Institutional Repository | Satya Wacana Christian University: Teaching Idiomatic Expressions for English Department Students of Satya Wacana Christian University: Students' Perspectives

TEACHING IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS FOR
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT STUDENTS OF SATYA WACANA
CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY: STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES
Ratna Widiarti

Abstract
In order to communicate naturally, it is necessary for English Department students to learn
idioms and use them in written or spoken speeches. In fact, English Department students’
abilities to use idiomatic expressions are very limited. Keeping this issue in mind, this paper
aims to present students’ perspectives toward learning and teaching idioms in order to find
the best way of learning idiomatic expressions so that it raises teachers’ creativities in
teaching and their willing to help their students learn idioms. In addition, this paper intends to
find what techniques teachers should use in teaching idiomatic expressions, which are helpful
to support their students learn idiomatic expressions. The 5 English Department students are
chosen as participants that are required to share their thought about learning idioms, their
own experiences in leaning idioms, and their thought about how their teachers should teach
them idioms. The results from the interviews reveal that students are interested in materials
that using idiomatic expressions, unfortunately there is no certain course that teaches idioms
specifically at The English Department. Mostly, the ways that students like to learn idioms
are by using media, by discussing, by remembering, and by practicing. Furthermore,
suggestions to teach idioms and help the students to learn idioms are provided throughout this

study.
Keywords: idioms, idiomatic expressions, teaching, learning, students’ perspectives