Collocational Competence

Objective: Enhancing collocational competence, alongside improving learner motivation and autonomy, is a cornerstone of effective EFL instruction. Despite the well-documented affordances of corpus-based tools, particularly concordancers, in supporting various aspects of language development, their integration into mainstream language pedagogy is surprisingly limited. In response to this pedagogical oversight, the present study explores the efficacy of the concordancing software AntConc in advancing Iranian EFL learners’ development of collocations, long-term retention, self-directed learning, and motivational engagement. Methods: Sixty intermediate-level learners were employed and then assigned to either a control or experimental group. Over a five-week intervention, participants in the experimental group engaged in practical corpus analysis using AntConc, working directly with authentic English language data. In contrast, the control group followed a traditional, teacher-centered instructional model. To capture the intervention’s impact, the study employed a combination of pre-tests, post-tests, delayed post-tests, and self-report questionnaires. Results: The findings revealed significant developments in all measured domains for the experimental group, as confirmed by t-tests, mixed-design ANOVA, and Mann–Whitney U tests. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the use of concordancing was more effective than conventional approaches in enhancing learners' knowledge and long-term recall of collocations. Furthermore, it contributed to increased motivation and autonomy by fostering a more engaged, discovery-oriented approach to learning.