The use of formulaic language by English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in writing proficiency exams

This study investigates the ways EFL learners use formulaic language that is taught in their curriculum through course books when taking writing proficiency exams and whether there is a relationship between their formulaic language use and their scores of coherence, total writing and overall proficiency. The study was carried out with 150 EFL learners with the same exit level of proficiency at Yıldız Technical University, the School of Foreign Languages. In order to explore how formulaic language was used by the participants, a content analysis of the course books was carried out to determine the target formulaic language list and their frequency of occurrence in the books. Following that, a content analysis of the participants’ writing proficiency exam papers was conducted so as to see their formulaic language use. The results of the two content analyses were compared to draw conclusions. In order to find a possible relationship between the students’ formulaic language use and their scores of coherence, total writing and overall proficiency, the scores that the students have received for coherence and total writing in the final writing proficiency exam and their overall proficiency score at the end of the academic year were taken into consideration. The results of the content analyses conducted by counting the number of formulaic expressions presented in the course books and used by the students in the writing proficiency exam revealed that the students mostly used the formulaic expressions that were more frequently represented in the course books accurately while the expressions they used inaccurately were less represented in the course books. The data gained through the analysis of the relationship between the students’ formulaic language use and their coherence, total writing and overall proficiency scores revealed that there was no statistically significant relationship between the related variables implying that the concepts are not directly interconnected. These findings suggest that the students use formulaic language taught in their curriculum through course books; however, their formulaic language use is not related to their scores of coherence, total writing and overall proficiency. In light of the findings, the study provides insights into the future teaching practices in regards to formulaic language. It also offers implications for all stakeholders such as administrators, language instructors, and curriculum and material developers in order to design curricula, develop materials, and conduct classes accordingly.