learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.
No teacher was able to mention a single book, reference, etc.
This is a clear indication that the teachers themselves are ignorant of the up-to-date treatment of these vocabulary components.

Q.5 On the students’ familiarity/non-familiarity with (the terms) Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs.

It is a direct question focuses on the familiarity or non-familiarity of the students in the fourth year (since it is the final year or semi-final for honors students) with the terms ‘idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs’. Only two opinions ‘Yes/No’ are given. See Table 12.

TABLE – 12
TQNN: Q.5 THE STUDENT’S FAMILIARITY OR NON-FAMILIARITY WITH
THE TERMS: IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS

RESPONSES	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERENTAGE
Yes	16 / 50	32%
No	34 / 50	68%

Table-12 points out whether the 4^th year students at the university level are familiar with the ‘terms’ idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs or not.

The teachers’ feedback on this issue reveals that only 16 out of the 50 teachers (32%) believed that their students are familiar with these terms while the majority (34 teachers/68%) claimed that their learners are not conversant with them.

Q.6 On what portion of the students can define ‘Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs’.

This question posed to reconfirm the answers obtained in question 5; the teachers were asked to indicate (quantity-wise) the ability of the students to define these two components on a 5-scale grading measure. This ranges from (all – none). See Table-13.

TABLE-13
TQNN: Q.6 WHAT PORTION OF THE STUDENTS CAN DEFINE IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS

OPTIONS GIVEN / SCALE	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
- All of them can	3 *16	18.75%
- Some of them can	3 16	18.75%
- Only a few can	3 16	18.75%
- None can	5 16	31.25%
- Not sure	2 16	12.50%
Total	16	100%

*16 who answered ‘Yes’ in Q.5.

Table-13 specifies the proportion of the students who can define idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. It is important to recall that in the previous (Q.5), 16 teachers (32%) responded by saying that their students are familiar with the terms IEX and MWV. A breakdown of the answers of the teachers who claimed that their students are conversant with these terms is as follows:

-                     3 out of the 16 respondents (18.75) stated that all of their learners can define IEX and MWV.
-                     The same number of teachers (18.75%) said that some of them can.
-                     Other three respondents (18.75) mentioned that only a few can.
-                     A considerable number (5 teachers): 31.25% declared that none of their students can.
-                     And, finally 2 informants (12.50%) are not certain about what proportion of their students can define these multi-word lexical units.

Q.7      On the Students’ attitude towards Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs: (use/avoidance).

This question targets detecting the attitude of the learners towards idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in terms of use/avoidance.

Two specific alternatives are given and the informants have to decide whether the learners are inclined to use idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in their production (writing and speech) or they steer clear away from them. See table 14.

TABLE –14
TQNN: Q.7 THE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
AND MULTI-WORD VERBS: (USE OR AVOIDANCE)

RESPONSES

TOTAL RESPONSES

PERENTAGE

- Use idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in their writing and speech

10 / 50

20%

- Use some avoidance strategy i.e. such as expressing the meaning in a different way.

40 / 50

80%

Table 14 tells us about the students’ attitude towards IEX and MWV.
It shows that 80% of the subjects steer clear away from these multi-word lexical items and try to express the meaning in a different way (avoidance strategy) while 20% of them claimed that they preferred to use them in their writing and speech.
This is a clear indication that the majority of the students preferred using alternatives to these multi-word lexical units i.e. using for example single-word verbs.

Q.8a On some problems/difficulties in learning Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs.

In this part of question 8, the teachers are given a list of some possible problems and difficulties that are most likely to be faced by their students while learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. See table 15.

TABLE – 15
TQNN: Q.8a SOME PROBLEMS/DIFFICULTIES FACING THE STUDENTS IN
LEARNING IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS

PROBLEMS/DIFFICULTIES GIVEN	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
- The use of the wrong particle and/or preposition with the verb: collocation	48 / 50	96%
- Not being able to understand the multi-word verbs which are also idioms.	40 / 50	80%
- Generally, problems arising from the special nature of multi-word verbs: their difficult structural patterns (e.g. with pronouns), their special stress patterns and so on	43 / 50	80%

Table-15 focuses on three specific problems /difficulties facing the students in learning IEX/MWV.

The teachers’ opinion regarding these obstacles are as follows:

-                     96% of teachers opted for ‘The use of the wrong particle and/or preposition with the verb: a collocation problem’.
-                     80% of them ticked the 2^nd alternative in the list:
‘Not being able to understand the multi-word verbs which are also idioms’.
-                     80% voted for the option:
‘Generally, problems arising from the special nature of multi-word verbs: their difficult structural patterns (e.g. with pronouns), their special stress patterns and so on.

Note: Since the respondents could tick, in this question, more than one option, the percentage exceeds 100.

Q.8b.   On other problems and difficulties, listed by the teachers, from their experience, that encounter students while learning Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs.
This part of question 8 leaves room for teachers to list (out) some of the problems and difficulties, other than those provided in the first portion of the same question, met by their students while learning idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. The source(s) of these problems/difficulties are the teachers observation and their own experience. However, for practical reasons (space constraints) space is provided only for four examples. See Table 16.

TABLE – 16
TQNN: Q.8b OTHER PROBLEMS/DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTER THE
STUDENTS WHILE LEARNING IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION AND
MULTI-WORD VERBS

PROBLEMS & DIFFICULTIES CITED	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
a. The scarcity of MWV in the L₁ of the students, thus a concept problem	40	80%
b. Absence of IEX/MWV in the syllabus used in Sudan: A problem of awareness and attention	42	84%
c. Students are not equipped with the necessary skills, strategies etc., for guessing the meanings of new lexical items.	25	50%
d. The limited exposure to the target language and, hence, practice	27	54%

Table-16 lists some of the problems/difficulties (other than those cited by the researcher in question 8a) provided by the teachers on the basis of their teaching experience…etc. encountering their students while learning IEX/MWV.

