Korean EFL Learners’ Perceptions and Effective Strategies for Learning Collocations and Idioms

This study examines Korean EFL learners’ perceptions of English collocations and idioms and investigates the effectiveness of explicit instructional strategies. It also explores the role of AI integration, specifically ChatGPT, in enhancing vocabulary acquisition. Despite their importance, EFL learners often struggle with collocations and idioms due to L1 interference, limited exposure, and non-literal meanings. A mixed-methods approach was employed with 48 Korean university students divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received explicit instruction and participated in ChatGPT-based vocabulary activities, while the control group followed traditional instruction. Quantitative data from pretest and posttest were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, revealing statistically significant gains in the experimental group, which supports the efficacy of explicit instruction. Survey results indicated that learners regarded collocations and idioms as essential for language mastery across all four skills, fluency, and test preparation. They favored explicit strategies such as example-based and teacher-guided instruction, and responded positively to AI-assisted learning. Notably, female learners showed significantly more favorable attitudes toward the use of ChatGPT than their male counterparts. These findings underscore the pedagogical value of combining explicit instruction with AI tools to support EFL learners in acquiring collocations and idioms. (Pai Chai University)