Educating educators about second language idiomaticity through action research

Idiomaticity is central to linguistic theory. Despite the pervasiveness of idioms in language,pedagogical articles in professional journals have yet to pay attention to the benefits of idiominstruction in the second language (SL) classroom. Addressing this concern, this article reports theresults of an exploratory qualitative research study conducted with sixteen SL university instructorsand two Language Program Directors (LPDs) at two large universities in the Southwest (United Statesof America) that explored teachers’ own knowledge and theories about SL idiomaticity. Survey andinterview data indicate that university instructors and LPDs share beliefs and assumptions about howbest to teach idioms and assess students’ knowledge of SL idiomaticity. It was concluded that bothuniversity instructors and LPDs have an important role to play in the development of idiom pedagogyand that such pedagogy can be greatly enhanced through action research. Recommendations areincluded for further study of the issues surrounding SL idiomaticity, and teaching implications areconsidered for the development of meaningful pedagogical practices suitable for the promotion ofidiomatic learning.

کلیدواژه ها:

SL idiomaticity and idiomatic competence ، knowledge about language ، beliefs andassumptions concerning SL idiomaticity ، qualitative research ، professional development and actionresearch ، reconstruction of a new public theory ، linguistic and cultural training ، development of idiomtheory and pedagogy