The instances below are supplemented by the informants:

·        The scarcity of MWV in the L₁ of the students (Arabic).
·        The majority of the teachers were of the opinion that the problems/difficulties of the Sudanese university students of English are related to the absence of IEX/MWV from the syllabus used in Sudan.

·        Most of the teachers admitted that the (Sudanese) learners are not equipped with the necessary strategies/skills for guessing the meanings of unknown lexical items.

Q.9A   On the Importance of Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs in everyday English language use.

With a view to prepare the ground approach the issue/task of devising a course on idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs, the present question sought the teachers perception of these two components of language i.e. whether they are important or not.

TABLE-17
TQNN: Q.9a THE IMPORTANCE OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND
MULTI-WORD VERBS IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH USE

OPTIONS	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes	50 / 50	100%
No	0 / 50	0%

Table 17 clarifies the respondents evaluation of IEX/MWV i.e. Are they important in everyday English use? In their responses to this question, all the 50 – teachers agreed that these 2 vocabulary components are important in everyday English use.

Q.9b The second part of question 9 is a complementary and specific one demanding clear statement of this importance for the foreign learners from those who responded ‘Yes’ in the first part.

TABLE-18
TQNN: Q.9b CLEAR STATEMENT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS FOR THE FOREIGN LEARNER

ANSWERS PROVIDED BY

THE TEACHERS

TOTAL RESPONSES OF WHOSE ANSWERS ARE ‘YES’

PERCENTAGE

a. They are essential in understanding and using the target language, especially the social and everyday interaction.

30 / 50

60%

b. They approximate the foreign language learner command to that of the native speaker

32 / 50

64%

c. Knowledge and use of IEX/MWV easify communication and develop fluency of the learner

37 / 50

74%

Table-18 elaborates the informants’ responses in question 9a by supplying specific statements of the importance of IEX/MWV for the foreign learner.

In the previous question, all the teachers claimed that these 2 lexical items are crucial in everyday language practice.

As a justification for their replies they offered the following instances:

·        They are essential in the comprehension and the use of the language in the social and everyday interaction.
·        The command and mastery of these multi-word lexical items enable the learner to approximate the native competence/performance.
·        Knowledge and use of IEX/MWV easify communication and develop fluency of the learner.

Q.10.I On the claim that Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs are one of the most difficult areas of English for the foreign learners.

In this part of question 10, the informants are asked to respond (react) to the statement that ‘idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs are one of the most difficult areas of English for the foreign learner’. In other words, this question considers the difficulty or ease of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs for the foreign learners.

However, two alternatives are provided: Yes/No. See Table 19.

TABLE-19
TQNN: Q10.I THE DIFFICULTY OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND
MULTI-WORD VERBS FOR FOREIGN LEARNERS

OPTIONS/ALTERNATIVES	RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes	48 / 50	96%
No	2 / 50	4%

Table-19 provides the teachers’ views on the claim that IEX/MWV are ‘one of the most difficult areas of English for the foreign learner’. 96% of the respondents are for this belief while the rest (4%) are against.

Q.10.II On the problems and difficulties the teachers themselves have/faced while teaching Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs.

This is an open-minded question (but with a limited number of spaces, 3 only, for practical reasons) in which the teachers are asked to (list) mention some problems and difficulties they themselves faced while teaching idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. See Table 20.

TABLE-20
TQNN: Q.10.II SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES AND PROBLEMS OF TEACHING
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS

DIFFICULTIES/PROBLEMS PROVIDED	TOTAL RESPONDENTS	PERCENTAGE
Less attention paid to these multi-word lexical items in the English syllabus they are dealing with	20 / 50	40%
The learners faulty definition/perception of IEX/MWV	10 / 50	20%
The students’ poor knowledge of the skills of guessing the meaning from context	10 / 50	20%

Table-20 informs us about the difficulties/problems the teachers themselves faced while teaching IEX/MWV.

The instances, provided here, are given by the teachers on the basis of their experience.

11. On understanding a 2-word verb in context:

This question is more or less continuation of the previous question: (9, 10) since it seeks more confirmation and illustration of the problems and difficulties stated thereof.

The teachers are asked to indicate whether their students, while reading a book or a newspaper containing a sentence with a 2 – word verb, have any difficulty in understanding this verbal combination which at the same time is an idiomatic expression. They have to choose from three alternatives: Yes, No and More or less.

TABLE – 21
TQNN: Q.11 THE UNDERSTANDING A 2-WORD VERB IN CONTEXT

ALTERNATIVES	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes	35 / 50	70%
No	5 / 50	10%
More or less	10 / 50	20%

Table 21 tells us about the students’ ability to understand a 2-word verb in context, namely, the verbal combination ‘round off’.

70% of the teachers responded that their students experienced difficulty while meeting that verbal construction in context.

10% claimed that their learners are able to comprehend the above mentioned verbal combination in the given sentence.

20% are uncertain about their students’ ability in understanding the meaning of the MWV in question. Their students faced relative difficulty in comprehending the multi-word lexical item.

Q.12 On the comprehension of a 3 - word verb in a certain context.

It is the same as Q.11 above but here the question on a 3 – word verb (verb + particle + preposition).

Again, the respondents have to select from the three following options:
Yes, No and More or less. See Table 22 below:

TABLE – 22
TQNN: Q.12 THE COMPREHENSION OF A 3 – WORD VERB
IN A CERTAIN CONTEXT

OPTIONS	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes	30 / 50	60%
No	10 / 50	20%
More or less	10 / 50	20%

Table 22 exhibits the teachers’ evaluation of their learners’ ability in deducing (inferring) the meaning of a 3 – word verb in a certain context. (Here, the verbal combination is: put up with).

60% of the teachers claimed that their students were capable of understanding a 3 – word verb in context. 20% stated that their ;earners were not able to comprehend that verbal construction in the given sentence. The same number (20%) said that they were not sure about the subjects’ ability in arriving at the meaning of the MWV.

Q.13 On Understanding an Idiomatic Expression in a certain Context.

