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Abstract This section provides an overview of the study focal points. The current study investigates the effectiveness of applying the tenets of the cognitive grammar approach within the context of SLA. Grammatical collocations of gerund and infinitive are selected as they pose a great challenge for EFL learners. The existing EFL curricula are of limited help because they provide simplified (formal or rule-based) explanations of the target constructions regardless of their conceptual form-meaning connections. Furthermore, the majority of studies addressing cognitive linguistics have been ultimately qualitative (e.g., Lindstromberg, 1996; Duffley, 2000; Duffley, 2003; Langacker, 2008a; 2008b; Niemeier & Reif, 2008; among others). With regard to the cognitive linguistics approach, it highlights the inherent form-meaning associations as well as the usage-based view of language. Some scholars claim that the cognitive nature of language can be very influential to L2ers (e.g., Achard, 2008, p. 451; Robinson & Ellis, 2008, p. 457; among others). Besides, cognitive linguistics is of great importance in L2 contexts as it has the potential of introducing a consistent and applicable theory to the syllabi, thereby guaranteeing the constancy of the learning processes along different aspects of language. The current study hypothesizes that bringing the tenets of the cognitive grammar model into classroom settings will be more effective for acquiring the target constructions than employing the traditional formal approach. Findings of the study point out that participants in the cognitive group outperformed their peers in the traditional and control groups in every task and in the total tasks. |