All These Nouns Together Just Don’t Make Sense! - An Investigation of EAP Students’ Challenges with Complex Noun Phrases in First-Year College-Level Textbooks

Oct 15, 2026

Complex noun phrases (CNP) function as a key vehicle of academic written discourse, yet they are often neglected in preparatory English for Academic Purposes (EAP). This mixed-methods study examines how far CNP create syntactic parsing difficulties for upper-level first-year college EAP students and whether students perceive a need for direct CNP instruction. A proficiency test was delivered to 70 Ontario college EAP learners plus a native-speaker comparator group, with interviews triangulating results. Statistical and interview findings indicate CNP parsing challenges and support direct instruction to improve reading comprehension, alongside teaching implications.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and Context

Academic Language Complexity

Definition and Role of Complex Noun Phrases

Research Design and Data

Proficiency Test

Interviews

Analysis Approach

Findings and Implications

Parsing Challenges

Need for Direct Instruction

Teaching Implications

“All These Nouns Together Just Don’t Make Sense!”: An Investigation of EAP Students’ Challenges with Complex Noun Phrases in First-Year College-Level Textbooks Dmitri Priven Algonquin College Abstract Complex noun phrases (CNP) are a major vehicle of academic written discourse (Halliday, 1988 ; 2004) . However, in spite of the view that they pose significant challenges to English language learners, they are often overlooked in preparatory English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs. This mixed methods study aims to investigate to what extent CNP present syntactic parsing challenges for upper-level college EAP students, and whether there is a perceived need for direct instruction in CNP in EAP programs. A special CNP proficiency test was administered to 70 upper-level Ontario college EAP students and a native speaker comparator group, and the results were compared with those obtained from interviews with seven of the test-takers. The results obtained from the statistical analyses and the interviews indicate that CNP are challenging to parse for upper-level EAP students and that direct instruction in CNP may be beneficial for improving their reading comprehension. Some teaching implications of the findings are also addressed. Resumé Les groupes nominaux complexes (GNC) sont un vecteur important du discours écrit universitaire (Halliday, 1988; 2004) . Cependant, bien qu’on admette les difficultés qu’ils posent aux apprenant.e.s d’anglais, les GNC sont souvent peu pris en compte par les programmes préparatoires d'anglais sur objectifs universitaires (English for Academic Purposes ou EAP) . Cette étude à méthodologie mixte vise à déterminer dans quelle mesurea) les GNC présentent des défis d'analyse syntaxique pour les étudiant.e.s de l’enseignement collégial postsecondaire inscrit.e.s à des cours EAP avancés, et b) un enseignement explicite des GNC est perçu comme nécessaire. Un test de compétence spécifique aux GNC a été administré à 70 étudiant.e.s de cours EAP avancés d’un collège de l'Ontario et à un groupe comparatif composé de locuteurs natifs; les résultats au test ont été triangulés par le moyen d’entretiens avec sept participants. Les résultats obtenus à partir des analyses statistiques des tests et des entretiens indiquent que les GNC sont difficiles à analyser pour les étudiant.e.s des cours EAP avancés, et que l'enseignement explicite des GNC pourrait permettred’améliorer leur compréhension en lecture. Des pistes pédagogiques découlant des résultats sont également abordées. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics: 23, 1 (2020): 93-116 CJAL * RCLA Priven 94 “All These Nouns Together Just Don’t Make Sense!”: An Investigation of EAP Students’ Challenges with Complex Noun Phrases in First-Year College-Level Textbooks The challenges experienced by English language learners (ELLs) when dealing with academic discourse have been thoroughly documented over the past forty years (for a summary, see De Chazal, 2014) . One such challenge is the acquisition of specific features of complexity within academic English by ELLs (Schleppegrell, 2004) . This complexity is aptly captured by Zwiers (2006): Much more complex than a list of words and phrases to memorize, academic language embodies the cognitive, linguistic, cultural, and discipline-specific features of discourse found in school and beyond – in scientific, business, and other technical arenas. This is a double challenge for many students who are learning not only another language but also the academic dialect of that language. Closely related to issues of language are the dimensions of academic thinking: the ways in which experts from various disciplines approach their research and argumentation.(p. 317-318) . ELLs often have to understand and use authentic academic language along with their English-speaking peers in postsecondary institutions all over the English-speaking world. This paper addresses one feature of academic language: complex noun ph

FAQs

What problem does the study focus on regarding complex noun phrases (CNP)?

The study focuses on how complex noun phrases may create syntactic parsing challenges for upper-level college EAP students and whether students perceive a need for direct instruction in CNP.

How was students’ CNP proficiency assessed in the study?

A special CNP proficiency test was administered to 70 upper-level Ontario college EAP students and compared with a native-speaker comparator group.

What do the results suggest for EAP teaching?

The results from statistical analyses and interviews indicate that CNP are difficult to parse for upper-level EAP students and that direct instruction in CNP may improve their reading comprehension, with teaching implications discussed.

Oct 15, 2026

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