The language item on which this question is focused is an idiomatic expression (namely, for good).

The teachers are required to indicate whether their students can understand the expression in a defined context. They have to opt for one of the following alternatives:
Yes, No, and More or less.

TABLE – 23
TQNN: Q.13 UNDERSTANDING AN IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION IN CONTEXT

ALTERNATIVES	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes	40 / 50	80%
No	6 / 50	12%
More or less	4 / 50	8%

Table-23 reveals the teachers’ estimation (judgement) of the students’ ability in understanding an idiomatic expression in a certain context (namely, for good).
80% of the teachers claimed that their students could understand the IEX for good in the provided sentence. 12% said that the learners were not able to comprehend the meaning of the given IEX. The remaining of the respondents (8%) are uncertain about the subjects’ knowledge of the sense of the expression in the given utterance.

Q.14 On the Students’ Perception, Definition….etc of Idiomatic Expressions: associating/ confusing Idiomatic Expressions with Proverbs and Colloquial language.

Generally speaking, the problem addressed in this question related to those dealt with in questions 8, 11, 12, 13 since they deal with specific, concrete and detailed examples (instances) of the problems/difficulties that face the learners. The present question tried to tackle a general problem/difficulty (regarding the concepts and definitions of idiomatic expressions) that faced the students when dealing these expressions. In short, the teachers are asked to indicate whether their students’ associate/confuse idiomatic expressions with proverbs and colloquial languages since there is a misconception that idiomatic expressions are proverbs and only in colloquial language.

TABLE – 24
TQNN: Q.14 THE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION, DEFINITION…ETC OF
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

OPTIONS	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes	37 / 50	74%
No	3 / 50	6%
More or less	10 / 50	20%

Table-24 presents the teachers’ views on the students’ definition and perception of IEX, i.e. it explains whether the learners confuse IEX, for example, with proverbs and colloquial language or not. 74% of the teachers confessed that their learners confused IEX with proverbs and colloquial language. Only 6% claimed that their students did not mix up these multi-word lexical items with proverbs and colloquial language. 20% of the informants responded by saying that their students relatively associated IEX with sayings and special varieties of language.

Q.15 On the best Way to teach/learn Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs:
Classroom Methodology and Procedures/Techniques etc.

This question aimed at getting the teachers opinion(s) on the direct classroom methodology, learning styles/strategies and teaching techniques required in teaching and learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs.

The informants are asked whether they agree or not that the best way to teach/learn idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs “is to treat them as new items and try to encourage the learners to guess their meaning from situation and context”.

They have to indicate their opinion by selecting one of the following alternatives: Yes, No and To some extent.

TABLE – 25

TQNN: Q.15 THE BEST WAY TO TEACH AND LEARN IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS: CLASSROOM METHODOLOGY

OPTIONS	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes	50 / 50	100%
No	- / 50	0%
To some extent	/ 50	0%

Table-25 summarizes the teachers’ reactions on the suggestion that the best way to teach/learn IEX and MWV is to treat them as new items and try to encourage the learners to guess their meaning from context and situation.

All the respondents agreed to the classroom methodology, procedures and techniques proposed in the above statement.

Q.16 (Statements a, b, c and d)

On the Usefulness/Importance of Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs.

Regarding the first four statements in this question, the teachers are asked to comment on the utility and importance of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs by ticking their options from a five-scale categorization: Strongly disagree, disagree, not sure/don’t know, agree and strongly agree.

Table 26 (statements a – d) presents the teachers’ comments on a set of statements regarding the usefulness/importance of IEX/MWV.

The responses to statement ‘a’ are as follows:

The 50 teachers (100%) strongly agreed to the utility of making use of items already established in language to express new meanings.

The same reaction (strongly agreed) was made by all the respondents for statements b and c.
As for statement ‘d’ the lecturers’ opinions spread as below:

The majority (82%) strongly agreed that non-native learners often show a tendency to avoid using vocabulary in an idiomatic way.

The rest of the respondents (18%) are either ignorant (don’t know) of the learners strategy or are uncertain about it (not sure).

TABLE – 26

STATEMENTS A – D:

TQNN: Q.16.1 THE USEFULNESS/IMPORTANCE OF IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS

Statements	SDAG		DAG		NS/DK		AG		SAG
a. The possibility of using the same word/language item with different particles or/and prepositions or words that have already established meaning to form/express new meanings make the processes of information retrieval, recalling the lexical items at will, etc, much easier.	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	50	100%
b. There is a frequent demand from those posse- ssing the knowledge of EFL that they must have command of IEX and MWV in real life situations	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	50	100%
c. It is important to change the view which is based on the hypothesis that mastering of IEX and MWV could be restricted to the native speakers.	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	50	100%
d. The non-native learners often show a tendency to avoid using vocabulary in an idiomatic way.	0	0%	0	0%	0	18%	0	0%	41	82%

KEY:
SDAG = Strongly Disagree DAG = Disagree NS/DK = Not sure/Don’t Know
AG = Agree TR = Total Responses SAG = Strongly Agree

Q.16.II Statements e, f, g, h, and I on the Teachability and learnability of Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs.

Statements f, g, h and i of this question addressed some issues related, more or less, to classroom methodology, learning styles/strategies and teaching techniques/procedures. Table-27
(Statements e – i) shows the teachers’ reaction towards the statements dealing with classroom methodology, techniques/strategies, procedures etc.:

Statement ‘e’ : 50% of the teachers strongly agreed with the statement that ‘If a teacher/lecturer decides to cover the meaning aspect of MWV systematically the best strategy is probably to concentrate on the particle’. 40% agreed and 10% are not sure/don’t know.
Since particle(s) have meanings to contribute to the whole verbal constructions, the proposed strategy is welcomed by the majority of the teachers.

Statement ‘f’ received the following feedback:
All the 50 teachers are against the grouping of IEX together and teaching them together simply because of some words they have in common: 74% of them strongly disagreed while the rest (26%) disagreed.

