Does Extensive Reading Combined with Form-focused or Meaning-focused Activities Affect Lexical Collocational Knowledge of Iranian Learners?

Abstract

This study attempted to investigate the effect of an ER program -coupled with form versus meaning-focused activities- on the development of lexical collocations among Iranian Intermediate EFL learners. To this end, 41 students of English language and literature studying at the department of English at the University of Mazandaran participated in this study. A reading comprehension test taken from TOEFL was used to measure candidates’ reading ability to homogenize them in terms of their entry behaviour. Moreover, a modified Word Associates Test (WAT) developed by Read (1993, 1998) was administered to examine the participants’ lexical collocation knowledge. Participants were divided into two experimental groups: Both groups were assigned to read extensively and do some after reading activities; the first group was given a form-focused activity (FFA) while the second group worked on a meaning-focused activity (MFA). The results of paired and independent sample t-tests revealed the fact that both FFA and MFA groups progressed in the interval between the pre- and post-test, but, there was not a significant difference between the effects of form-focused and meaning-focused activities.