A study of phrasal verb preference by Thai EFL learners

Name: Thongchai Boongtong

keyword: Phrasal verb

; Single verb

; Avoidance

; EFL learners

Abstract: Having been inspired by previous research on phrasal verb avoidance in Chinese learners of English (Liao and Fukuya, 2004), this study investigated Thai learners’ preference of English phrasal verbs, in comparison with the single verb counterparts. In addition, it examined if proficiency level affected the learners’ choices. Ten phrasal and single verb counterparts were adopted from Liao and Fukuya’s research (2004). The phrasal verb test sentences were largely similar to those of Liao and Fukuya’s while the single verbs were embedded in newly constructed contexts. Attempts were made to maintain degrees of informality across the phrasal and single verb contexts. In total, forty four test items (i.e. 10 phrasal verb targets, 10 single verb targets, and 24 filler sentences) were used to elicit the learners’ preference. Thirty Thai students of different proficiency levels, i.e. beginning (15), intermediate (8) and upper intermediate (7), participated. The study employed the acceptability judgment task, unlike that of Liao and Fukuya. The researcher asked the participants to rate their acceptability of the individual sentences on a five point scale (between -2 and +2). Data revealed different patterns for different proficiency groups. Firstly, the beginners preferred the phrasal verbs to the single verbs (0.7 vs. 0.4). Secondly, the intermediate learners preferred the single verbs to the phrasal verbs (0.4 vs. 0.6). Thirdly, the upper intermediate learners preferred both types equally (1.1 and 1.1). It can be concluded that across the groups the Thai learners favored phrasal verbs to a large extent, and proficiency affected phrasal verb preference only with the intermediate level. Unlike the lowest proficiency group in Liao and Fukuya’s study (2004) which preferred single verbs more than phrasal verbs, the beginning L2 learners in this study preferred phrasal verbs at a higher rate than they did the single verb counterparts. Thus, at an early stage of L2 acquisition, phrasal verbs could be a preference. The results may not lend support to the avoidance issue, as both the beginning and upper intermediate learners remarkably accepted phrasal verbs. The study, alternatively, suggests input, as another attributing factor

Thammasat University. Thammasat University Library

Address: BANGKOK

Email: preserv@tu.ac.th

Name: Pornsiri Singhapreecha

Role: advisor

Created: 2015

Modified: 2021-10-27

Issued: 2021-10-27

วิทยานิพนธ์/Thesis

application/pdf

DOI: 10.14457/TU.the.2015.1551

eng

DegreeName: Master of Arts

Level: Master's Degree

Descipline: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Grantor: Thammasat University

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