SLA Students’ Understanding of Idiomatic Expressions in English at a Costa Rican Public University
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47633/cc2ds988Keywords:
Colloquial language, educational reform, higher education, language barriers, second language instructionAbstract
This article examines students’ production of idiomatic expressions and some aspects of the training received. Idiomatic expressions teaching has received great attention in recent years; however, it has not been fully incorporated in the present context. This study involved 26 TESOL students enrolled in a BA in English or English Teaching at a Costa Rican public university. It used a quantitative, direct needs assessment design. The researcher collected data through a survey designed to elicit students’ opinions on this issue and a test to determine their ability to recognize English idiomatic expressions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Data analyses indicate that: 1) students’ ability to produce idiomatic expressions is low (X̄ = 4.31; SD = 2.64); 2) the more opaque the idiomatic expression compared to their native language, the more difficult it is for students to produce its equivalent in English; 3) students consider the instruction of idiomatic expressions very important (n = 16; 61.5%) or important (n = 9; 34.6%); and 4) the curriculum does not meet students’ needs in terms of idiomatic expression training. Finally, the findings suggest that explicit instruction may improve students’ understanding of idiomatic expressions.
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