Arab World English Journal (November 2018) DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/th.218 Theses ID 218 Pp. 1-60 Investigating Saudi EFL Learners’ Use and Teachers’ Perception of English Phrasal Verbs Eman Saud Rashid Al-Otaibi Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University Riyadh Saudi Arabia Author: Eman Saud Rashid Al-Otaibi Thesis Title: Investigating Saudi EFL Learners’ Use and Teachers’ Perception of English Phrasal Verbs Subject/major: Applied Linguistics Institution: Al Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, College of Languages and Translation, Department of English Language and Literature, KSA Degree: MA Year of award: 2015 Supervisor: Dr. Nasser Freahat Keywords: literal, non-literal, phrasal verbs, Saudi EFL students, teachers’ perception, textbooks Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the use and avoidance of English phrasal verbs by Saudi EFL learners and to examine teachers’ perception towards the teaching and inclusion of English phrasal verbs in the present textbooks. To find answers to the questions of the study, 102 EFL female students were tested through the use of multiple-choice test, which included literal and non-literal phrasal verbs. Moreover, a questionnaire was administered to 71 English teachers at intermediate schools, secondary schools, and preparatory year program at universities. The study’s results revealed the tendency of Saudi EFL students to avoid using phrasal verbs and exhibited the significant preference towards using its one-word counterparts. The questionnaire’s findings revealed teachers’ somewhat negative perception and awareness concerning the importance of teaching phrasal verbs. The results also exhibited teachers’ incomplete satisfaction with the current state of phrasal verbs content in textbooks, which suggests a further look at the scenario of English phrasal verbs in the current English textbooks. Cite as: Al-Otaibi, E.S.R. (2015). Investigating Saudi EFL Learners’ Use and Teachers’ Perception of English Phrasal Verbs. Al Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, College of Languages and Translation, Department of English Language and Literature, KSA (Master Thesis). Retrieved from Arab World English Journal (ID Number: 218. November 2018, 1-60. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/th.218 Arab World English Journal ISSN: 2229-9327 www.awej.org Running Head: INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Higher Education Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University College of Languages and Translation Department of English Language and Literature Investigating Saudi EFL Learners’ Use and Teachers’ Perception of English Phrasal Verbs By Eman Saud Rashid Al-Otaibi Supervised by Dr. Nasser Freahat A Thesis Submitted to the Department of English language & Literature of the College of Languages and Translation in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts in Linguistics Rabi Al-Awwal, 1437 - December, 2015 Riyadh - Saudi Arabia 1 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Investigating Saudi EFL Learners’ Use and Teachers’ Perception of English Phrasal Verbs By Eman Saud Rashid Al-Otaibi A Thesis submitted to the Department of English Language and Literature of the College of Languages and Translation in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts in Linguistics Approved by Thesis Committee : __________________________________ Dr. Nasser Freahat, Advisor __________________________________ Dr. Oraib Faoury, Committee Member __________________________________ Dr. Omar Naim, Committee Member Rabi Al-Awwal , 1437 - December, 2015 Riyadh – Saudi Arabia 2 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Acknowledgments First and Foremost, above all, my utmost gratitude is to Allah for giving me the strength and for answering my prayers throughout this journey of pursuing my Master’s degree. My deep gratitude and appreciation go to my advisor, Dr. Nasser Freahat, who expertly guided me throughout the work on this thesis. I am greatly thankful to the constructive comments and the invaluable suggestions that he provided me with despite the hectic schedule and the numerous responsibilities. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Oraib Faoury and Dr. Omar Nai’im for serving as committee members and for allocating time to read and comment on my thesis. I would also like to extend my sincerest thanks to the supervisors, Maha Al Shahrani, Amaal Al Mohawas, Ola Al Mudeihem, and Teacher Maria Al Harbi for helping me in sending the questionnaire online to teachers. Finally, I cannot express my gratitude enough for my parents, Saud Rashid and Naha Ayed, for all their unconditional love and support which made me who I am. I must also thank my siblings for the genuine support I have received from them. 3 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the use and avoidance of English phrasal verbs by Saudi EFL learners and to examine teachers’ perception towards the teaching and inclusion of English phrasal verbs in the present textbooks. To find answers to the questions of the study, 102 EFL female students were tested through the use of multiple-choice test, which included literal and non-literal phrasal verbs. Moreover, a questionnaire was administered to 71 English teachers at intermediate schools, secondary schools, and preparatory year program at universities. The study’s results revealed the tendency of Saudi EFL students to avoid using phrasal verbs and exhibited the significant preference towards using its one-word counterparts. The questionnaire’s findings revealed teachers’ somewhat negative perception and awareness concerning the importance of teaching phrasal verbs. The results also exhibited teachers’ incomplete satisfaction with the current state of phrasal verbs content in textbooks, which suggests a further look at the scenario of English phrasal verbs in the current English textbooks. Key words: Phrasal verbs, Saudi EFL students, teachers’ perception, literal, non-literal, textbooks. 4 ‫‪5‬‬ ‫‪INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS‬‬ ‫الملخص‬ ‫هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى دراسة تجنب استخدام األفعال اإلنجليزية المركبة من قبل الطالبات السعوديات‬ ‫للغة االنجليزية كلغة اجنبية ودراسة وجهة نظر المعلمين و المعلمات نحو تدريس و محتوى األفعال المركبة في‬ ‫الكتب الدراسية‪ .‬و في سبيل العثور على إجابات ألسئلة هذه الدراسة‪ ،‬تم اختبار مائة و اثنتا طالبة يدرسن اللغة‬ ‫االنجليزية كلغة اجنبية باستخدام الخيار المتعدد والذي احتوى على األفعال المركبة و نظيرتها األفعال المكونة من‬ ‫كلمة واحدة‪ .‬باإلضافة إلى ذلك‪ ،‬أعطي استبيان لواحد و سبعين معلم ومعلمة للغة اإلنجليزية لكل من المرحلة‬ ‫المتوسطة و المرحلة الثانوية ولبرنامج السنة التحضيرية في الجامعات‪ .‬وكشفت نتائج الدراسة عن ميل الطالبات‬ ‫السعوديات الى تجنب استخدام األفعال المركبة وأظهرت تفضيلا كبيرا ا نحو استخدام األفعال المكونة من كلمة‬ ‫واحدة‪ .‬و قد أظهرت نتائج االستبيان عن نظرة المعلمين و المعلمات العامة السلبية فيما يتعلق بأهمية ومكانة‬ ‫األفعال االنجليزية المركبة في اللغة‪ .‬وكشفت نتائج االستبيان ايضا عن الرضى الغير التام للمعلمين و المعلمات‬ ‫اتجاه الوضع الحالي لمحتوى األفعال المركبة في الكتب الدراسية وعلية فانه يقترح النظر بعمق الى سيناريو‬ ‫األفعال االنجليزية المركبة في الكتب الدراسية الحالية‪.‬‬ INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Table of Contents Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................... 3 Abstract in English .....................................................................................................4 Abstract in Arabic ......................................................................................................5 Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………….6 List of Tables………………………………………………………………………...……….9 Chapter I: Introduction Background…………………………………………………………………...………….10 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................... 11 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................ 11 Research Questions ............................................................................................. 11 Significance of the Study ..................................................................................... 12 Definitions of Terms............................................................................................ 12 Limitations of the Study ...................................................................................... 13 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 13 Chapter II: Literature Review Introduction ......................................................................................................... 15 Phrasal Verbs ...................................................................................................... 15 Literal phrasal verbs. ....................................................................................... 16 Aspectual phrasal verbs. .................................................................................. 17 Idiomatic phrasal verbs. ................................................................................... 17 The “Avoidance” and “Underproduction” Phenomena ......................................... 18 6 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Studies on the Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs .......................................................... 21 Studies Focusing on the Textbooks and Teaching of Phrasal Verbs ..................... 23 Significance of Phrasal Verbs .............................................................................. 25 Contribution of this Study to the Literature .......................................................... 25 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 26 Chapter III: Methodology Participants ........................................................................................................... 27 Instruments and Study Design. ............................................................................ 27 Multiple-choice test. ........................................................................................ 28 Questionnaire. ................................................................................................. 28 Validity and Reliability of the Instruments ........................................................... 29 Validity ........................................................................................................... 29 Reliability. ....................................................................................................... 29 Procedures of the Study ....................................................................................... 30 Data analysis ....................................................................................................... 31 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 32 Chapter IV: Findings of the Study Findings Related to the First and Second Questions ............................................. 33 Findings related to the first question. ................................................................ 33 Findings related to the second question. ........................................................... 34 Findings Related to the Third and Fourth Questions ............................................ 35 Findings related to the third question. .............................................................. 35 7 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Findings related to the fourth question. ............................................................ 