A Study of Undergraduate Students' Comprehension Ability and Learning Attitudes toward English Idioms

大學生對英語慣用語理解能力及學習態度之研究

莊媖纓(Ying-Ying Chuang)

《長榮大學學報》 16卷2期 (2012/12) Pp. 17-33

https://doi.org/10.30115/JCJCU.201212.0002

摘要

本研究主旨於探究科技大學生對英語慣用語的學習，研究問題共有兩個方向：（1）學生對於不熟悉的英語慣用語，其理解能力為何？（2）學生對於學習英語慣用語的普遍態度及困難度為何？共有一百零七位科技大學應用外語系學生參與本研究，而研究設計是採量化與質化混合型之研究方法。研究結果發現，學生對慣用語在理解上，可由三點來證明其困難度：（1）學生在其標示為不熟悉慣用語題數中，其釋義的答錯率達52.2%；（2）學生在其不熟悉慣用語中，正確釋義的平均分數僅達到29.97（總分100）；（3）在所有題數中，學生在其標為熟悉慣用語中，仍有5%的題數是答錯的。多數學生對於學習英語慣用語皆表達正面態度及重視其必要性，高達 91.6%認為增加慣用語知識能提升其英語能力。在贊成應將慣用語教學融入學校英語課程的支持者中，65.4%主張在初級課程就要教，然而20.6%認為延至高階課程再教。在匯集自學生「邊想邊說」（think-aloud）的研究資料中，對於學生在理解慣用語的困難上，提供更深入的了解。就教師在英語課堂中提升慣用語教學應用，在結論中也提出建議。

關鍵字

英語慣用語 ； 學習態度 ； 學習英語為外國語

並列摘要

This study aims to examine undergraduate EFL learners' idiom interpretation ability in two aspects: how efficiently they can interpret the meaning of unfamiliar idiom, and their comprehending difficulties and learning attitudes toward idioms. 107 sophomores participated in the study, and the mix-method approach was used for the research design. The findings reveal that learners' comprehension efficiency and difficulties were evidenced by (a) their 52.2% wrong interpretation in the task items containing unfamiliar idioms, (b) they only achieved a mean score of 29.97 (out of 100) in their attempts at guessing reported as unfamiliar, and (c) their failure of recognizing the familiar idioms in 5.0% of the total number of the task items. Regarding learners' attitudes, the majority presented a positive attitude toward idiom learning and valued its necessity: 91.6% thought their idiom knowledge should be enhanced in order to improve their proficiency. Among the advocates who stood for integrating idiom teaching into school EFL courses, 65.4% claimed idioms should be taught at the beginning level, while 20.6% argued to wait until advanced level. Data of the think-aloud task (TA) provides an insight into the learners' difficulties of idiom comprehension. Some pedagogical implications for classroom teachers to improve idiom teaching in EFL situations are included.

並列關鍵字

Idioms ； Learning Attitude ； English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

參考文獻

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