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The study investigated how Korean EFL adult learners successfully inferred the meanings of unknown idioms from a story using the think-aloud protocol, focusing on the strategies and knowledge sources employed. Findings showed that over half of the inferences were successful, especially among advanced-level learners. However, success was more related to inter-individual differences than proficiency levels. Effective strategies and knowledge sources included ‘analyzing,’ ‘idiom repeating,’ and ‘self-inquiry,’ and ‘L1, world, and discourse knowledge’. Notably, success depended more on the types of strategies than their quantity, while the quantity of knowledge sources was more crucial than their quality. Specific strategies and knowledge sources were often combined for successful inferences. The study highlights the importance of contextual reading and tailored instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners at different levels.
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- Publisher :The Modern Linguistic Society of Korea
- Publisher(Ko) :한국현대언어학회
- Journal Title :The Journal of Studies in Language
- Journal Title(Ko) :언어연구
- Volume : 40
- No :3
- Pages :351-377
- DOI :https://doi.org/10.18627/jslg.40.3.202411.351