37 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 41 Chapter V: Discussion, Recommendations and Conclusion Discussion ........................................................................................................... 42 Suggestions for Further Research ........................................................................ 43 Recommendations Based on the Results .............................................................. 44 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 45 References ............................................................................................................... 46 Appendix A: Phrasal Verbs and One-Word Equivalents List ................................... 48 Appendix B: Demographic Questionnaire for Students ............................................ 49 Appendix C: Multiple-Choice Test for Students ...................................................... 50 Appendix D: Questionnaire ..................................................................................... 54 Appendix E: Instrument Validation Committee ....................................................... 57 Appendix F: The Raw Scores of the Multiple-Choice Test ...................................... 58 Appendix G: The Raw Scores of the Questionnaire ................................................. 59 8 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS List of Tables Table 1. Reliability Coefficient of the Whole Test ................................................... 30 Table 2. Reliability Coefficient of Each Part of the Questionnaire ............................ 30 Table 3. Interpretation of the Scale .......................................................................... 31 Table 4. Scores of Phrasal Verbs and One-Verb Counterparts .................................. 33 Table 5. Scores of Literal Phrasal Verbs and One-Verb Counterparts ....................... 34 Table 6. Scores of Non-Literal Phrasal Verbs and One-Verb Counterparts ............... 35 Table 7. Teachers’ Views Regarding Phrasal Verbs Content in the Textbooks ......... 36 Table 8. Teachers’ Answers to Teaching or Not Teaching Phrasal Verbs ................. 37 Table 9. Teachers’ Reasons for Teaching Phrasal Verbs .......................................... 38 Table 10. Teachers’ Reasons for Not Teaching Phrasal Verbs .................................. 40 Table 11. Phrasal verbs and One-Word Equivalents List. ......................................... 48 Table 12. Multiple-Choice Test's Scores .................................................................. 58 Table 13. Raw Scores of the Teachers’ Views Regarding Phrasal Verbs Content in the Textbooks ........................................................................................................... 59 Table 14. Raw Scores of Teachers' Responses for Teaching Phrasal Verbs .............. 60 Table 15. Raw Scores of Teachers' Responses for Not Teaching Phrasal Verbs ....... 60 9 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Chapter I Introduction Background English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Saudi Arabia are introduced to English at age ten. A big number of them attend private schools to be educationally introduced to the language at an earlier stage of their lives. EFL learners’ utmost aim is essentially to improve their communicative skills. However, their lack of certain linguistic structures and knowledge would cause unnatural communicative speech. Phrasal verbs is one of the English structures that pose great challenges among EFL learners despite the uncountable benefits emanating from proper use of them. English phrasal verbs are hugely frequent in everyday communication, especially in the informal register. Although, the common existence of phrasal verbs is in conversational English, but it does not mean the complete absence of this grammatical construction in formal written or verbal speech. Understanding the language will be difficult if EFL students are not quite familiar with the meanings of phrasal verbs. Moreover, using phrasal verbs properly by EFL learners will make them sound more natural, especially in informal conversation. Celce-Murcia & Larson-Freeman (1999) state that in the following words: Thus, most ESL/EFL students will find such verbs strange and difficult. Yet they are ubiquitous in English; no one can speak or understand English, at least the informal register, without a knowledge of phrasal verbs. Because they don’t realize this, some nonnative speakers of English have a tendency to overuse single lexical items where a phrasal verb would be much more appropriate (p. 425). An EFL learner who is not in association with the phrasal verb get up may tend to use the one-verb arise instead. Thus, producing a sentence such as they arose a bit late this morning will sound less appropriate to use in conversation than they got up a bit 10 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS late this morning. Accordingly, it is essential that EFL learners develop awareness of the meanings of phrasal verbs, which will help them to understand the context to which they might be found in. Statement of the Problem From the researcher’s experience as an English teacher, phrasal verbs are considered difficult to grasp for EFL learners. As a result, a majority of EFL learners usually use them wrongly or avoid them in general and therefore prefer one-word verbs. this could be attributed to a curriculum that does not cover learning phrasal verbs well. In addition, this could be attributed to teachers who do not think phrasal verbs are worth the investment of time in teaching them to students. Purpose of the Study The primary goal of this study is to assess the use and the level of knowledge of English phrasal verbs by EFL students in Saudi Arabia. The tendency to use oneverb equivalents to the phrasal verbs indicates learners’ avoidance of using phrasal verbs. Possible explanations and justifications are sought to understand why phrasal verbs pose remarkable difficulties to use by EFL learners. Effective and efficient teaching and learning of English are very crucial since the language is international. Therefore, EFL teachers are asked to provide their feedback regarding the state of phrasal verbs in the current textbooks. Moreover, teachers’ perception of teaching phrasal verbs are taken into account. Research Questions This study investigates the following research questions: 1. To what extent do Saudi female EFL students avoid English phrasal verbs? 2. Is there any difference in their level of use and avoidance of literal and non- literal phrasal verbs? 11 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 3. What are the perceptions of Saudi EFL teachers regarding the inclusion of phrasal verbs in textbooks? 4. What are the reasons of Saudi EFL teachers regarding teaching or not teaching phrasal verbs in English classes? Significance of the Study This study is vital as it helps identify and understand the reasons for minimal phrasal verbs usage and avoidance. After the identification of the cause factors, the education systems may be guided accordingly on how to familiarize the student with the phrasal verbs as well as eliminate the problem of avoidance, especially in oral communication. Lack of effective curriculum documents in the education systems is another major reason why the level of phrasal verbs avoidance is persistently high. The study also brings to light the teachers’ perspective regarding phrasal verbs in classrooms and textbooks. Definitions of Terms The key terms of the study are giving in the following definitions: Phrasal verb: a verb combined with an adverb or a preposition, or both, to produce a new meaning. Examples: call off, turn down, make up, etc. (Celce-Murcia & Freeman, 1999). Particle: An adverb or a preposition that can attach to a verb to make a phrasal verb. For example in ‘she tore up the letter’, the preposition ‘up’ is a particle here. (Celce-Murcia & Freeman, 1999). Literal phrasal verb: A combination of a verb and a preposition that keeps its prepositional meaning. Examples: fall down, stand up, come in, etc. (Celce-Murcia & Freeman, 1999). 12 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Aspectual phrasal verb: A combination of a verb and a particle which the meaning is not considered as literal, but not idiomatic either. Examples: run on, think over, mix up, etc. (Celce-Murcia & Freeman, 1999). Idiomatic phrasal verb: A combination of a verb and a particle to which the meaning of the whole is idiomatic and usually difficult to guess. Examples: run into, pass out, etc. (Celce-Murcia & Freeman, 1999). Limitations of the Study This study has reached its aim, however, the findings were restricted to a couple of factors. First, due to the time limit, the study was administered to a small number (102) of population who were female students attending English courses in their first semester at the preparatory year program at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and 71 EFL teachers. Therefore, to generalize the findings for larger groups, the study should have included more EFL students at different levels from different universities and more EFL teachers. Second, this study was only conducted to female students. Thus, to make a stronger connection of the findings of this study to the population at large an inclusion of male students is favorable. Conclusion Vocabulary education remains a major concern to the learners of English as a foreign language. English instructors and teachers frequently undervalue this problem of phrasal verbs avoidance. The learners do not only need to understand the phrasal verbs but they also need to use them to avoid sounding unnatural or pompous to the native speakers. This study’s major objective is to acknowledge that phrasal verbs are quite prevalent in everyday informal written and spoken language, hence making it extremely important for learners to use and teachers to pay extra attention to in English classes. 13 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Different motives behind the avoidance of phrasal verbs by learners as well as the suggestions to resolve this problem continue to be controversial. That will be tackled in depth in the next chapter, chapter II, that reviews different domains related to phrasal verbs. Chapter III describes the methodology used in the study; chapter IV addresses the data analysis and the results; and finally, chapter V explains the results of the study and provides suggestions for further research. 