Quantifying and evaluating multi-word verb activities in adult EFL coursebooks: are they guided by applied linguistic research?

This study seeks to gauge the influence of applied linguistic research on EFL publishing by examining multi-word verb (MWV) content in a selection of coursebooks from four internationally renowned publishers. Focusing on explicit instruction, two parameters for MWV content are measured: the level of attention dedicated to the language feature, and the criteria followed for target language selection. Twelve CEFR B1-C1 coursebooks designed for adult education are selected for the study, and data is drawn from sections focused specifically on vocabulary and grammar instruction. The analysis reveals that few opportunities for explicit MWV practice are present in the sample, and content varies significantly between the coursebooks. A total of 47 MWV activities and 203 MWV lemmas are identified, with no coherent patterns found in the level of attention given to the language feature. Contrary to the author's predictions, the MWV activity count and total number of MWV lemmas covered per coursebook do not increase as CEFR levels rise. However, some trends are found with respect to target language selection methods. In total, there are five distinct criteria for selecting MWVs, namely input from reading and listening comprehension activities, thematic topics, metalanguage, and MWV components of lexical verb or particle. Analysis of the data indicates that the variables of publisher and CEFR level influence which criteria is followed. Overall, the findings correspond with previous research and underscore a lack of confluence between the applied linguistic literature and EFL coursebook development.