Statement ‘g’ : All the respondents strongly agreed to treat idioms (IEX) as unusually long words and teach them as one would teach any new word: that is, as they occur in a meaningful context.

Statement ‘h’ : This statement, which focused on the affective domain (motivation) as well as materials (vocabulary enhancement activities), was strongly recommended by all the informants.

Statement ‘i’ : This statement concerned with the role of the learner in the learning process: the active engagement and participation in solving problems, carrying out tasks etc. All the informants strongly agreed with the positive and active involvement of the learner in contrast with the passive memorization of lists of lexical units, grammatical patterns etc.

TABLE – 27
(STATEMENTS e, f, g, h and i)
TQNN: Q.16.II CLASSROOM METHODOLOGY, TECHNIQUES / PROCEDURES

Statements	SDAG		DAG		NS/DK		AG		SAG
a. If a teacher/lecturer decides to cover the meaning aspect of MWV systematically the best strategy is probably to concentrate on the particle	0	0%		0%	5	10%	20	40%	25	50%
b. Grouping idioms together, and teaching them together simply because of some words they have in common (e.g. let the cat out of the bag, rain cats and dogs; lead a dog’s life etc) are taught together.	37	74%	13	26%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
c. Treating idioms as unusually long words and to teach them as one would teach any new word: that is, as they occur in a meaningful context.	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	50	100%
d. IEX & MWV are some of those areas of language where a well motivated learner can make giant strides on his own if he is given the right kind of material(s) to work on (including vocabulary development exercises)	0	0%	0	0%	0	18%	0	0%	50	100%
e. In learning/teaching of IEX & MWV the active involvement in the learning process can be of much greater benefit to the student than simple memorization	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	50	100%

KEY:
SDAG = Strongly Disagree            DAG = Disagree                       NS/DK = Not sure/Don’t Know
AG = Agree                             TR = Total Responses                    SAG = Strongly Agree

Q.17    On the Introduction (Inclusion) of a course on Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs in English language syllabus in Sudan universities.
            In this question, the teachers are asked directly and explicitly whether they are for introducing/including a separate course on idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in the English syllabus, in Sudan universities or they are for integrating them as component(s) in the existing courses.

TABLE – 28
TQNN: Q.17 THE INCLUSION (INTRODUCTION) OF A COURSE ON IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD VEBS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
SYLLABUS IN SUDAN UNIVERSITIES

OPTIONS	TOTAL RESPONSES	PERCENTAGE
Yes	40 / 50	80%
No	10* / 50	20%

* 10 Should be integrated in other courses.

Table 28 provides the teachers’ answers to the question: whether to include, in the English syllabus at the university level, a separate course on idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs or to integrate these two multi-word lexical items with the other vocabulary components in the existing courses.

            80% of the respondents are for introducing a separate explicit course on those 2 lexical units while the remaining (20%) are for the integration of these lexical items in the present vocabulary courses besides the other components.

            This is a clear indication of the awareness of the majority of the teachers of special nature of IEX/MWV which requires particular treatment and a lot of concern and attention. Thus, we can conclude that the respondents favour an explicit taught course on this difficult and interesting vocabulary area.

THE ANNEXED (ATTACHED) SECTION OF THE TEACHERS QUESTIONNAIRE

On personal, professional and academic information about teachers.

            After posing the questions relating directly/of direct relevance to the problems and difficulties of teaching/learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs of English, an attached section is provided where teachers are requested to furnish information regarding:

            designation (name (optional), faculty/university where they teach) and
qualification/education and teaching experience.

            The variables, of course, have their influence/impact on the teaching /learning
process.

TABLE – 29
(TQNN: LAST SECTION) PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC INFORMATION
ABOUT THE TEACHERS: ON DESIGNATION, ACADEMIC AND
TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Variables

Answers given by the Respondents

No. of Respondents out of 50

Percentage

Faculty / School

Education

Arts

Others

64%

36%

00%

University

Khartoum

Elneelain

Islamic University of

Omdurmam

Sudan University for Science & Technology

University of Jezeera

Juba University

Gedarif University

Others

24%

12%

14%

16%

08%

10%

08%

Education /

Qualification

M.A

Ph.D

80%

20%

Teaching experience

Less than 5

Above 5

Above 10

20%

70%

10%

Table 29 provides information about the teachers who participated in this study in terms of designation (faculties/universities where they teach in), their education/qualification and teaching experience.

            It reveals that 32 out of the 50 teachers (64%) belong to the faculties of education while the remaining (36%) work in the arts faculties.

            It also maps out the distribution of the teachers over Sudan universities.

·        The University of Khartoum tops the list of the availability of teaching staff (in the Arts and Education faculties) with 12 members (24%).
·        The Sudan University for Science and Technology got the second rank with 8 (16%).
·        The Islamic University of Omdurmam occupied the third place 7 members (14%).
·        Elneelain University has 6 lecturers (12%) in the 4^th position.
·        And for the rest of the universities in Sudan they composed/formed 34% of the teachers’ population with approximately 4 to 5 members.

            From the above distribution, we can deduce that the English teachers who responded to this questionnaire represent the teaching staff working in Sudan Universities. The Khartoum University and Elneelain University in which the experiments of the present study (especially the students’ questionnaire, the pre-test, the explicitly taught course and the post-test) were conducted constituted 36% of the total number of the teaching staff of English at the tertiary level.

            Besides the above mentioned information, table 18 informs us about the teachers’ education/qualification. It shows that 40 of the 50 teachers *80%) have M.A. while the remaining (20%) are Ph.D. holders. This indicates that the informants of this study are qualified to teach/lecture at the university level.

            Moreover, the table states that the majority of the teachers (80% = 70% + 10%) have relatively long years of teaching experience (more than 5 years). Only 20% have les than 5 years teaching experience.