14 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Chapter II Literature Review Introduction The mastery of words that make up a language requires detailed knowledge of its accurate application for example, their grammatical constructions, meanings, registers, collocations, written and spoken forms. These elements define the condition of word knowledge. Phrasal verbs are one pattern of the English language that pose plenty of challenges to learners of English as a second language. In order to use a phrasal verb properly, a learner should understand its proper application. This section covers a host of major topics and studies in the area of linguistics regarding the use and the tendency to avoid phrasal verbs by EFL learners. It begins with the focus on phrasal verbs in English and their types and concludes with the contributions of this study to the existing literature. After the phrasal verbs introductory part, particular emphasis is made on avoidance and underproduction phenomena, followed by studies on avoidance of phrasal verbs. Phrasal Verbs A phrasal verb refers to the combination of a verb followed by a “morphologically invariable” particle, the two components function together as an isolated grammatical pattern both “lexically or syntactically”. Pointing up that “The meaning of the combination manifestly cannot be predicted from the meaning of the verb and particle in isolation” (Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech & Svartvik, 1985, p. 1150-1152). In similar fashion, Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman (1990) defined phrasal verbs as a structure that is composed of a verb and its following two or three parts, that can take the form of (a verb + adverb , a verb + a particle, or a verb + an adverb + a particle). This structure operates as an isolated standing alone verb. 15 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Most Germanic languages host the category of phrasal verbs in their linguistic systems like English and Dutch. On the other hand, the non-Germanic languages almost have no presence of phrasal verbs structure within their languages' organizations. The situation of almost nonexistence of this category in non-Germanic languages may give clarity for the difficulty always faced by the learners of the English language. Celce-Murcia & Larson-Freeman (1999) stated that “Phrasal verbs are not unique, but they are different enough from verbs in many languages of the world, and common enough in English, to pose a significant learning challenge” (p. 436). The collective combination of words to coexist as a functional unit is a core feature of a phrasal verb. However, The meaning of a phrasal verb can certainly be unpredictable given the fact that most of the phrasal verbs are idiomatic and noncompositional. In other words, a learner may understand the meaning of the verb and the particle separately but when the two are combined together, a completely new meaning is obtained. For instance, the terms “give” and “up” do not give sufficient indications to their meanings when actually combined as a phrasal verb unit. In other words, give up implies “to surrender” as in Jennifer gave up (Celce-Murcia & LarsenFreeman, 1999, p.425). Celce-Murcia & Freeman, (1999) identified three broad semantic categories of phrasal verbs as literal, aspectual, and idiomatic. The three categories are elaborated as follows: Literal phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs of this category manifest a completely compositional, comprehensible and straightforward meaning. That is, the prepositional meaning of the particle is preserved and for this reason, the phrasal verb retains its original meaning as a direct outcome of its semantic components. Therefore, the meaning can be easily guessed by knowing the meaning of the verb 16 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS and its followed particle. Some examples include fall down, stand up, sit down and climb up (Celce-Murcia & Freeman, 1999). Aspectual phrasal verbs. This category is also known as semi-transparent phrasal verbs. Aspectual phrasal verbs lack a transparent (literal) meaning. In addition, they do not bear any elements of idiomaticity. The verbs are composed of particles that justify the outcome of an action (often indicated by the verb) and add to it by strengthening it (Celce-Murcia & Freeman, 1999). Based on the semantic contribution of each particle, aspectual phrasal verbs can split into four distinct classes: ▪ Continuative (suggest the continuation of an action). For example: Her speech ran on and on. ▪ Iterative (the term “over” is combined with a number of activity verbs to suggest repetition. For example: He did it over and over again until he got it right. ▪ Inceptive (indicates the beginning of a particular situation). For example: John took off. ▪ Completive (utilizes particles such as down, off, out, up and so forth to show the completeness of an action). For example: He drank the milk up. (Celce-Murcia & Freeman, 1999). Idiomatic phrasal verbs. In this category, the phrasal verb bears an idiomatic meaning. The individual components of an idiomatic phrasal verb may have semantic components and for this reason, it may be difficult to understand the meaning of the verb when the separate meanings are combined. Good examples of this type include She ran up the bill and Don't let me down (Celce-Murcia and Freeman, 1999). 17 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS The “Avoidance” and “Underproduction” Phenomena Schachter (1974) brought to notice the avoidance phenomenon. In her study, she investigated the relative clauses (RCs) in the production of ESL learners that consistently opted to avoid. Her study featured the major fact that there is a need not to only study errors produced by L2 learners, but to investigate the non-errors to get onto the full understanding of learners' competence. She claimed that the avoidance phenomenon cannot be sufficiently justified via error analysis which was considered as a reliable predictor of learning difficulties, especially for ESL learners. In her analysis, Schachter drew attention to what second language learners often avoided consistently. She stated that “if a student finds a particular construction in the target language difficult to comprehend, it is very likely that he will try to avoid producing it” (p. 213). In her findings, she concluded that the avoidance of some of the structures in the target language is due to the differences between the L1 and L2 of the learners. Notwithstanding the great value of Schachter's (1974) study, it was criticized by a few subsequent studies simply because her study bore unnecessary limitations. Kleinmann (1977) criticized Schachter's study for not mentioning the likelihood of students' ignorance of these structures. He stated that “an individual cannot be said to avoid a given syntactic structure, morpheme, or lexical item, which he does not have in his linguistic repertoire” (p. 96). Therefore, Kleinmann (1977) provided a broad explanation and understanding of the strategy of avoidance. He conducted a study to examine and analyze four of the syntactic forms in English (passive, present progressive, infinitive complement, and direct-object pronoun). Those structural units were produced by ESL intermediate level learners (native speakers of Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic). Despite the criticisms to Schachter's conclusions, the findings of Kleinmann's study supported the 18 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS claim by Schachter that the strategy of avoidance turned to by L2 learners can be predicted by differences found between the L1 and L2 on the structural base. Kleinmann, however, added to the fact that there are other components playing roles in causing the existence of the avoidance of structural units such as the affective state manifested mainly in the anxiety and confidence condition of the learner. Seliger 1989 (as cited in Aldukhayel 2014, p. 28) pointed out that the “nonuse” of some structural units in the second language could be due to many reasons as “ L1-L2 differences, ignorance, nonacquistion, or a presystematic use of the not yet fully acquired form, or from true avoidance”. Laufer and Eliasson (1993) described the avoidance as a strategy adopted by learners of the target language to reach a better communication. They stated that: What is avoided is typically a target language word or structure that is perceived as difficult by the learners. What is used instead is an expression that they find in some sense simpler and that conveys more or less the same content as the expression initially envisaged. Whenever this kind of avoidance takes place, learners communicate by those linguistic means that make them feel safe from error. (p. 36) The exchange of views and studies continued regarding the explanation of the avoidance phenomenon, and about the reasons driving L2 learners to resort to avoidance when encountered by difficult language structures, until Li's (1996) study uncovered the differences between two distinct phenomena, “conscious avoidance” and “subconscious underproduction”. He commented that in Schachter's study, the Chinese and Japanese learners went through the tunnel of underproduction rather than avoiding the RCs structures of the target language. In other words, he stated that we are not certain that learners actually avoid these structural patterns. He claimed that avoidance, as originally suggested by Schachter (1974), refers to a situation when a 19 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS learner of a target language is aware of a linguistic structure but is not certain enough to use it. The learner is actually moved by the need to use it, therefore, “he/she tries to use another structure or other structures to serve the same similar communicative purpose” (p. 172). He also explained the two phenomena as follows: …which refers to such a situation when L2 learners underproduce certain structures in the target language without realizing that they are doing so. In other words, L2 learners may underproduce a certain structure but because the difference between the L1 and L2 is too subtle to be noticed. In this situation, ‘subconscious underproduction’ is a better term than ‘avoidance’. (p. 137) The study of Liao and Fukuya (2004) is considered one of the latest studies that argued Schachter's work for it was principally “limited”. They claimed that the study “did not control for proficiency level or the frequency of relative clauses in the texts” (p, 194). Additionally, they criticized that it had not provided any solid evidence that the second language learners, Chinese and Japanese, were able to use the structure of RCs. Accordingly, “the Chinese and Japanese learners' so-called avoidance of producing English relative clauses may have resulted simply from their ignorance of the structure rather than conscious avoidance” (p. 194). As it is clear in the above-mentioned studies, that Schachter's research sparked off interest among more scientific investigations on the same subject by different authors in ESL/EFL field. Specifically the kind of studies dealing in the avoidance of English unique structures, one of them is phrasal verbs, which has been investigated more scientifically in subsequent studies that will be introduced in the next section including those of Dagut and Laufer (1985), Hulstijn and Marchena (1989), Liao and Fukuya's (2004), Duhaish (2008), Abu Jamil (2010), Aldukhayel (2014), Abdul Rahman and Abid (2014), and Al-Otaibi (n.d.). 