Background
Idioms are one of learning materials that students need to comprehend especially for Estonian secondary school students. Idioms are confusing for non-native speakers. Therefore, the researcher would like to identify the factors influencing the students’ comprehension on Idiomatic problems. The students needed to understand the native speakers on the idiomatic phrases used in speaking annd writing, therefore they had to improve their language mastery of idioms on both oral and written discourse produced by native speakers of English language.
Research Questions
RQ1: How are idioms addressed in the Foreign Languages (FL) subject field in the NCUSS (2011)?
RQ2: How are idioms dealt with in U/S INT B2 student’s book (2008), one of the widely used EFL cousebooks in Estonian secondary schools?
RQ3: Where is the gap in the coursebook’s approach to teaching idioms and how could it be filled in?
Method
In this study, the researcher surveyed three English teachers and 48 students by using questionnaires. The writer conducted the process of designing materials, overviews the structure and content of the idiom worksheets designed and the details of the evaluation and guidance phases.
Finding
Based on the data analysis obtained in this study, it can be concluded that the teachers generally approved of the supplementary study materials developed for learning idioms by Estonian secondary school students and that the students surveyed would rather like the idiom activities piloted in their schools, eventhough the fact, less than a quarter of the questionnaires determined the less interesting worksheet tasks. The students’ responses to the questions were used for measuring the interest of the activities designed revealed that the respondents’ majority of the activities find the most interesting consists in discussing and learning the meanings of idiomatic expressions.
Strength
Three English teachers stated that language instruction to Estonian secondary school students in the city of Tartu indicated the suitability of the developed study materials for teaching and learning purposes.
Weakness
The latter finding can be interpreted as an indication of the students’ negative perceptions of writing, their lack of motivation to write, and their poor writing skills in EFL caused by less of practices.
Conclusion
The aim of the present thesis was to develop a set of idiom worksheets for Estonian secondary school learners of English to gain students’ demand to comprehend, practise, and produce English language idioms. One of the inferences drawn from the teachers’ responses was that the study materials generally fulfilled their primary aims. Furthermore, all three teachers will implement them in class. Finally, the students’ survey results likewise revealed a positive perception of the learning idiom activities. Most of students agreed that they acquired the use of idioms learned, it’s similarly stated by the teachers as well.