5.3.1.2            Summary

            The findings of the teachers’ questionnaire could be summarized as follows:

·        Regarding the status of vocabulary, in the English syllabus(es) used in Sudan Universities, the informants stated that it was not given the importance and concern it deserves. As a result, the position of the two vocabulary components (idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs) in these syllabuses is marginal.
·        The students are not familiar with the terms idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs thus they could not define them.
·        The learners are not aware of the importance and usefulness of these multi-word lexical elements.
·        The students avoid using idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in their speech and writing.
·        The teachers’ answers bear out that the subjects of this study have the following problems/difficulties while dealing with IEX/MWV:
-                     The use of the wrong particle and/or preposition with the verb : a collocation issue.
-                     Not being able to understand the MWV which are at the same IEX.
-                     Generally, problems arising from the special nature of MWV: their difficult structural patterns (e.g. with pronouns), their special stress patterns and so on.
·        The respondents’ answers confirmed the importance of IEX/MWV in everyday English use and for the foreign learner.
·        In respect of the obstacles facing the teaching of IEX/MWV, the teachers mentioned the following illustrations:
-                     Less attention is paid to these multi-word lexical items in the English syllabus they are dealing with.
-                     Scarcity/non-availability of the relevant materials on IEX/MWV.
-                     The students’ poor knowledge of the skills of guessing the meaning from context.
-                     The learners’ faulty perception of IEX/MWV.
·        The respondents’ responses reveal that their students can understand IEX/MWV if they are presented in meaningful contexts.
·        The teachers claimed that their learners confused IEX with proverbs and colloquial English. They have definition/perception problems.
·        Regarding the classroom methodology, the informants supported the teaching of IEX/MWV as new items and try to encourage learners to guess their meaning from situation and context.
·        The teachers agreed with the statements mentioning the usefulness and importance of these multi-word lexical items.
·        They recommended the suggested role of the learner as an active participant in the learning/teaching process.
·        The majority of the respondents are for the introduction of ‘a separate explicit course on IEX and MWV’ in the present English language syllabus(es) in Sudan Universities.

5.3.2            STUDENTS’ QUESTIONAIRE

5.3.2.1 A Detailed Analysis

Q.1      On the Names of the students

            In this question, the students are asked to write their names so as to enable the researcher for the identification of the subjects of the study in the different stages of the research: the experiments: pre and post-test, the taught course, etc.

Q.2      On the Age(s) of the students

            Putting in consideration the importance of age as a crucial factor in any learning process, the students are required to furnish information about this variable. The informants have to provide the number of years. However, since the learners in this study are at the university level they are adult whose age range is between (22-25) years.

Q.3      On the Sex of the Students

            The informants are required to indicate whether they are males or females.

TABLE – 30
SQNN: Q3 THE SEX (FEMALE/MALE) OF THE STUDENTS

NUMBER OF STUDENTS	FEMALE	%	MALE	%
100	52	52%	48	48%

            From Table-30 above, we can infer that the sample is gender-representative: approximately half of the subjects are female (52%) and 48% are male.

Q.4      On the Religion(s) of the students

            In this research, (whose topic is teaching and learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs) this variable plays a main role since these two language items treated, here, are relevant to culture, beliefs, tradition(s)…. For instance, it is well known fact that the Bible and Quran as well as other faiths’ texts are major sources of idiomatic expressions. For further information and clarification about the relation between this variable and idiomatic expressions the reader is referred to chapter 4 of this study: under the sub-section heading: definition of idiomatic expressions.

TABLE – 31
SQNN: Q.4 THE RELIGION(S) OF THE STUDENTS

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS	RELIGION	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	%
100	- Islam	100	100%
	- Christian	0	0
	- Others	0	0

Table-31 reveals the 100 subjects of this study are muslims.

Q.5 Marital status

The students are asked to indicate whether they are married or single (unmarried). This variable of course has some relation with learning process since personal circumstances, family commitment, child care…etc might influence indirectly learning activities, tasks, homeworks….

TABLE – 32
SQNN: Q.5 THE MARITAL STATUS OF THE STUDENTS

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS	MARRIED	%	UNMARRIED	%
100	5	5%	95	95%

Table-32 shows that only 5% of the students are married. These five are female: none of the male students, in this study got married.

Q.6      On the States of Origins and place of birth of the students:
            State(s) of domicile and place of birth

            Bearing in mind that it is essential to indicate/show and make sure that the students of this study are representative of the population, the students are asked to mention their states of domicile and their birth places.

TABLE –33
SQNN: Q.6 THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SUBJECTS OF THE STUDY
OVER THE 26 STATES OF SUDAN

Sl.No.	State	No. of subjects
1		0
2		3
3		0
4		0
5		12
6		0
7		5
8		4
9		25
10		7
11		0
12		2
13		3
14		4
15		5
16		0
17		2
18		2
19		4
20		4
21		5
22		4
23		5
24		4
25		0
26		0
Total		100

Table 33 reflects the distribution of the subjects, participating in the present survey, over the different States of Sudan. The students are originated from 18 out of the 26 States which made up the country.

This is more or less normal representation of the population of the study if we exclude the ‘Southern States’ which have a few number of students in the sample due to some practical problems (War, etc).

TABLE – 34
SQNN: Q.6 THE BIRTH PLACE(S) OF THE STUDENTS

Sl. No.	Place	No. of subjects
1	Port Sudan	03
2	Wad Medani	12
3	Nyala	07
4	Kadugli	05
5	Khartoum	20
6	Sinja	03
7	Sennar	04
8	Al-obied	04
9	Al-fasher	04
10	Dongla	06
11	Wau	02
12	Geneina	03
13	Al-fula	04
14	Gedarif	04
15	Kassala	05
16	Al-damar	05
17	Rabak	05
18	Al-damazin	04
Total		100

Table 34 displays the birthplaces of the subjects of this survey. 44% of the students were born in the centre of Sudan: 20% in Khartoum (the capital); 12% in Wad Medani; 5% in Rabak, 4% in Sennar; and 3% in Sinja. The rest (56%) descended from the other towns/cities.