20 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Studies on the Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs Dagut and Laufer (1985) examined Hebrew-speaking EFL students’ use of phrasal verbs. The instruments employed in the study were collection of 15 phrasal verbs that were split into three categories (completive, figurative and literal). The phrasal verbs were subjected to three tests: multiple-choice, translation and memorizing tests. According to the findings of the study, the participants exhibited avoidance of phrasal verbs, with higher scores of avoidance observed in figurative phrasal verbs. Dagut and Laufer assigned this marked avoidance to the systemic incompatibility between the L1 and L2. That is the Hebrew language marks the absence of phrasal verbs structure that is present in English. Hulstijn and Marchena (1989) on the other hand sampled a total of 225 Dutch ESL students at two levels of proficiency, 100 of whom were advanced English learners and the rest were intermediate secondary school learners. The instrument used for the study was a collection of 15 phrasal verbs that were administered to the participants in the form of three tests: multiple-choice, translation and memorizing tests. From the outcomes of the study, there was explicit non-avoidance of phrasal verbs among Dutch learners. For semantic considerations, however, the learners avoided idiomatic phrasal verbs. They attributed this avoidance to the similarities in both the structure and the idiomatic meaning in the source and target languages. Liao and Fukuya's (2004) study examined a sample of 70 intermediate and advanced Chinese-speaking learners on the avoidance of English phrasal verbs. Following the steps of Dagut and Laufer (1985) and Hulstijn and Marchena (1989), the instrument of the study included: a translation, a multiple choice and recall tests. Two categories of phrasal verbs were included in the test: figurative and literal. From the study (2004), it was established that the level of language proficiency, the type of 21 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS the phrasal verbs, and the type of the tests played significant factors to the students' avoidance behavior of phrasal verbs. In Duhaish’ (2008) study (as cited in Aldukhayel, 2014), a sample of 129 Arab participants was examined. The participants were intermediate and advanced ESL/EFL learners. The instruments consisted of a multiple-choice test and a translation test. Twenty-five phrasal verbs were included in the study from three types. From the study, it was established that the language environment, the test types, phrasal verb types, and language environment influenced avoidance of phrasal verbs among the Arab learners. In Abu Jamil’s (2010) study (as cited in Aldukhayel, 2014), both a multiplechoice test and a translation test were administered to 160 intermediate and advanced Arab ESL/EFL learners. Phrasal verbs from the three categories were administered to the participants. It was discovered that the environment manifested in the long duration of exposure to the L2 was a core determinant of the ease of acquisition and student’s preference for phrasal verbs. In this study, however, both intermediate and advanced learners avoided figurative and semi-transparent phrasal verbs more than the literal phrasal verbs. The examination of phrasal verbs use and avoidance by Arab learners who had been exposed to native-English environment was included in the study by Aldukhayel (2014). He compared two groups of learners on the basis of their exposure to the L2 environment and the effect of that on the their use of phrasal verbs. The instrument used for the study was a collection of 45 phrasal verbs that were administered to the participants in the form of multiple-choice test. According to the study's findings, learners with long duration of time spent in L2 environment were successful at the use of phrasal verbs in all its three types more than those learners with short exposure to L2 environment. Thus, he concluded that the cause of the avoidance of phrasal verbs 22 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS is mainly a result of the amount of time spent in L2 environment and not due to the differences found in L1-L2 or the semantic complications of phrasal verbs. Abdul Rahman and Abid (2014) carried out a study on Omani learners investigating the use of English phrasal verbs in their writing. The instrument consisted of two types of tests: production and recognition tests. The results revealed that phrasal verbs were not occurring very often or not found at all in the students' writing. They attributed this to the students' ignorance of phrasal verbs patterns. Al-Otaibi (n.d.) used two instruments in her study, including a multiple choice test and observation of classes, to investigate if there is avoidance of phrasal verbs among female students who are majored in the English language. She concluded that there was no avoidance behavior among students towards phrasal verbs, in particular, there was not explicit avoidance of the figurative type. She agreed to the findings of Liao and Fukuya’s (2004) study that the avoidance behavior decreased as the language learners move forward and advance in proficiency. In the studies mentioned above, the focus was given to the EFL/ESL learner's performance. The investigations tackled different aspects and levels to see how learners avoid using phrasal verbs. In the next section, a group of studies discuss the teachers' feedback on this matter and analyze textbooks for a broad understanding of the lacking situation in the students' performance. Studies Focusing on the Textbooks and Teaching of Phrasal Verbs Several studies emerged with the focus on the educational materials to examine the presentation of the phrasal verbs in students' textbooks. Koprowski (2005) scrutinized three coursebooks for the availability and usefulness of multi-word structures, including phrasal verbs as being part of the whole. He found out that the choices made for including these structures in the coursebooks did not follow specific standards and pedagogical criteria. He also concluded that a large number of the 23 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS multi-words items are not highly frequent and their values range differently. More importantly, he stated that the lexical items were mainly influenced by the authors' intuition and described their jobs as “unsatisfactory” (p.330). Koprowski's conclusion on this matter was as follow: If we hold frequency and range to be important criteria for lexical specification, then every effort should be made to ensure that what goes into the syllabus is going to be maximally useful for consumer; moreover, superficial and rare items need to be excluded. Writers and publishers may need to reassess their priorities and avoid careless, convenient, or arbitrary specification. (p.331) In a like manner, Zarifi (2012, as cited in Jahedi & Mukundan, 2015) concentrated on examining Malaysian ESL textbooks for secondary schools (Forms 1 to 5). He paid attention to how phrasal verbs are presented and introduced in the textbooks. The results are similar to the ones by Koprowski (2005), they revealed the deficient and insufficient way of selecting phrasal verbs items for textbooks and that it depends majorly on the intuition of the writers. While, in fact, the selection must be based on pedagogical standards and the findings of previous studies. Lee's (2012) study (as cited in Jahedi & Mukundan, 2015), shifted the focus towards the instruction of phrasal verbs in classrooms. He made use of the ConceptBased Instruction (CBI) in the lessons of phrasal verbs with particular particles up, out and over. The results indicated that the applied instruction in teaching revealed improvement in the students' learning of phrasal verbs. Therefore, the study of Lee (2012) emphasized the importance of well-ordered instruction of phrasal verbs and the positive effect it has on the learning process of these structures. Kamarudin (2013) aimed to examine the views of English teachers on the importance of teaching phrasal verbs in secondary school. It also sought their 24 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS opinions about the current presentations and inclusion of phrasal verbs in the secondary school textbooks. The findings showed that teachers believed that multiwords items, with special respect to phrasal verbs, need to be revised and given extra attention in the textbooks. Significance of Phrasal Verbs Other than understanding the English language, it is difficult to speak the language in utmost fluency without the knowledge of phrasal verbs (Celce-Murcia and Freeman,1999). The knowledge of phrasal verbs is an integral component of the discourse of spoken and written native English language. Without them, the nonnative sounds of English language will not only be unnatural, but will also stilt the speech. Generally, learners that do not have the sufficient amount of knowledge of phrasal verbs in learning and using, find it difficult to gain mastery of the language and to achieve communicative competence. In addition, in spite of the fact that many phrasal verbs have a one-word verb equivalent, in some instances the meanings are not precisely exact. That is a phrasal verb can be “more specific in meaning than its onepart equivalent” (Sjöholm, 1995, p. 104). Therefore, learners need to be aware of the importance of phrasal verbs and encouraged to use them more often. Contribution of this Study to the Literature This study intents to assess the use and the level of knowledge of English phrasal verbs by EFL students in Saudi Arabia. According to the studies reviewed herein, avoidance of phrasal verbs is chiefly attributed to differential aspects of semantics in both L1 and L2. While others attributed this behavior to the total ignorance of these structures by the learners. Some findings referred the nonuse or underproduction of phrasal verbs to the lacking of this grammatical category in textbooks. The research design adopted in this study consists of a multiple-choice test directed to the students to investigate the use of phrasal verbs and the avoidance 25 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS phenomenon. In addition, a questionnaire is directed to English language teachers to reflect on the significance of teaching phrasal verbs and collect teachers' opinions regarding the inclusion of this structure in textbooks. Conclusion In this review of the literature, it was obviously demonstrated by many scholars, linguists, and researchers that phrasal verbs represent an important and inseparable feature of English language. However, there is a general agreement that they are problematic for learners of the target language. Therefore, the phenomenon of avoidance was clearly noticed among English learners. That being so, many factors were tested and addressed in order to grasp the reasons behind the avoidance behavior and to identify the major aspects of such a lexical category that cause the unfamiliarity to learners. From the literature review, Al Otaibi’s study (n.d.) was the only study conducted in Saudi Arabia. Her study was directed to EFL students who are majored in the English language. It also included two different levels of proficiency according to their level in the college. However, this study is dedicated to EFL students who have been studying the English language for at least six years, and they are not majored in the field of the language. This study is quantitative that intents to present the frequency to which Saudi EFL learners tend to use or avoid phrasal verbs. Moreover, EFL teachers are taken into consideration to give more solid justifications to the topic in hand, which is a major addition to start explore the issue from within the educational systems. The next chapter, Chapter III, provides information on the research methods of this thesis. It discusses population and sample, procedures used, design of the study, and the instruments. 