Chapter One Introduction
1.1 Background of Research
After lengthy period of being preoccupied with the development of grammaticalcompetence, language teachers and applied linguistic researchers now generally recognizethe importance of vocabulary learning and are exploring ways of promoting it moreeffectively. Unfortunately however，in the language learning and teaching process，it hasbecome deeply rooted that language is a rule-governed system and if the rules are notlearned, the language is not likely to be acquired. It is now known to all that this idea is soat odds with the way both first and second languages are learned that there is no point inhanging on to it as any kind of model for learning. To be efficient, learning must reflect thenature of the content that is learned. Language is proven to be a mixture of the totally novel，the absolutely fixed，the relatively fixed，and all held together with fairly simple structureswhich are called grammar. The largest learning load，the one which is never complete，evenfor native speakers, is mastering the lexicon. Within the lexicon, collocation is one of thebiggest definable areas to which all learners need to be introduced from their very firstlesson.Many researchers have contributed theoretical works to further understand collocation,among whom，Palmer, Firth, and Sinclair are the leading figures at different stages.The very concept of collocation is first introduced by Palmer (1933), who weightsbetween several alternatives including collocation, idiom, heteroseme, phrase, formula, andfinally decides on the word collocation. Palmer also suggests that collocations should belearned as an integral whole，instead of by assembling each component together.
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1.2 Objectives of Research
Collocation is pervasive in texts of various kinds，and college learners will benefitsubstantially once they acquire collocations. Systematic and helpful collocation teachingmethods must be advanced based on well-considered and objective analyses of possibletheories. The research is therefore a test of two hypotheses relative to three differentcollocation teaching methods，namely, the traditional collocation teaching method, theinput-only method，and the input plus output method. Hypothesis
1: both input-only andinput plus output method produce better teaching results than the traditional collocationmethod; Hypothesis
2: input plus output method are better than input-only method.
Toverify the two hypotheses, the research questions to be answered are as follows:
1. Which better promotes reading accuracy, teaching collocations holistically orteaching collocations based on individual word?
2. Which collocation teaching method is better able to Enhance reading accuracy,input-only method or input plus output method?
3. Which factors help to make the collocation teaching methods work moreeffectively?
In order to answer the above-mentioned questions，this research deals withmethodological discussions so as to offer insights into collocation teaching methods, andfigure out the factors affecting these methods.
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Chapter Two Literature Review
2.1 Introduction to Collocation
Collocation is variously called "multi-words items", "formulaic sequences", "lexicalbundles", “lexical phrases", "prefabs”，"chunks" and etc. considering both theoretical andanalytical perspectives (Erman and Warren, 2000). Given the diverse labels attached to itand its complicated nature, the primary and perhaps most challenging question involvingthe nature of collocations is that characteristics of collocation must be more strictly definedto allow reliability in further researches with it Put in another words，there must be somekind of constraints on the potential variable slots in a collocation in terms of the kinds ofsubstitute available in the slots. If there are too many possible substitutions, the attempt tounderstand and make the most of collocation will be hurt. Many attempts have been madeso as to define it，most of which, however, fall into two main perspectives; thefrequency-based perspective or statistically oriented perspective, and phraseologicalperspective or significance-oriented perspective.
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2.2 Collocation Acquisition
In spite of the pervasiveness and importance of collocations for language learning,most college students, however, still equate vocabulary accumulation with learning newand more difficult words. Often this can mean the words are also more obscure andcorrespondingly of limited use to learners. The main thrust of vocabulary teaching andlearning should be firstly，a shift of mode from word-based vocabulary learning tocollocation-based one; secondly, to help learners to restructure the words with which theyare already partly familiar in an effort to promote their collocational competence. By theintermediate level，college students should be autonomous learners and should haveunderstood that learning a new word without learning its collocates together is a waste oftime, or at least very inefficient. It's time for college students to attach importance tocollocation building and learning collocation holistically，otherwise，even if they arefamiliar with words coffee, table’ book，deep’ water, kick’ still they are quite unlikely tofigure out the expressions like a coffee-table book; in deep water; The economic recoverykicks in.
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Chapter Three Research Design ......... 30
3.1 Research question......... 30
3.2 Subject.........32
3.3 Instrument......... 34
3.4 Experimental Procedure......... 38
3.5 Data Analysis......... 38
Chapter Four Results and Discussion......... 40
4.1 Research Findings .........40
4.2 Pedagogical Implications......... 43
4.2.1 Raise Students' Awareness of Collocation......... 43
4.2.2 Attach Importance to Both Implicit Learning and Explicit Learning......... 44
4.2.3 Output .........44
Chapter Five Conclusion and Suggestion......... 46
5.1 Conclusion......... 46
5.2 Limitations......... 47
5.3 Suggestions for Further Research......... 48
Chapter Four Results and Discussion
4.1 Research Findings
Through examining the data analysis, it can be noted that: Compared with traditional collocation teaching, method which makes little explicitattempt to raise the awareness that collocation is critical in language study, andcollocation should be processed and retrieved holistically，the input-only method isbetter able to affect the reading accuracy in terms of total score, score of banked cloze,score of cloze，score of multiple-choice question, and score of short-answer question. In comparison with traditional collocation teaching method which makes littleexplicit attempt to raise the awareness that collocation is critical in language study，and collocation should be processed and retrieved as a whole，the input plus outputmethod does help the Property Management class improve its reading accuracy interms of total score, score of banked cloze, score of cloze, and score ofmultiple-choice question. However, according to the data analysis there is no evidencethat score of short-answer question has enhanced because of the implementation ofinput plus output method.
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Conclusion
Learning collocation is of great significance for learners to improve their languageproficiency. Language is complicated and varies forever, adjusting to be appropriate to thesituation where it is used. Collocation stands at the intersection in term of structure,function, and use. It provides learners with a vast and effective repertoire of basic,pervasive language units in both language reception and production，the learning of it willlargely accelerate the automatic processing and conscious or subconscious retrieval oflanguage. It is therefore worth recommending to language teaching practitioners andlearners of intermediate level of proficiency alike that they should make collocationlearning an important element in language programs, explore how help learn this aspect ofthe language more independently and effectively，how to adapt appropriate methods so asto most the most of collocation.
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Reference (omitted)