            The middle of Sudan is always described as the accumulation of the different tribes and races. Therefore, we can conclude that the subjects of this study are the typical Sudanese characters.

Q.7            Nationality

            Since the whole study conducted in the context of Sudan, information about the subjects nationality is necessary. The research addressed the problems and difficulties of the Sudanese learners. However, the questionnaire reveals that all the (students) subjects enrolled at the time of the study are Sudanese.

TABLE – 35
SQNN: Q.7 THE NATIONALITY OF THE STUDENTS

TOTAL NO. OF STUDENTS	NATIONALITY	NUMBER	%
100	Sudanese	100	100%
	Others	0	0%

Table 35 states that all the subjects in this study are Sudanese.

Q.8      On the parents’ education and occupation

            To have an idea about the social and economic status of the students of our study they are asked to furnish information about their parents’ education and occupation.
Again, this variable is relevant to any learning process: individual differences based on the different circumstances, (different) backgrounds, exposure to learning/teaching facilities etc.

a.            Father’s education

            Father’s occupation

TABLE – 36
SQNN: Q.8a THE FATHER’S EDUCATION

TOTAL NO. OF STUDENTS	FATHER EDUCATION LEVEL	NUMBER	%
100	- illiterate	4	4%
	- read and write only	5	5%
	- primary / basic education	25	25%
	- Secondary certificate	37	37%
	- Graduation	20	20%
	- Master degree	7	7%
	- Ph.D	2	2%

Table 36 exhibits that only 4% of the fathers of the subjects are illiterate. 67% received education that varies from primary (basic) education to secondary level; 20% are graduate; 7% have post-graduate degrees and 2% are Ph.D. holders.

This shows that the qualification/education of the students’ fathers is satisfactory.

TABLE – 37
SQNN: Q.8a THE FATHER’S OCCUPATION

TOTAL NO. OF STUDENTS	OCCUPATION	NUMBER	%
100	- Farmer	13	13%
	- Merchant	12	12%
	- Free worker	11	11%
	- Labour	07	07%
	- Govt. employees (clerk etc.)	20	20%
	- Teacher	10	10%
	- Police & Army force	02	02%
	- Medical Field	08	08%
	- University lecturers	09	09%
	- Others	08	08%

Table 37 informs us about the occupation(s) of the subjects’ fathers.

The distribution of these jobs is closely relevant to the education/qualification(s) mentioned in Table 36.

b. Mother’s education

Mother’s occupation

TABLE – 38
SQNN: Q.8b THE MOTHER’S EDUCATION

TOTAL NO. OF STUDENTS	MOTHER EDUCATION LEVEL	NUMBER	%
100	- illiterate	08	08%
	- read and write only	12	12%
	- primary / basic education	36	36%
	- Secondary certificate	30	30%
	- Graduation	11	11%
	- Master degree	02	02%
	- Ph.D	01	01%

Table 38 tells about the subjects’ mothers education/qualification.

8% are illiterate; 78% got education which ranges from basic (primary) education to secondary level; 11% are graduate; 2% have post-graduate degrees and 1% a Ph.D. holder. This indicates that the majority of students’ mothers, in this survey, received a reasonable standard of education.

TABLE – 39
SQNN: Q.8b THE MOTHER’S OCCUPATION

TOTAL NO. OF STUDENTS	OCCUPATION	NUMBER	%
100	- Housewife	50	50%
	- Medical field (nurse(s) etc)	03	03%
	- Free Worker	04	04%
	- Teacher	20	20%
	- Govt. employee	15	15%
	- University lecturer	03	03%
	- Others	05	05%

Table 39 summarizes the subjects’ mothers’ occupation(s).

Half of the mothers are housewives, 20% are teachers, and the remaining (30%) are working in different and various domains in the private sectors and the government.

Q.9 On the Mother tongue of the students

Considering the influence of L₁ on learning/teaching of L₂ the students’ mother tongue is shown in table 40 below.

TABLE – 40
SQNN: Q.9 THE MOTHER TONGUE OF THE STUDENTS

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS	MOTHER TONGUE	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	%
100	Arabic	100	100%
	Others	0	0%

Table 40 states that all the subjects in this survey have Arabic as their mother tongue.

Q.10 On the medium of instruction at school

Bearing in mind the past (language) experience of the learners: background, exposure to the target language etc., this question indicates the medium of instruction at school.

TABLE – 41
SQNN: Q.10 THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION (AT SCHOOL)

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS	MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	%
100	Arabic	100	100%
	Others	0	0%

Table 41 shows that all the learners in this survey did their schooling through the medium of Arabic.

Q.11 On the other languages known by the students

Considering that the knowledge of other languages has influence on the ability, attitude, assumptions about languages and language learning, etc., as well as transfer, interference, development, the participants are asked to mention the other languages they know besides their mother tongue and English.

TABLE – 42
SQNN: Q.11 THE OTHER LANGUAGES KNOWN BY THE STUDENTS

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS	OTHER LANGUAGES KNOWN	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	%
100	French	5	5%
	Germany	0	0%
	Others	0	0%

Table 42 reveals that only 5% of the subjects known French {as other language(s) than their L₁ and English}.

Q.12 Faculty / school of study

For designation purpose(s) and further information about the curriculum, materials, etc to which the students were exposed, the subjects are required to indicate whether they belong to the education or arts colleges.

TABLE – 43
SQNN: Q.12 THE SCHOOL/FACULTY WHERE THE STUDENT STUDY

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS	SCHOOL/FACULTY OF STUDY	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	%
100	Education	36	36%
	Arts	64	64%

Table 43 distinguishes between the 100 subjects of the study in respect of the faculty in which they are studying. 36% belong to the education faculty and 64% to the arts.

Q.13 Programme of study

This is a complementary question to the previous one: It sought to indicate / show the programmes of the study of the students: Whether it is B.A & ED or BA.

