EXPLORING MOROCCAN EFL STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF FORMULAIC LANGUAGE EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION: INSIGHTS INTO ENGAGEMENT, RETENTION, AND PEDAGOGICAL IMPACT

Hassan El Garras, Abdallah Ghaicha, Youssef Oufela

Abstract


The present paper reports on a quantitative study that explored Moroccan EFL high school students’ attitudes and perceptions of explicit vocabulary instruction of formulaic language (FcL). A survey with 12 closed-ended items was sent to 51 students via Google Forms. The aim of the survey was to elicit the students’ perceptions of explicit instruction, vocabulary retention, language proficiency, motivation, and engagement. The overall findings revealed that the participants have positive perceptions of explicit instruction and explained that the treatment increased their vocabulary repertoire and language proficiency. This study offers comprehensive results of EFL learners’ perceptions of the explicit instruction of FcL and its effects on their language development, motivation, and engagement. These findings can yield important insights for better and more effective teaching practices in EFL contexts. 

تتناول هذه الورقة دراسة كمية استكشفت مواقف وتصورات طلاب المدارس الثانوية المغربية من دارسي اللغة الإنجليزية كلغة أجنبية تجاه التدريس الصريح للمفردات الاصطلاحية. تم إرسال استبيان يحتوي على 12 سؤال مغلق إلى 51 طالبًا عبر برنامج جوجل فورم. كان الهدف من هذا الاستبيان هو استقصاء تصورات الطلاب بشأن التدريس الصريح، وتثبيت المفردات، والكفاءة اللغوية، والتحفيز، والمشاركة. أظهرت النتائج العامة أن المشاركين لديهم تصورات إيجابية حول التدريس الصريح، وأفادوا بأن هذا النهج ساعدهم على توسيع مفرداتهم وتحسين كفاءتهم اللغوية. تقدم هذه الدراسة نتائج شاملة حول تصورات متعلمي اللغة الإنجليزية كلغة أجنبية بشأن التدريس الصريح للعبارات الاصطلاحية وتأثيره على تطورهم اللغوي، وتحفيزهم، ومشاركتهم. ويمكن أن تسهم هذه النتائج في تقديم رؤى قيّمة نحو ممارسات تدريسية أكثر فاعلية في سياقات تعليم اللغة الإنجليزية كلغة أجنبية.


Keywords


vocabulary retention, motivation, formulaic language, explicit instruction, EFL / تثبيت المفردات، التحفيز، اللغة الاصطلاحية، التدريس الصريح، اللغة الإنجليزية كلغة أجنبية

Full Text:

PDF

References


Alali, F. A., & Schmitt, N. (2012). Teaching formulaic sequences: The same as or different from teaching single words? TESOL Journal, 3(2), 153–180. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.13

Al Hassan, L., & Wood, D. (2015). The effectiveness of focused instruction of formulaic sequence augmenting L2 learners’ academic writing skills: A quantitative research study. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 17, 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2015.02.001

Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Explicit instruction: Effective and efficient teaching. New York, NY: The Guilford Press. Retrieved from https://explicitinstruction.org/

Boers, F., & Lindstromberg, S. (2012). Experimental and intervention studies formulaic sequences in a second language. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. 32, 83−110. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190512000050

Bonney, C.R.; Cortina, K.S.; Smith-Darden, J.P. & Fiori, K. L. (2008). Understanding strategies in foreign language learning: Are integrative and intrinsic motives distinct predictors? Learning and Individual Differences, 18(1), 1-10. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2007.11.005

Bybee, J. (2002). Phonological evidence for exemplar storage of multiword sequences. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24, 215 - 221. Retrieved from https://www.unm.edu/~jbybee/downloads/Bybee2002PhonEvidenceExemplarStorage.pdf

Celce-Murcia, M. (2007). Rethinking the role of communicative competence in language teaching. In Intercultural language use and language learning (pp. 41-57). Springer, Dordrecht. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4020-5639-0_3

Conklin, K.; Schmitt, N. (2012). The processing of formulaic language. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 32, 45-61. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190512000074

Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational strategies in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667343

Durrant, P., & Schmitt, N. (2009). To what extent do native and non-native writers make use of collocations? International Review of Applied Linguistics, 47(1), 157– 177. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral.2009.007

El Garras, H., Ghaicha, A., & Yacoub, M. (2024). Unlocking Potential: Exploring the Impact of Free Voluntary Reading on Moroccan High School Students. Canadian Social Science, 20(2), 6-19. Retrieved from http://flr-journal.org/index.php/css/article/view/13312