26 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Chapter III Methodology This section presents a detailed methodology of how the research was conducted, the participants, research design and instruments, reliability and validity of the used instruments, data collection procedures, and analysis. Participants The setting of this study was limited to EFL environment. Therefore, a total of 102 female EFL students participated in the study. They were enrolled in the English language program during the preparatory year at Al-Imam Muhammed Ibin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the first semester of the academic year 1436/1437. The ages of the students ranged from 18 to 21. The participants were purposefully chosen for the study, however, the classes from within the preparatory year program were chosen randomly. All of the participants in this study had been learning the English language of at least six years in the intermediate and secondary schools. That is one reason for the selection of the participants. Additionally, the participants had completed their school years to which the components of the instruments were extracted from (discussed in the next subheadings). A total of 71 EFL teachers participated in the study. From the total 71 teachers, 13 of them were males and the rest (58) were female teachers. The participant teachers were selected randomly from three different educational institutions: intermediate schools, high schools, and the preparatory program in universities. Instruments and Study Design In line with the review of literature, the degree of avoidance of English phrasal verbs by EFL students in Saudi Arabia was examined using the survey design of the quantitative approach. In this study, two instruments were used in order to obtain the 27 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS needed data: a test for students ( see Appendix C) and a questionnaire for teachers (see Appendix D). Multiple-choice test. The test was developed by the researcher. It is composed of twenty-three items in dialogue format. Five literal phrasal verbs were used in this study, and the rest were non-literal phrasal verbs. Each dialogue had four choices to which the participants were asked to choose only one answer. The four choices consisted of: the correct phrasal verb, a one-word counterpart, and two distractors that consisted of a phrasal verb and one-word verb (see Appendix C). The participants’ preference for one-word verb over the phrasal verb points out avoidance of the latter. See the table in Appendix A for the phrasal verbs list used in this study, their one-verb equivalents, and the category to which each belongs. A collection of twenty-three phrasal verbs were chosen for this study. They were selectively taken from a secondary school English textbooks series, Traveller 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This step makes sense to test the participants’ knowledge of phrasal verbs to which they had been exposed in secondary school. In other words, this step was to ensure that any avoidance could be caused by the participants would not be related to their complete ignorance of phrasal verbs used in the test. In addition, a demographic questionnaire (see Appendix B) was given at the beginning of the test to collect some general background information about the participants’ age, number of years of English language learning experience, and a list of textbooks’ titles to exclude students who did not study Traveller textbooks in high school. Questionnaire. The questionnaire used in this study was adapted from the original one developed by Kamarudin (2013) for her inquiry of English language teachers’ point of view regarding the phrasal verb content in the contemporary English textbooks. It also investigated whether or not teachers teach phrasal verbs in classrooms. The questionnaire was modified in order to meet the needs of this study 28 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS and to center the attention more closely on phrasal verbs rather than to include the broader category of multi-word items. Moreover, demographic questions about the teachers’ gender and the type of educational institution they teach in was used at the beginning of the questionnaire. The questionnaire is divided into three parts and consisted of 16 items. The first part presents five items to reflect on the availability of phrasal verbs in the textbooks. The second part deals with the teaching of phrasal verbs from the opinion of teachers. In the second and third part of the questionnaire, teachers were asked to give the responnses based on the scale of (1 strongly agree) to (6 strongly disagree). A copy of the questionnaire is found in Appendix D. Validity and Reliability of the Instruments Validity. The test and the questionnaire were validated by four English Language university professors (see Appendix E). The instruments were modified according to the professors’ feedback and comments. Initially, the multiple-choice test consisted of 28 items. After receiving the professors’ comments, five items were eliminated from the test to make it shorter as they suggested. A few adjustments were made to the content and structure of a few items, as well. Reliability. In order to test the stability and reliability of the instruments, the test-retest technique was employed. The same test was given to the same participants twice with a week gap between the two. The test was administered to twenty students, who were not included in the study to calculate the reliability. To assess reliability, Cronbach's alpha was used. The calculation of both times of the test produced consistent results which indicate the reliability of the test is statistically acceptable (see Table 1). 29 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Table 1 Reliability Coefficient of the Whole Test Reliability Coefficient Test 1st time 2nd time 0.753 0.744 The whole test The questionnaire was also administered to a group of 11 teachers twice over one-week gap. Cronbach's alpha was also used to calculate the questionnaire’s reliability and the internal consistency of the items. Table 2 shows that the reliability coefficient rate of the questionnaire is high which indicates its acceptable reliability. Table 2 Reliability Coefficient of Each Part of the Questionnaire Reliability Coefficient Parts of the questionnaire 1st time 2nd time Part I 0.851 0.787 Part II (answer with yes) 0.736 0.782 Part II (answer with no) 0.922 0.960 The whole questionnaire 0.774 0.756 Procedures of the Study As soon as the pilot study produced valid results, hard copies of the test were distributed to 294 female EFL students in their classrooms during the class towards the end of the first semester. 192 responses were excluded from the study for either not completing the test, or for they had not studied English using traveller textbook series. Therefore, 102 test responses were considered for the study. Students were not permitted to ask questions about the meaning of the contents of the test, or discuss it with each other. They were given their time to complete the test. They spent a 30 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS maximum of fifteen minutes to finish it. English instructors at the preparatory year helped in processing the procedures and handing out the test to students in the classes. The questionnaire was sent online. However, some hard copies of the questionnaire were given to other male and female teachers in schools and preparatory department in universities. The online version reached a large number of the participant teachers through the use of the social network, WhatsApp, and through the help of Educational Supervisors who sent it online to teachers. Data analysis The Statistical Package for Social Sciences software program (SPSS 22.0) was used to provide statistical analysis of the study’s data. The frequency distributions and percentages were calculated for each item in the multiple-choice test and the questionnaire. Moreover, the mean and the standard deviation of each item of the questionnaire were calculated to consolidate the large number of the participant teachers to reveal their collective perceptions concerning the teaching and the inclusion of phrasal verbs in textbooks. The means and standard deviations from the analyzed data of the questionnaire were computed and divided according to the 6-point scale used in the questionnaire. Table 3 below shows the division of mean scores according to the scale. Table 3 Interpretation of the Scale Mean Approval Degree 1 – 1.83 Strongly agree 1.84 – 2.66 Agree 31 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 2.67 – 3.49 Partly agree 3.50 – 4.32 Partly disagree 4.33 – 5.15 Disagree 5.16 – 6 Strongly disagree Conclusion The chapter offered a descriptive explanation of the methodology used in the study. Including the number of participants and the instruments that were especially developed and taken from a previous study and modified in order to find answers for the questions raised in the first chapter. Moreover, the procedures used to reach for the study’s participants were presented. The next chapter, chapter VI, presents a comprehensive analysis of the results. 32 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 33 Chapter IV Findings of the Study This chapter presents the results of the analysis of data. The chapter is split into two sections. The first section presents the results according to the phrasal verbs test that was administered to female EFL students. The second section presents the findings of the questionnaire that was given to the teachers. Findings Related to the First and Second Questions This section presents the results based on the multiple-choice test that was administered to EFL learners in order to seek answers for two of the research questions. Descriptive analysis of the row scores of the test is presented in Appendix F . A total of 102 students took the multiple-choice test. The total number of possible answers was 2,346 (105 students X 23 items), 1567 were correct answers and the remaining (779) were incorrect answers. Findings related to the first question. Research question 1 asked whether Saudi EFL learners avoid using phrasal verbs. In order to answer this question, the results from the multiple-choice test was analyzed. Table 4 below presents the distribution of frequencies and the percentages among the two types of verbs: oneword verbs, and phrasal verbs. Table 4. Scores of Phrasal Verbs and One-Verb Counterparts Verbs N. Freq. % One-word verbs 102 859 54.8 Phrasal verbs 102 708 45.2 Note. N. = Number. Freq. = Frequency. % = Percentage INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 34 The table shows that 54.8% of the students chose one-word verbs, while 45.2% of the students chose phrasal verbs. These results reveal a significant preference by the Saudi EFL learners to use one-word verbs over phrasal verbs. Although, the higher score of the multiple-choice test established the significant preference for one-word verbs by Saudi learners, yet the lowest percentage (45.2%) which indicates the use of phrasal verbs by students is still considerably high. Findings related to the second question. Research question 2 asked whether Saudi EFL students display any differences using literal or non-literal phrasal verbs. Table 5 and 6 below present the distribution of frequencies and the percentages among the two types of verbs: literal and non-literal phrasal verbs and their one-verbs equivalents . Table 5. Scores of Literal Phrasal Verbs and One-Verb Counterparts Verbs N. Freq. % One-word verbs 102 148 41.9 Literal Phrasal verbs 102 205 58.1 Note. N. = Number. Freq. = Frequency. % = Percentage Table 5 above presents the distribution of frequencies and the percentages among the two types of verbs; one-word verbs, and literal phrasal verbs. The table shows that the percentage of literal phrasal verbs was (58.1%) which is significantly higher than its one-verb equivalents (41.9%), which demonstrates the students preference to use literal phrasal verbs due to their clear and straightforward