Scaffolding EFL learners’ use of high CV and low CV collocations: Concordancing revisited

Collocations have the potential to differentiate native speakers from non-native ones clearly (Nation, 2001). Many studies have explored the effect of different teaching techniques on collocations in the context of concordancing. The present study investigated the influence of concordancing and scaffolding on Iranian intermediate English learners’ use of high CV and low CV collocations. Three experimental groups received a 10-session treatment during which the participants had access to concordancing under symmetrical, asymmetrical, and no-scaffolding conditions. The control group, however, received neither concordancing nor scaffolding. Two parallel sets of story writing and paraphrasing tasks were given in the immediate and delayed posttests to measure the influence of the treatments. Results indicated that the experimental groups outperformed the control group significantly in producing high CV and low CV collocations. However, no statistically significant difference was observed between high CV and low CV collocations as a result of concordancing and scaffolding.