EL Garras, H., El Hanafi, M., & Ait Hammou, H. (2025). Unveiling Moroccan EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of the Impact of Explicit Vocabulary Instruction. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 8(1), 66-74. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2025.8.1.9

Ellis, N. C. (2008). Usage-based and form-focused language acquisition: The associative learning of constructions, learned-attention, and the limited L2 end state. In P. Robinson & N. Ellis (Eds.), Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition (pp. 372–405). Routledge. Retrieved from https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/nickellis-new/wp-content/uploads/sites/1284/2021/07/15-robinson-chap15.pdf

Hill, J. (2000). Revising priorities: From grammatical failure to collocational success. In M. Lewis (Ed.), Teaching Collocation: Further Developments in the Lexical Approach (pp. 47–69). LTP.

Hiver, P., Al-Hoorie, A. H., Vitta, J. P., & Wu, J. (2021). Engagement in language learning: A systematic review of 20 years of research methods and definitions. Language Teaching Research. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13621688211001289

Hopkins, R. F., Lyle, K. B., Ralston, P. A., Bego, C. R., & Hieb, J. L. (2018, June). Board 121: Retrieval Practice and Spacing: Effects on Long-Term Learning among Engineering Precalculus Students. Paper presented at the 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Kremmel, B., Brunfaut, T., & Alderson, C. (2015). Exploring the role of phraseological knowledge in foreign language reading. Applied Linguistics, 38(6), 848–870. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amv070

Krashen, S. (1989). We acquire vocabulary and spelling by reading: Additional evidence for the Input Hypothesis. Modern Language Journal, 73, 440-464. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1989.tb05325.x

Laufer, B. (2006). Comparing focus on form and focus on forms in second-language vocabulary learning. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 63 (1), 49–166. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.63.1.149

Le-Thi, D., Rodgers, M. P. H., & Pellicer-Sánchez, A. (2017). Teaching Formulaic Sequences in an English- Language Class: The Effects of Explicit Instruction Versus Coursebook Instruction. TESL Canada Journal, 34(3). http://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v34i3.1276

Lewis, M. (1993). The lexical approach: The state of ELT and a way forward. Hove: Language Teaching Publications. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/document/634366350/Lewis-M-1993-The-Lexical-Approach

Lewis, M. (2008). Implementing the lexical approach. London: Heinle. Retrieved from https://www.mextesol.penamiller.com/static/public/files/b8d4d0274a213a4e27544809b0bd17f3.pdf

Long, M. (2015). Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching. Applied Linguistics, 37(3), 438–441, https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amv074

Long, M. H. (1991). Focus on form: A design feature in language teaching methodology. In K. d. Bot, R. Ginsberg & C. Kramsch (Eds.), Foreign language research in cross-cultural perspective (pp. 39-52). Benjamins.

Macis, M., & Schmitt, N. (2016). The figurative and polysemous nature of collocations and their place in ELT. ELT Journal, 71(1), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccw044

Martinez, M., & Murphy, V. (2011). Effect of Frequency and Idiomaticity on Second Language Reading Comprehension. TESOL Quarterly, 45 (2), 267-290. http://dx.doi.org/10.5054/tq.201 1.247708

Martinez, R., & Schmitt, N. (2012). Phrasal expressions list. Applied Linguistics, 33(3), 299–320. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/ams010

Martinez, R. (2011). Putting a test of multiword expressions to a test. Paper presented at the IATEFL Testing, Evaluation and Assessment Conference (TEA SIG), University of Innsbruck. Retrieved from https://www.uibk.ac.at/news/teasig2011/programme/ron-martinez.pdf

McCarthy, M. (1990). Vocabulary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Vocabulary.html?id=GrZVfD6kl6EC&redir_esc=y

Nation, I.S.P. (2013). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO978113952475

Nergis, A. (2021). Can explicit instruction of formulaic sequences enhance L2 oral fluency? Lingua, 103072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2021.103072

Pellicer-Sánchez, A. (2017). Learning L2 collocations incidentally from reading. Language Teaching Research, 21(3), 381–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168815618428

Pellicer‐Sánchez, A., & Boers, F. (2018). Pedagogical approaches to the teaching and learning of formulaic language. In A. Siyanova-Chanturia & A. Pellicer-Sánchez (Eds.), Understanding formulaic language: A second language acquisition perspective. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315206615-9

