VIETTESOL INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 2025

Learning English idioms is important because they improve English learning skills, help students communicate better, understand cultural differences, and express their ideas more naturally. Two methods of learning idioms discussed in our study are "etymological elaboration", which involves exploring the historical context of idioms, and "rote memorization", which entails repetition without deep analysis. By examining how well the seniors comprehend and apply idioms using these methods, our study seeks to provide evidence-based insights to enhance English idioms learning strategies. We worked with 120 students, dividing them into two groups based on these 2 idiom learning methods: one used etymological elaboration, and the other used rote memorization. The study follows steps like developing questions, selecting students, giving tests, analyzing results, and summarizing data. Based on 120 responses, participants learning idioms by employing etymological elaboration achieved superior scores in comprehension and application compared to those who solely relied on memorization. Notably, a significant proportion of students who understood idiom origins attained perfect scores, suggesting that this method fosters long-term retention. While the study had some limits, like a small group size and narrow test content, it still points to the value of using etymology to improve idiom learning.
Keywords: English idioms, Etymological elaboration, Rote memorization