EFL students’ chronic deficiency of semantic genericity and specificity of bare plurals and indefinite articles: The quantifying way as a contemporary solution

Adelina Asmawi () and Md. Saiful Alam ()

International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies, 2025, vol. 8, issue 3, 30-36

Abstract: The purpose of the study is to address the persistent challenges non-native English learners face with article systems by introducing and evaluating a novel pedagogical method for teaching indefinite articles. The study developed a "quantifying method," grounded in the semantic premise of noun phrase (NP) countability and the interaction of quantifying elements within English articles. This method was applied to teach indefinite articles ('a/an' and 'zero/null') to 15 EFL students over two weeks. Pre-test and post-test performance scores were analyzed using paired sample t-tests to measure the method's impact. Findings revealed that the quantifying method significantly improved students’ overall acquisition of indefinite articles, with higher performance noted for 'a/an' compared to 'zero/null'. The results highlight the effectiveness of the quantifying method as a targeted instructional tool for overcoming the difficulties of teaching English indefinite articles. The implications of the study recommend a validated, innovative approach to EFL grammar instruction that can be integrated into language teaching practices to enhance learner outcomes.

Keywords: Bare plurals; Indefinite articles; Quantifying method; Semantic genericity; Specific reference; Teaching articles; Generic reference. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aac:ijirss:v:8:y:2025:i:3:p:30-36:id:6426

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