Exploring the Role of Meaning-Focused and Form-Focused Instruction on L2 Collocation Learning: An Instructed SLA Approach to Vocabulary Learning

Considering the difficulty of acquiring lexical forms, it is important to offer effective vocabulary instruction especially in low-input contexts like Türkiye. Since studies exploring the role of Form-Focused Instruction (FFI) in vocabulary learning are rare, we explore the effects of Meaning-Focused Instruction (MFI) and FFI on L2 collocation learning. Ninety-three students with A2 level proficiency participated in the study in MFI, FFI and Control groups. Experimental groups were given reading comprehension tasks embedding twenty collocations. These collocations were enhanced through bold-facing, and dictionary use was allowed in FFI group. MFI group did the same task with no bold-facing and dictionary use. Control group only completed the tests. Findings revealed that experimental groups performed significantly better with no significant improvement in control group’s performance. A significant advantage of FFI over MFI was observed in form recognition and form recall tests highlighting the pedagogical importance of attention to form to acquire collocations.