meanings. INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 35 Table 6 Scores of Non-Literal Phrasal Verbs and One-Verb Counterparts Verbs N. Freq. % One-word verbs 102 711 58.6 Non-literal Phrasal verbs 102 503 41.4 Note. N. = Number. Freq. = Frequency. % = Percentage Table 6 presents the distribution of frequencies and the percentages among non-literal phrasal verbs and their one-verb counterparts. The table shows that 58.6% of students chose one-verbs, and 41.4% of the students chose non-literal phrasal verbs. The percentage of the use of one- word verbs is significantly higher than the use of non-literal phrasal verbs. The confusing meanings of this type of phrasal verbs explains the tendency shown by the students towards using the one-verb counterparts. Findings Related to the Third and Fourth Questions This section presents the results taken from teachers’ questionnaire, which looked at the views of teachers regarding the teaching and the phrasal verbs content in the English language textbooks in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was used in order to find answers to two of the research questions. Descriptive statistics including the means and standard deviations were used to analyze the data. Moreover, Descriptive analysis of the row scores of the questionnaire including frequencies and percentages are presented in Appendix G . Findings related to the third question. Research question 3 asked about the perceptions of Saudi EFL teachers regarding the inclusion of phrasal verbs in textbooks. Table 6 bellow presents a full descriptive statistics of the questionnaire’ items 1 to 5 that investigate teachers’ views regarding phrasal verbs content in textbooks. INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 36 Table 7 Teachers’ Views Regarding Phrasal Verbs Content in the Textbooks No. 1 2 3 4 5 Items I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English language textbooks help to improve learners’ understanding of the language. I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English language textbooks help to improve learners’ fluency in their written and spoken discourse. I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English textbooks need to be improved. I think that vocabulary contents in the present English textbooks put too much emphasis on single-word units and ignore multi-word units, such as phrasal verbs. I think vocabulary contents in the present English textbooks need to include more phrasal verbs. Mean Std. Dev. 3.83 1.35 3.46 1.42 3.56 1.40 3.66 1.53 3.61 1.51 Note. Std. Dev. = Standard Deviation Table 7 above shows that the means of the responses ranged between 3.61 and 3.83 with standard deviations (Std. Dev.) between 1.35 and 1.53. The highest response was for the item 1 (I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English language textbooks help to improve learners’ understanding of the language) with a mean of 3.83 and a standard deviation of 1.35, whereas the lowest mean was of the item (I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English language textbooks help to improve learners’ fluency in their written and spoken discourse) with a mean of 3.46 and a standard deviation of 1.42. The mean and standard deviation of teachers’ responses to the first part of the questionnaire indicates, in general, teachers’ neutral opinion concerning the content of phrasal verbs in textbooks. The highest mean (3.83) indicates teachers partial disagreement (see Table 3) of the role of the current phrasal verbs content in INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS enhancing learners’ understanding of the target language. Moreover, the agreement to some extent of item 2, the lowest mean score (3.46), exhibits teachers’ incomplete satisfaction of phrasal verbs scenario in the textbooks in improving students’ fluency in the written and spoken discourse. Therefore, the findings of this part display that teachers’ clearly perceived that the phrasal verbs in the textbooks do not provide the adequate input of phrasal verbs to the students in order to promote their understanding and fluency of the language. Thus, a further look at the position of phrasal verbs in the textbooks is recommended. Findings related to the fourth question. Research question 4 asked about the reasons of Saudi EFL teachers regarding teaching or not teaching phrasal verbs in English classrooms. Thus, this part of the questionnaire was used to focus on teachers’ perception of teaching English phrasal verbs in the target language classrooms. Table 8 below presents the distribution of teachers who teach or do not teach phrasal verbs in classes. Table 8 Teachers’ Answers to Teaching or Not Teaching Phrasal Verbs Answer Freq. Percent (%) Yes 50 70.4 No 21 29.6 Total 71 100 Note. Freq. = Frequency Table 8 shows that 70.4%, which is the highest percentage, of teachers teach phrasal verb forms in English language classrooms to their students. In order to examine the reasons for teaching phrasal verbs, Table 9 presents a descriptive analysis for the items 7 to 10. 37 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 38 Table 9 Teachers’ Reasons for Teaching Phrasal Verbs No. Items Mean Std. Dev. 7 I teach phrasal verbs because I think they are an important aspect of the language. 4.08 1.45 8 I teach phrasal verbs because I think they are useful for my students. 3.98 1.47 3.96 1.38 3.86 1.51 9 10 I teach phrasal verbs because I find them effective in improving my students’ understanding of the language. I teach phrasal verbs because I find them effective in improving my students’ fluency in the language. Note. Std. Dev. = Standard Deviation Table 9 shows that the means of the responses varied in the range between 3.86 and 4.08 with standard deviations between 1.38 and 1.51. The highest response was for the item 7 (I teach phrasal verbs because I think they are an important aspect of the language) with a mean of 4.08 and a standard deviation of 1.45. While the lowest mean was of the item 10 (I teach phrasal verbs because I find them effective in improving my students’ fluency in the language) with a mean of 3.86 and a standard deviation of 1.51. The results of this section of the questionnaire reflect on teachers’ perceptions of teaching phrasal verbs in classes. A big number of teachers teach phrasal verbs in classes, however, they provided general partial disagreement to the listed reasons in the questionnaire for teaching phrasal verbs. Surprisingly, from the highest mean score (4.08) that marks the approval degree of scale 3, partly disagree (see Table 3), it is clearly evident that teachers disagree to some extent with item 7 that stated phrasal verbs form an important aspect of the English language. Therefore, despite the fact INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS that teachers teach phrasal verbs to their students, they do not attribute that to the significant position of phrasal verbs in the target language, neither to the reason that they could play an effective role in improving the fluency and understanding of the students. Thus, this might indicate that teachers actually teach this form moved by the obligation dictated by the prescribed textbooks. In other words, teachers might not be fully aware of the importance that phrasal verbs possess in the English language, however, they teach it out of obligation. This points to the need to include additional demonstrations and instructions in teachers’ guides in order to shift their attention closely to the importance that phrasal verbs play in the language. In spite of the above findings, a small, but an important segment of the teachers, reported in the open-end question (item 11) that introducing and teaching an adequate number of phrasal verbs to EFL learners will enhance their understanding of the spoken discourse and, moreover, it will improve the learner’s ability to sound more fluent and natural. In addition, a very few teachers commented that phrasal verbs are significant units in the English language and learners will not be able to fully understand the language presented in many spoken and written contexts without the knowledge of at least the common used phrasal verbs. Table 8 also shows that 29.6% of teachers, which is the lowest percentage, reported that they do not teach phrasal verbs in English classrooms. These teachers have provided a number of reasons for not teaching phrasal verbs which will be explained next. Table 10 below presents a descriptive analysis to explain teachers’ reasons for not teaching phrasal verbs. 39 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 40 Table 10 Teachers’ Reasons for Not Teaching Phrasal Verbs No. Items Mean Std. Dev. 12 I don’t teach phrasal verbs because I’m not sure of what phrasal verbs mean. 2.19 1.43 13 I don’t teach phrasal verbs because I don’t think they are an important aspect of language. 2.52 1.43 14 I don’t teach phrasal verbs because they are not in the syllabus / textbooks. 3.86 1.74 15 I don’t teach phrasal verbs because they are not tested in tests / exams. 3.33 1.77 Note. Std. Dev. = Standard Deviation Table 10 presents the means of the teachers’ responses that ranged between 2.19 and 3.86 with standard deviations between 1.43 and 1.77. The highest response was for the item 14 (I don’t teach phrasal verbs because they are not in the syllabus / textbooks) with a mean of 3.86 and a standard deviation of 1.74. While the lowest mean was for the item 12 (I don’t teach phrasal verbs because I’m not sure of what phrasal verbs mean) with a mean of 2.19 and a standard deviation of 1.43. The results of this section of the questionnaire reflect on teachers’ perceptions of not teaching phrasal verbs in classes. A number of teachers reported that they do not teach phrasal verbs in classes (see Table 8). On the basis of the highest mean score (3.86) that marks the approval degree of scale 3, partly disagree (see Table 3), it shows that teachers reported partial disagreement of item 14 which stated that phrasal verbs are not taught for the reason they are not included in the syllabus or textbooks. It indicates that teachers do not teach phrasal verbs only because of their absence in textbooks, teachers’ expressions of somewhat disagreement with the statement INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS demonstrates their further negative beliefs towards the importance of phrasal verbs. Moreover, the lowest mean score (2.19), which was obtained by item 12 and marks the approval degree of scale 5 (agree), indicates that a number of teachers do not teach phrasal verbs to their students because they are uncertain of what phrasal verbs really are. From the given results herein, it is clear that teachers are bound to use textbooks that do not include lessons tackling phrasal verbs explicitly. Therefore, the content of phrasal verbs should be examined and revised. Moreover, teachers have to be addressed educationally regarding the significance of phrasal verbs. A few teachers reported in the open-end item (item 16) that they believe that phrasal verbs are not significant to deliver to their students and they believe it is only an important feature to teach for those who are majored in the language or planning to study abroad. They also expressed their thoughts saying one-word verbs must be always put at the center of the textbooks and the teaching process, referring that mainly to the poor performance of Saudi students in English. However, a couple of teachers expressed their thoughts and beliefs that the main reason is attributed to the textbooks reporting that since the prescribed textbooks are considered the main source for the learning process in the classrooms, they feel restricted to its contents only. Conclusion This chapter presents the results based on the two instruments used in this study; a multiple-choice test and a questionnaire. Descriptive analysis of the data were used to present the results in form means and standard deviations. Next chapter (Chapter V) presents the discussion, suggestion and recommendations based on the results of the study. 