SUBJECT-VERB CONCORD PROFICIENCY AMONG EFL BOSNIAN STUDENTS

Forfattere

  • Melisa Bureković Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Šejla Perenda Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Edina Rizvić-Eminović Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v12i1.5804

Nøgleord:

subject-verb concord, EFL, B2 and C1 level of English proficiency

Resumé

This study explores the application of subject-verb concord rules among Bosnian EFL students, focusing on the influence of proficiency level, academic performance in grammar-related subjects, and preferences for American or British English. Guided by three research questions, the study examines whether students’ general language proficiency impacts their ability to correctly apply subject-verb concord rules, whether there is a correlation between their grammar course grades and performance on a concord-focused questionnaire, and whether students demonstrate a preference for American or British English concord rules. The research involved 41 university students with proficiency levels of B2 and C1. The findings reveal that students’ proficiency levels and grammar score grades do not significantly influence their application of subject-verb concord rules. Despite demonstrating a good overall understanding, students frequently struggled with specific categories, such as plural nouns and coordination with or/nor. Additionally, the results indicate a notable preference for American English concord rules over British English. These findings underscore the pedagogical importance of subject-verb concord and highlight the need for targeted instructional strategies to address persistent errors. The study also emphasizes the value of error analysis in identifying interlingual influences and improving language learning materials.

 

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Forfatterbiografier

  • Melisa Bureković, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Melisa Burekovic (PhD) is an Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She started her teaching career in primary and secondary schools and eventually moved into teaching in higher education. She earned her MA and PhD in Linguistics from the University of Sarajevo, with her doctoral thesis focusing on the intricate study of negative polarity items in English and their syntactic behavior. Melisa has nineteen years of teaching experience at the higher education level. Her research interests are deeply rooted in the descriptive and theoretical syntax of English, corpus linguistics, and contrastive analysis, emphasizing their practical implications for language learning and teaching.

    https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4036-9729

  • Šejla Perenda, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Šejla Perenda earned her BA degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is currently an MA student at the same university.

  • Edina Rizvić-Eminović, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Edina Rizvić-Eminović (PhD) is an Associate Professor in the English Language and Literature Department at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She earned her MA and PhD degrees in Linguistics from the University of Sarajevo. Her research interests and published articles revolve around contrastive analysis, ELT methodology and corpus linguistics. She is an active member of the Society for the Advancement of Applied Linguistics in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SAALinBiH) and the Society for the Study of English in Bosnia and Herzegovina (DAuBiH).

    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7629-3984

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Publiceret

2025-02-11

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Årg. 12 Nr. 1 (2025)

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