The Effect of Teaching and Learning Vocabulary in Lexical Chunks on the Listening Comprehension of Adult Learners of Arabic
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The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 2021 The Effect of Teaching and Learning Vocabulary in Lexical Chunks on the Listening Comprehension of Adult Learners of Arabic Bassam Al-Maqtari Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, and the Language and Literacy Education Commons The University of San Francisco THE EFFECT OF TEACHING AND LEARNING VOCABULARY IN LEXICAL CHUNKS ON THE LISTENING COMPREHENSION OF ADULT LEARNERS OF ARABIC A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education International and Multicultural Education Department In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Bassam Al-Maqtari San Francisco May 2021 THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Dissertation Abstract The Effect of Teaching and Learning Vocabulary in Lexical Chunks on the Listening Comprehension of Adult Learners of Arabic This study aimed to investigate how teaching and learning Arabic vocabulary items in multiword form (i.e., chunks and phrases), rather than in single form (i.e., one word at a time), affects learners’ ability to comprehend Arabic listening passages and to examine the relationship between students’ auditory knowledge of words, and that of phrases and listening comprehension. Data sources included three types of tests: the Arabic listening comprehension test, the single-word auditory knowledge test, and the multiword auditory knowledge test. The sample consists of 39 students (experimental group=20, control group=19). The study was separated into a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest portion (Phase 1) and a quantitative nonexperimental portion (Phases 2 and 3). The first purpose was to assess the effect of learning Arabic vocabulary in multiword form (experimental group), rather than in single form (control group), on the listening comprehension, while the second two purposes were used to examine the relationship between auditory knowledge and listening comprehension and how much of the listening comprehension is explained by auditory knowledge. The results showed that post-intervention listening comprehension was significantly higher in the experimental group (F(1,36)=6.80, p=.013). The results also showed that the correlation was significant and high between single-word score and ii listening comprehension at both pre- (r=.79, p<.001) and post-intervention (r=.80, p<.001), as well as between the post-intervention multi-word score and listening comprehension score (r=.84, p<.001). The regression analysis showed that the multi- word auditory knowledge scores positively predicted listening comprehension (β=.640, p=.002), but the single-word auditory knowledge score was not a significant predictor. The whole model was statistically significant (F(2,36)=46.74, R2=.72, p<.001). This study has implications for the fields of second language acquisition, listening comprehension, language research, and teaching methods. More research on learning vocabulary in lexical chunks would further expand the current understanding of this approach and its effect on listening comprehension. iii This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. Bassam Al-Maqtari May 20, 2021 Candidate Date Dissertation Committee M. Sedique Popal, EdD May 20, 2021 Chairperson Susan Roberta Katz, PhD May 20, 2021 Kevin Oh, PhD May 20, 2021 iv DEDICATION I dedicate my dissertation work to my beloved family members: my dear parents, whose love, commitment, and set of values shaped the person I am today; my loving wife, and my adored children; my wonderful siblings; and my many genuine friends. A special dedication goes to the loving memory of my father-in-law, who passed away while I was finalizing this work. He meant so much to me. Last but not least, I dedicate this work and give my special thanks to the men and women who sacrifice their time, energy, and lives to protect all of us and our freedom: a thank you does not seem enough. You are so appreciated, and I am so grateful for your service. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my Dissertation Committee members; Dr. Sedique Popal, Dr. Susan Roberta Katz, and Dr. Kevin Oh, for their astute guidance and valuable support during my challenging journey. These outstanding scholars supported me in every step of the way and encouraged me to see my complex and challenging work through to completion. Dr. Sedique Popal, the chair of the Dissertation Committee has been exceptionally supportive and always provided me with very meaningful insights and feedback; I thank him for making this journey possible and always being there for me. I am also grateful to Dr. Susan Roberta Katz for her valuable insights and guidance. Her unwavering support enabled me to strengthen the first chapter of this research. A special thank you to Dr. Kevin Oh, who helped me understand the limitations of my research and put my findings in perspective. I also thank Dr. Ben Baab who reviewed my work and provided me with crucial recommendations for strengthening the statistical analysis of the data I collected in this study. Additionally, I wish to express my special thanks to my colleagues at DLIFLC, Colonel Gary Hausman, Dr. Robert Savukinas, Dr. Hiam Kanbar, Dr. Ali Goldoust, Dr. Anjel Tozcu, Dr. Farooq Babrakzai, Dr. Timothy Berndt, Dr. Lorraine Miller-Nara, Ms. Natela Cutter, and Ms. Marzenna Krol who supported my research and made it possible. Above all, I would like to thank my family members who supported me throughout this endeavor. This would not have been possible without their love, support, perseverance, and encouragement. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii SIGNATURE PAGE ......................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x CHAPTER I: RESEARCH PROBLEM ..............................................................................1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................4 Background and Need for the Study .............................................................................11 Purpose Statement .........................................................................................................13 Research Questions .......................................................................................................14 Theoretical Framework .................................................................................................15 Delimitations and Limitations of the Study ..................................................................16 Definitions of Terms .....................................................................................................18 Significance of the Study ..............................................................................................21 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ..........................................................................23 What is Listening Comprehension ................................................................................23 The Role of Vocabulary in SLA ....................................................................................33 Language-Focused Instruction ......................................................................................37 Vocabulary Acquisition and Multiword Lexical Chunks ..............................................39 The Role of Vocabulary in Listening Comprehension ..................................................40 The Theory of Chunks and Lexical Approach ..............................................................42 Types of Lexical Phrases ...............................................................................................43 Collocations and Lexical Phrases in L2 Teaching ........................................................46 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................48 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................51 Restatement of the Research Purpose ...........................................................................51 Research