41 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Chapter V Discussion, Recommendations and Conclusion This chapter presents a discussion of the findings of this study compared to the findings of the previous studies, mentioned in Chapter II. Moreover, the chapter will presents the suggestions and recommendations for future research on the same topic. Discussion Saudi female EFL students avoided using phrasal verbs, however, they did not display a genuine avoidance of phrasal verbs. The tendency of students to choose oneverbs over phrasal verbs was attributed to systemic incompatibility between the source language and the target language as was concluded by Dagut and Laufer (1985). That is the structure of phrasal verbs, which is mainly found in Germanic languages, is not found in the target language of the students, Arabic. Therefore, students tended to avoid using it in general. Moreover, Saudi EFL students scored higher percentage (58.1%) for the category literal phrasal verbs, while 41.9% of them preferred using the one-verb counterparts. As for the non-literal phrasal verbs, students scored 41.4% in choosing the phrasal verbs, and 58.6%, which is higher, chose the one-verbs. Although the number of literal phrasal verbs is small in comparison to the number of non-literal phrasal verbs used in the test (5 versus 18), the given data suggests that semantic factors, such as idiomaticity, play a key factor in students’ preference for one-word verbs. As suggested by studies of Dagut and Laufer (1985), Hulstijn and Marchena (1989), and Laio and Fukuya (2004), that the uncertainty of the meanings of non-literal phrasal verbs cause difficulties for EFL learners, therefore, there is always a noticeable tendency to avoid using them. Saudi EFL teachers displayed a neutral opinion that leans toward disagreement to the presented statements in the questionnaire. Thus, it has showed a bit unfavorable response to the current situation of phrasal verbs in textbooks. Therefore, curriculum 42 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS designers should revise the state of phrasal verbs in textbooks and pay closer attention to its quantity to ensure that it is proper enough to guarantee an adequate input of this structure to students. The findings of this study go in accordance with the previous studies of Koprowski (2005), Zarifi (2012), Lee (2012), and Kamarudin (2013) that demonstrated on the insufficient content of English phrasal verbs in textbooks. The previous studies attributed this to not following explicit pedagogical standards for including phrasal verbs in textbooks. It was also attributed to the impact of authors’ intuitions on choosing and including the adequate number and the appropriate types of phrasal verbs. The percentage of Saudi EFL teachers who reported that they teach phrasal verbs in classes (70.4%) is higher than those who do not teach them (29.6%). However, teachers did not greatly assign that to the awareness of the importance of phrasal verbs in understanding the target language and promoting the fluency level of the students. Unlike Kamarudin’s (2013) study which revealed Malaysian teachers’ high awareness of the significance of phrasal verbs for learners. This could be attributed to the greater recognition given to the English language in the Malaysian educational policy, therefore, English is treated as a second language there. However, Saudi EFL teachers reported somewhat negative sense to their responses that bore slight disagreements for the reasons of teaching phrasal verbs. Therefore, explicit instructions and emphasis of phrasal verbs need to be presented in students’ textbooks and teachers’ guides. Moreover, teachers need to be well-acquainted with the significance of phrasal verbs to EFL students. Suggestions for Further Research The results of this study answered the four research questions introduced in the first chapter. However, this study tackled the questions under investigation with a limited population, and specified conditions that can be taken further to expand the 43 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS investigation and gain a broader sense of the use of phrasal verbs by Saudi students. Thus, further investigation of the topic can consider the following suggestions: 1. The study is limited to female EFL students, therefore, a further study may investigate the performance among both genders . 2. The examination of several textbooks used in Saudi Arabia is desired to get into the basic materials of learning and discuss its inclusion of phrasal verbs in depth. 3. The number of male English teachers who participated in the study is considerably small. For future research, including more male participant teachers would make it more reliable to generalize the results to the population. 4. Discussing the syntactic features of phrasal verbs in further studies will ensure covering the issue from a broader aspect and, thus, lead to different results. Recommendations Based on the Results The following recommendations for further research in the future is based on the results drawn from this study: 1. A discussion of the perception and teaching of phrasal verbs in relation to teachers’ gender would be included to elaborate more on the topic. 2. This study used one type of test (multiple-choice test). Thus, using a variety of different other instruments will definitely lead to different results concerning learners’ knowledge, use, and avoidance of phrasal verbs. 3. This study is limited to a small number of phrasal verbs (23) which were used in the test. Therefore, including more phrasal verbs is recommended for it will lead to a more persistent results. 44 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 4. The participant size of the teachers used in the study is small (71) for the results to be generalized to the larger population of Saudi teachers. Hence, including a larger sample size of teachers is favorable to confirm the findings to the teacher population. Conclusion The results of this study revealed that there is a clear preference by Saudi EFL students to use one-word verbs over phrasal verbs. Teachers expressed their opinions regarding the content of phrasal verbs in textbooks, and it pointed to the need to study the phrasal verbs size in textbooks by authorities responsible of that and to acknowledge teachers’ of the importance place of phrasal verbs in the English language. The topic of phrasal verbs avoidance by EFL learners is considerably undervalued by EFL teachers, but the continuous investigations of the issue provided several suggestions and justifications to diminish the minimal use or avoidance of phrasal verbs. However, there are still questions about the phrasal verbs that ought to be answered. The importance of using the phrasal verbs is a critical area to focus where learners and teachers are to be questioned. 45 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS References Abdul Rahman, Z., & Abid, R. (2014). Rarity or Non-Existence of Phrasal Verbs in the Written Discourse of Omani Student-Teachers of English. SAGE Open, 4(4). Aldukhayel, D. (2014). The L2 Exposure Effect on Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs by Arab ESL (Master). Colorado State University. Al-Otaibi, G. (n.d.). Avoidance of phrasal verbs by EFL Arab college students. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/259778888/AL-OTAIBIAvoidance-Phrasal-Verbs# Celce-Murcia, M., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1999). The grammar book: An ESL/EFL teacher's course. (2nd ed.). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Dagut, M., & Laufer, B. (1985). Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs: A Case for Contrastive Analysis. Studies In Second Language Acquisition, 7(01), 73-79. Hulstijn, J., & Marchena, E. (1989). Avoidance: Grammatical or semantic causes?, Studies in Second Language Acquistion (11), 241-255. Jahendi, M., & Mukundan, J. (2015). A Review of Studies of Phrasal Verbs in ESL Context. Advances in language and Literary Studies. Universiti Putra Malaysia. Kamarudin, R. (2013). A study on the use of phrasal verbs by Malaysian learners of English (Ph.D). University of Birmingham. Kleinmann, H. (1977). Avoidance behavior in adult second language acquisition. Language Learning, 27(1), 93-107. Koprowski, M. (2005). Investigating the usefulness of lexical phrases in contemporary coursebooks. ELT Journal, 59(4), 322-332. Laufer, B., & Eliasson, S. (1993). What causes avoidance in L2 learning: L1-L2 difference, L1-L2 similarity, or L2 complexity?, Studies in Second Language Acquistion (15), 35-48. Li, J. (1996). Underproduction does not necessarily mean avoidance: Investigation of 46 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS underproduction using Chinese ESL learners. In L. F. Bouton (Ed), Pragmatics and language learning, 7, 171-187. Liao, Y., & Fukuya, Y. (2004). Avoidance of phrasal verbs: The case of Chinese learners of English. Language Learning, 54(2), 193-226. Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. New York: Longman. Schachter, J. (1974). An error in error analysis, Language Learning(24), 205-214. Schmitt, N. (2008). Review article: Instructed second language vocabulary learning. Language Teaching Research, 12(3), 329-363. Sjöholm, K. (1995). The influence of crosslinguistic, semantic, and input factors on the acquisition of English phrasal verbs: A comparison between Finnish and Swedish learners at an intermediate and advanced level. Åbo Akademi University Press. 47 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Appendix A Phrasal Verbs and One-Word Equivalents List List of the 23 phrasal verbs and their one-word verbs used in the multiple-choice test Table 11. Phrasal verbs and One-Word Equivalents List Phrasal Verbs One-Verb Equivalents come in get back move away take away keep on Enter Return Leave Remove Continue make up come up with go for run into clear up find out check out check in take down show up take up get over pick out get off work out take off give up come across Invent Create choose meet explain discover leave register write arrive start forget choose leave exercise leave quit find a. Literal b. Non-literal 48 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Appendix B Demographic Questionnaire for Students • Your name (optional ) / )‫ اسمك (اختياري‬: ___________________________________ • Years of learning English / ‫ سنوات تعلم اللغة اإلنجليزية‬: a. 6 years ‫ست سنوات‬ b. 7 to 9 years ‫سبع إلى تسع سنوات‬ c. 10 years and more ‫عشر سنوات و أكثر‬ 49 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Appendix C Multiple-Choice Test for Students Please read the following dialogues, then CHOOSE only ONE answer that completes the sentence. If you do not know the meaning of all the words, make your best guess. Be sure to answer all of the questions. 