TABLE – 44
SQNN: Q.13 THE PROGRAMME OF STUDY OF THE STUDENTS

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS

PROGRAMME OF

STUDY

NUMBER OF STUDENTS

100

B.A. & ED (Bachelor of arts and Education)

36%

B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)

64%

Table-44 indicates that 36% of the subjects are doing ‘Bachelor of Arts and Education’ while the rest (64%) are pursuing ‘Bachelor of Arts’ programme.

Q.14 On the Subject of Study

Since some of the students might take English as a major specialization while others might study it as a minor field, the respondents were asked to provide this information which is related to their perception of the subject, motivation, time devoted to using it…. However, the students, in this survey, are taking English as a major field.

TABLE – 45
SQNN: Q.14 THE SUBJECT OF STUDY OF THE STUDENTS: MAJOR OR MINOR

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS

THE SUBJECT OF

STUDY

NUMBER OF STUDENTS

100

English as a major field

100

100%

English as a minor field

Table 45 specifies the subject of study of the students: English as a major/minor field.
It mentions that all the subjects in this survey take up English as a major subject of their study.

Q.15 On the Years of Study of English before University

As a continuation of the students’ background profile, the present question wants to know the years of the study of English before university level. The dominant pattern and number of years (6: 3/3) as well as a room for other options is given. See table 46 which reveals that all the students in this survey studied English for 6 years before university.

TABLE – 46
SQNN: Q.15 THE YEARS OF STUDY ENGLISH BEFORE UNIVERISTY

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS

NUMBER OF

YEARS

NUMBER OF STUDENTS

100

6 years

100

100%

Others

Table 46 exhibits that all the learners in this survey studied English for 6 years before joining university.

Q.16    On the students’ attitude towards multi-word verbs: Preference of multi-word verbs or single-word verbs.

            This is an indirect question among to detect whether the subjects prefer to use multi-word verbs or single-word equivalents. They are asked to choose between twp options provided against each sentence. The verbs are alternated and mixed so as to avoid mechanical or random ticking.

            By conducting this task, we can infer the students’ mastery and attitude towards multi-word verbs. However, this task consists of seven sentences and the verbal combinations focused on, here, (i.e. in this question) are two-word verbs.

TABLE – 47
SQNN: Q.16 THE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS MULTI-WORD VERBS:
PREFERENCE OF (USING) MULTI-WORD VERBS OR SINGLE-WORD VERBS

FORMS CHOSEN
Sentences		No. of % Selectors			No. of % Selectors
Suharto _______ in May 1998	stepped down	5	5%	resigned	95	95%
For three days the wind blew hard and strong, but on the 4^th day it….	diminished	95	95%	died down	5	5%
Please…. I’d like to ask a question before you continue your lecture.	pause	94	94%	hold on	6	6%
Fifty states, including Alaska and Hawli, …….. the United States	make up	6	6%	form	94	94%
After I spent two hours trying to explain the difficult idea, John finally…	caught on	5	5%	understood	95	95%
His physical health was so poor that he had to… smoking and drinking.	stop	90	90%	give up	10	10%
When are you going to……. the solution to the problems	find out	8	8%	discover	92	92%

Table 47 summarizes the students’ attitude(s) towards MWV: preference of MWV or single-word verbs (SWV).

Note that the verbs (whether they are MWV or SWV) are presented in this table as they appeared in the students’ questionnaire. However, a modification of this table (in order to facilitate the comparison and the calculation) is provided (see table 48) by putting all the single-word verbs together in one column and all the multi-word verbs in a different one.

TABLE – 48
SQNN: Q.16 CLARIFICATION / REARRANGEMENT OF THE VERBAL
COMBINATIONS PROVIDED IN TABLE-47

Sentences No.	Single-Word Verbs	No. of students out of 100	%	Multi-Word Verbs	No. of students out of 100	%
1	resigned	95	95%	stepped down	5	5%
2	diminished	95	95%	died down	5	5%
3	pause	94	94%	hold on	6	6%
4	form	94	94%	make up	6	6%
5	understood	95	95%	caught on	5	5%
6	stop	90	90%	give up	10	10%
7	discover	92	92%	find out	8	8%
Total Numbers and percentages		655	93.57%		45	6.43%

Table 48 clarifies the students’ reaction / attitude towards multi-word verbal combinations.

(This table is a modified version of the previous table (47): There is rearrangement of the distribution of single-word verbs and multi-word verbs against each sentence.

In this table, the verbs were rearranged by bringing together all the SWV on one column (the right one) and putting all the MWV on another column (the left one).

This is done to easify the comparison and the calculation of the subjects’ responses.
However, the findings are as below:

The total expected answers: (7 Q x 100 ss)                                  =            700
No. of students opting for MWV                                      =            45 (6.43%)
No. of students opting for SWV                                       =            655 (93.57%)

            Therefore, from the statistics above, the general attitude of the majority of the subjects is for using SWV rather than MWV.

Q.17    On the Students’ ability to substitute a multi-word verb with a single word verb.

            In this task, which aims at testing the students ability to substitute multi-word verbs with single-word equivalents, the students are asked to provide, form their own stock of words, the equivalent substitutes: no options are given here.

Note that the verbal combinations centered on here are three-word verbs (verb + particle + preposition) since it is thought that they are more complex and difficult than two-word verbs.

Sentences	Correct Substitution	%	Wrong Substitution	%
They can’t put up with the increasing of prices	15		85
I have been working so hard that I’m looking forward to a nice, relaxing vacation.	13		87
You can look up to a teacher who really wants to help you and always does his or her best.	18		82
To loose weight, you have to cut down on sugar and other sweet things	16		84
Total	62	15.5%	338	84.5%

Table 49 reflects the students’ ability (or lack of it) to substitute a MWV with a SWV.
The statistics shows that the learners have problem(s) in carrying out this task as indicated below:

Total number of possible answers                                    =                      400
No. of correct substitutions                                          =                      62 (15.5%)
No. of wrong substitutions                                          =                      338 (84.5%)

Q.18    On the difficulty / case of understanding and substituting a multi-word verb with a single-word one.