Peters, E. (2014). The effects of repetition and time of post-test administration on EFL learners’ form recall of single words and collocations. Language Teaching Research, 18(1), 75-94. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168813505384

Peters, E., & Pauwles, P. (2015). Learning academic formulaic sequences. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2015.04.002

Philp, J., & Duchesne, S. (2016). Exploring engagement in tasks in the language classroom. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 36, 50-72. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190515000094

Rafieyan, V. (2017). Effectiveness of ‘focus on form’ versus ‘focus on forms’ instruction on the development of knowledge of formulaic sequences. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 38, 45-55. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320826378_Effectiveness_of_'Focus_on_Form'_versus_'Focus_on_Forms'_Instruction_on_the_Development_of_Knowledge_of_Formulaic_Sequences

Rafieyan, V. (2018). Role of knowledge of formulaic sequences in language proficiency: significance and ideal method of instruction. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 3(9), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-018-0050-6

Ramezanali, N. (2017). Short and long-term vocabulary learning and retention through multimedia glossing: A mixed methods research [Doctoral dissertation, Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository]. Retrieved from https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4588

Schmidt, R. (1994). Implicit learning and the cognitive unconscious: of artificial grammars and SLA. In N. C. Ellis (Ed.), Implicit and Explicit Learning of Languages (pp. 165-209). Academic Press. Retrieved from https://nflrc.hawaii.edu/PDFs/SCHMIDT%20Implicit%20learning%20and%20the%20cognitive%20unconscious.pdf

Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching Vocabulary: A Vocabulary Research Manual. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230293977

Schmitt, N., & Carter, R. (2004). Formulaic Sequences in Action: An Introduction. In N. Schmitt (Ed.), Formulaic sequences: Acquisition, processing and use (pp. 1–22). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.9

Seffar, S. (2014). An exploratory study of vocabulary learning strategies of Moroccan university students. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 4, 38-45. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/11290473/An_Exploratory_Study_of_Vocabulary_Learning_Strategies_of_Moroccan_University_Students

Staehr, L. S. (2009). Vocabulary knowledge and advanced listening comprehension in English as a foreign language. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 31, 577–607. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-second-language-acquisition/article/abs/vocabulary-knowledge-and-advanced-listening-comprehension-in-english-as-a-foreign-language/876C52338E1998800443F38B64DD98AE

Susoy, Z., & Tanyer, S. (2019). The role of vocabulary vs. syntactic knowledge in L2 reading comprehension. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 5(1), 113–130. Retrieved from https://scispace.com/pdf/the-role-of-vocabulary-vs-syntactic-knowledge-in-l2-reading-21bfuj8nr3.pdf

Webb, S. A. (2007). The effects of repetition on vocabulary knowledge. Applied Linguistics, 28, 46-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/aml048

Wood, D. (2010). Perspectives on Formulaic Language. Acquisition and Communication. Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Perspectives_on_Formulaic_Language.html?id=ERsdCgAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

Wood, D. (2015). Fundamentals of Formulaic Language: An Introduction. Bloomsbury Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0022226717000081

Wray, M., & Lawson, M. J. (2018). Foreign language vocabulary learning using the keyword method: Strategy and meta-strategy knowledge. The Language Learning Journal, 46(5), 605-621. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2018.1503138

Youngblood, A. (2014). Understanding the Effect of Formulaic Language on ESL Teachers’ Perceptions of Advanced L2 Writing: An Application of Corpus-Identified Formulaic Language [Doctoral dissertation, Electronic Theses and Dissertations, University of Central Florida]. Retrieved from https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/4725




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v8i2.615

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The research works published in this journal are free to be accessed. They can be shared (copied and redistributed in any medium or format) and\or adapted (remixed, transformed, and built upon the material for any purpose, commercially and\or not commercially) under the following terms: attribution (appropriate credit must be given indicating original authors, research work name and publication name mentioning if changes were made) and without adding additional restrictions (without restricting others from doing anything the actual license permits). Authors retain the full copyright of their published research works and cannot revoke these freedoms as long as the license terms are followed.

Copyright © 2018-2026. European Journal of Applied Linguistics Studies (ISSN 2602 - 0254 / ISSN-L 2602 - 0254). All rights reserved.


This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library. All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and standards formulated by Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002), the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (2003) and Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (2003) and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyrights of the published research works are retained by authors.