1. A: Have you seen Jerry lately? B: Yes, actually, I ______him at the supermarket yesterday. a. b. c. d. competed broke out met ran into 2. A: You look fantastic! Have you been exercising? B: Yes, actually, I’ve ______karate and swimming classes. I began two months ago , and I’ve been really enjoying them a. b. c. d. taken up got off started returned 3. A: How is Mary doing now? B: She still hasn’t _____the death of her grandmother. She is so depressed. a. b. c. d. eliminated got over came across forgotten 4. A: Oh! These photos are so old, where did you get them from? B: I _____ them when I was cleaning my room yesterday. a. b. c. d. called off found came across invented 5. A: What is wrong with your employer Jack? B: Every time I ask him to do something, he always _____a list of excuses for why he can’t do it. a. b. c. d. hangs on comes up with creates invites 50 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 6. A: Good morning Mr. Harley, May I _____? I want to discuss the project with you? B: Yes please, have a seat. a. b. c. d. enter hide come in run up 7. A: Oh finally you are home, what took you so long to arrive? B: There was a problem with the train, that’s why we didn’t _____home until midnight. a. b. c. d. get back return pull off keep 8. A: Are you still living in New York? B: No, I _____ when I lost my job. a. b. c. d. moved away released picked up left 9. A: What types of books did you _____from the bookstore? B: I got two classic novels. a. b. c. d. pick out claim choose get up 10. A: You were a bit late for the class this morning. B: Because the weather was great, so I _____ the bus and walked to the school. a. b. c. d. captured got off left broke out 11. A: What would you like to eat? B: I think I’ll _____ the soup of the day and the green salad. a. b. c. d. go for proceed bring back choose 51 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 12. A: Your daughter is very imaginative. B: Yes, she loves to _____stories. I think she will be a great writer in the future. a. b. c. d. make up drop invent cut out 13. A: I have gained some extra weight, I need to start _____. B: You can go to the new gym in the neighborhood. a. b. c. d. working out exercising bringing up catching 14. A: Your reservation period for the hotel room has ended, please _____ by 10 a.m. B: ok, I will do so, thanks for letting me know. a. b. c. d. reply leave let down check out 15. A: Which hotel did you stay at in France? B: We _____ at the Ritz hotel. a. b. c. d. checked in flew registered broke into 16. A: Adam has been inactive lately in the class. Do you know why? B: I talked with his parents, they promised to _____what is wrong with him. a. b. c. d. kick out lock discover find out 17. A: I have to get to the airport now, the airplane _____at 12 a.m. Can you give me a ride? B: Sure, let me get my car’s key. a. b. c. d. tries out pushes takes off leaves 52 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 18. A: She tried to learn the Chinese language, but she _____. B: I know! it was harder than she expected. a. b. c. d. gave up quit ran into captured 19. A: I’m so tired, coach. I cannot exercise anymore. B: Do not stop! _____running. a. b. c. d. keep on continue push give in 20. A: Lisa is still mad at you. You should talk to her. B: I apologized to her and tried to _____ the misunderstanding, but I’m not sure she believed me. a. b. c. d. explain find take out clear up 21. A: My head hurts awfully, can you give me something to _____the pain? B: I’ll prescribe some painkillers. a. b. c. d. take away book up remove lead 22. A: I missed yesterday’s class, Did you _____ notes of the most important information? B: Yes, I’ll send you a copy. a. b. c. d. fall off take down write look 23. A: How was the meeting with new employee? B: It was ok, but she was late. I scheduled her for 8 o’clock, but she didn’t _____ until 9:30. a. b. c. d. prepare arrive cut out show up 53 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Appendix D Questionnaire Name (optional): ______________________________________________ Demographic Questions Please choose the appropriate answer: • Gender: a. Male b. Female • Educational institution: c. Secondary school d. Intermediate school e. Preparatory year at university Please read the following items of the questionnaire carefully. On the right of each item, you have a scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Circle the best answer that reflects your feedback and opinion regarding the topic. Choice 1 2 3 4 5 6 Meaning Strongly disagree Disagree Partly disagree Partly agree Agree Strongly agree 54 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 55 Part I Questions 1 to 5 look at your perception of phrasal verb contents in the present English language textbooks used in language classrooms. Strongly Agree Agree Partly agree Partly disagree Disagree Strongly disagree For each questions, please CIRCLE only ONE answer according to the scale. 1. I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English language textbooks help to improve learners’ understanding of the language. 1 2 3 4 5 6 2. I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English language textbooks help to improve learners’ fluency in their written and spoken discourse. 1 2 3 4 5 6 3. I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English textbooks need to be improved. 1 2 3 4 5 6 4. I think that vocabulary contents in the present English textbooks put too much emphasis on single-word units and ignore multi-word units, such as phrasal verbs. 1 2 3 4 5 6 5. I think vocabulary contents in the present English textbooks need to include more phrasal verbs. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Part II Question 6 to 16 look at your perception of the teaching of phrasal verb units in English language classrooms. For question 6, please put a tick ( ✓ ) in the box. 6. Do you teach phrasal verbs in your English language classes? Yes ( If yes , go to questions 7-11) No ( If no, go to questions 12-16 ) Strongly Agree 56 Agree Partly agree Partly disagree Disagree Strongly disagree INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 7. I teach phrasal verbs because I think they are an important aspect of the language. 1 2 3 4 5 6 8. I teach phrasal verbs because I think they are useful for my students. 1 2 3 4 5 6 9. I teach phrasal verbs because I find them effective in improving my students’ understanding of the language. 1 2 3 4 5 6 10. I teach phrasal verbs because I find them effective in improving my students’ fluency in the language. 1 2 3 4 5 6 11. I teach phrasal verbs because of other reasons, please state: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 12. I don’t teach phrasal verbs because I’m not sure of what phrasal verbs mean. 1 2 3 4 5 6 13. I don’t teach phrasal verbs because I don’t think they are an important aspect of language. 1 2 3 4 5 6 14. I don’t teach phrasal verbs because they are not in the syllabus / textbooks. 1 2 3 4 5 6 15. I don’t teach phrasal verbs because they are not tested in tests / exams. 1 2 3 4 5 6 16. I don’t teach phrasal verbs because of other reasons, please state: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Adapted from: Kamarudin, R. (2013). A study on the use of phrasal verbs by Malaysian learners of English (Ph.D). University of Birmingham. INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS Appendix E Instrument Validation Committee The instruments of the study were validated by the following professors: • Dr. Badriah Khalid Al Gublan, Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Princess Norah University. • Dr. Nesreen Salam Al Tuwairesh, Assistant Professor of Education\TESOL at King Saud University. • Dr. Saleh Al Eid, Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at Al-Imam Mohammed Ibin Saud University. • Dr. Mohammed Hamdan, Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at AlImam Mohammed Ibin Saud University. 57 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 58 Appendix F The Raw Scores of the Multiple-Choice Test Table 12 Multiple-Choice Test's Scores Correct answer Wrong answer One-Word Verbs Phrasal verbs Freq. % Freq. % Freq. % Freq. % 1 73 71.6 29 28.4 69 94.5 4 5.5 2 78 76.5 24 23.5 57 73.1 21 26.9 3 67 65.7 35 34.3 32 47.8 35 52.2 4 73 71.6 29 28.4 58 79.5 15 20.5 5 65 63.7 37 36.3 34 52.3 31 30.4 6 72 70.6 30 29.4 21 29.2 51 70.8 7 66 64.7 36 35.3 19 28.8 47 71.2 8 81 79.4 21 20.6 44 54.3 37 36.3 9 72 70.6 30 29.4 52 72.2 20 27.8 10 63 61.8 39 38.2 35 55.6 28 44.4 11 67 65.7 35 34.3 47 70.1 20 29.9 12 68 66.7 34 33.3 17 25 51 75 13 73 71.6 29 28.4 42 57.5 31 42.5 14 61 59.8 41 40.2 20 32.8 41 67.2 15 66 64.7 36 35.3 20 30.3 46 69.7 16 54 52.9 48 47.1 31 57.4 23 42.6 17 62 60.8 40 39.2 43 69.4 19 30.6 18 67 65.7 35 34.3 24 35.8 43 64.2 19 76 74.5 26 25.5 31 40.8 45 59.2 20 69 67.6 33 32.4 49 71 20 29 21 58 56.9 44 43.1 33 56.9 25 43.1 22 70 68.6 32 31.4 46 65.7 24 34.3 23 66 64.7 36 35.3 35 53 31 47 Total 1567 66.8 779 33.2 859 54.8 708 45.2 Q INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 59 Appendix G The Raw Scores of the Questionnaire Table 13 Raw Scores of the Teachers’ Views Regarding Phrasal Verbs Content in the Textbooks Scale No. 1 2 3 4 5 Items I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English language textbooks help to improve learners’ understanding of the language. I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English language textbooks help to improve learners’ fluency in their written and spoken discourse. I think that phrasal verb contents in the present English textbooks need to be improved. I think that vocabulary contents in the present English textbooks put too much emphasis on singleword units and ignore multiword units, such as phrasal verbs. I think vocabulary contents in the present English textbooks need to include more phrasal verbs. Strongly Agree Agree Partly agree Partly disagree Disagree Strongly disagree Freq. 6 16 27 11 4 7 % 8.5 22.5 38 15.5 5.6 9.9 Freq. 5 12 21 14 11 8 % 7 16.9 29.6 19.7 15.5 11.3 Freq. 8 9 20 17 12 5 % 11.3 12.7 28.2 23.9 16.9 7 Freq. 11 11 15 18 9 7 % 15.5 15.5 21.1 25.4 12.7 9.9 Freq. 9 9 26 7 12 8 % 12.7 12.7 36.6 9.9 16.9 11.3 Mean Std. Dev. 3.83 1.35 3.46 1.42 3.56 1.40 3.66 1.53 3.61 1.51 INVESTIGATING THE USE AND PERCEPTION OF PHRASAL VERBS 60 Appendix G The Raw Scores of the Questionnaire Table 14 Raw Scores of Teachers' Responses for Teaching Phrasal Verbs Scale No. 7 8 9 10 Items I teach phrasal verbs because I think they are an important aspect of the language. I teach phrasal verbs because I think they are useful for my students. I teach phrasal verbs because I find them effective in improving my students’ understanding of the language. I teach phrasal verbs because I find them effective in improving my students’ fluency in the language. Strongly Agree Agree Partly agree Partly disagree Disagree Strongly disagree Freq. 9 10 19 5 2 5 % 18 20 38 10 4 10 Freq. 7 13 16 5 4 5 % 14 26 32 10 8 10 Freq. 6 12 17 9 1 5 % 12 24 34 18 2 10 Freq. 5 14 17 4 3 7 % 10 28 34 8 6 14 Mean Std. Dev. 4.08 1.45 3.98 1.47 3.96 1.38 3.86 1.51 Mean Std. Dev. 2.19 1.43 2.52 1.43 3.86 1.74 3.33 1.77 Table 15 Raw Scores of Teachers' Responses for Not Teaching Phrasal Verbs Scale No. 12 13 14 15 Items I don’t teach phrasal verbs because I’m not sure of what phrasal verbs mean. I don’t teach phrasal verbs because I don’t think they are an important aspect of language. I don’t teach phrasal verbs because they are not in the syllabus / textbooks. I don’t teach phrasal verbs because they are not tested in tests / exams. Strongly Agree Agree Partly agree Partly disagree Disagree Strongly disagree Freq. 0 3 1 2 6 9 % 0 14.3 4.8 9.5 28.6 42.9 Freq. 0 3 2 5 4 7 % 0 14.3 9.5 23.8 19 33.3 Freq. 6 2 3 5 3 2 % 28.6 9.5 14.3 23.8 14.3 9.5 Freq. 3 4 2 4 4 4 % 14.3 19 9.5 19 19 19