            This question is closely related to the previous one: (Q.17). The respondents are required to indicate whether they found (or not) any difficulty in understanding and substituting the verbal combinations provided in question 17. A scale of three options (Yes, No, and More or less) is given.

TABLE – 50
SQNN: Q.18 THE DIFFICULTY / EASE OF UNDERSTANDING AND
SUBSTITUTING A MULTI-WORD VERB WITH A SINGLE-WORD VERB

Alternatives	No. of Respondents out of 100	Percentage
Yes	75	75%
No	15	15%
More or less	10	10%

Table 50 provides the students’ views on the ease/difficulty of the task of understanding and substituting a MWV for SWV.

The respondents’ answers confirmed the statistics provided in the previous question (Q.17).

75% of the subjects confessed that they found difficulty in understanding and substituting the given verbal constructions in Q.17.

15% claimed that the task was easy for them while the rest (10%) mentioned that they encountered relative (moderate) difficulty in comprehending and substituting those multi-word verbs.

Q.19 On the students’ ability to use and understand idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in different and various settings and situations.

In this question, the students are asked whether they use and understand the idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs they encounter when they have opportunities to talk with English speakers or to listen to, or read material in English (such as books, movies, television, etc.)

Three options are given: (Yes, No, and to Some extent) and the informants have to choose from them.

TABLE – 51
SQNN: Q.19 THE STUDENTS’ ABILITY/INABILITY TO USE AND
UNDERSTAND IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND MULTI-WORD
VERBS IN DIFFERENT AND VARIOUS SETTINGS AND SITUATIONS

Alternatives	No. of Respondents out of 100	Percentage
Yes	10	10%
No	75	75%
To some extent	15	15%

Table-51 highlights the students’ ability ( or inability) to use and understand the idiomatic expressions and the multi-word verbs they encounter when they have opportunities to talk with English speakers or listen to, or read material in English.
The informants responded as follows:
10% of the students claimed that they were able to use and understand these multi-word lexical items in speech and in writing in different and various situations and settings. 75% of the subjects said that they did not have this ability. 15% of them indicated that they possessed limited mastery in using and comprehending MWV and IEX.

Q.20    On the Students’ preference of using an English expression (a certain English expression) rather than others.

            In an attempt to measure the students’ competence (mastery of) and detect their sensitivity (i.e. fine distinction) towards idiomatic expressions, they are asked to opt for one or more of the realizations of the same speech act – here, when they are being introduced to another person.

            The options provided are:
   How do you do?
   Nice to meet you.
   Glad to meet you.
   Pleased to meet you.
            Since it is often claimed that the first alternative is more idiomatic, natural and frequent than the other three, those who went for it might be described as having mastery over this language component: idiomaticity.

TABLE – 52
SQNN: Q.20 THE STUDENTS’ JPREFERENCE OF USING AN ENGLISH
EXPRESSION RATHER THAN OTHERS

Expressions	No. of Selectors out of 100	Percentage
How do you do?	10	10%
Nice to meet you.	30	30%
Glad to meet you	30	30%
Pleased to meet you	30	30%

Table 52 points out the students’ preference of an English expression rather than others. From the list of the 4 functional and natural expressions, provided in this question, the respondents’ selections are as follows:

10% opted for ‘How do you do?’ The remaining expressions (‘Nice to meet you’, ‘glad to meet you, and ‘pleased to meet you’) received 30% each. Thus, the expression ‘How do you do’ ranked 2^nd (last, here) among the subjects’ choices while the other 3 expressions shared the 1^st rank. This is contrary to the order of preference of the native speaker who would put ‘How do you do’ on the top of the list since it is the most idiomatic among the other alternatives. It is the most natural and potential realization of the act of greeting when somebody being introduced to others. The useful and often-used expression should top the list of the learners’ selection.

Q.21 On the availability of Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-Word Verbs in the Students; L₁ and their translatability into English.

Here, the participants are required to mention two of the very common idiomatic expressions in their mother tongue (Arabic) as well as two multi-word verbs and to translate them into English.

TABLE – 53
SQNN: Q.21 THE AVAILABILITY (OR NON) OF IEX & MWV IN THE
STUDENTS’ L₁ AND THEIR TRANSLATABILITY INTO ENGLISH

IEX/MWV Provided

Numbers of providers of correct responses out of 100

Percentage

a. idiomatic expressions in Arabic

……………………………………

Translation:

…………………………………

75%

*40%

b. Idiomatic Expression in Arabic

……………………………………

Translation:

…………………………………

75%

40%

c. Multi-Word Verb in Arabic

……………………………………

Translation:

…………………………………

d. Multi-Word Verb in Arabic

……………………………………

Translation:

…………………………………

*NB: The percentage on the translation task was calculated as follows:

_30_ X 100 = 40%     The basis is 75 because it is the number of ss who provided IEX
    75

Table 53 tells us about the availability (or lack) of IEX / MWV in the subjects’ L₁ (Arabic) and their translatability into English. The learners’ answers revealed the following:

            75 students out of the 100 (75%) succeeded in providing 2 IEX in Arabic but only 30 out of them i.e. out of the 75 (40%) were able to translate the provided expressions into English correctly.

            As for the MWV, none of the subjects were capable of supplying any of the required verbal constructions n their mother tongue (Arabic) and, of course, the subsequent task (translation) did not take place i.e., since the achievement of translation depends on the students’ provision of the MWV in L₁.

            From the students’ performance in this task, we might conclude that the subjects’ failure is due to the scarcity of MWV in their mother tongue thus they were not able to provide a couple of these verbal constructions.

As for the IEX, they are available in the Learners’ L₁ hence there is relative success in this matter: 75% of the subjects provided the required number of IEX but only 40% of them could translate them accurately. The difficulty in providing reliable translation might reside in the absence of the exact equivalents across the 2 languages (L₁ and target language) among other reasons.