Abstract:
Polysemous prepositions, which express various meanings, represent a real challenge for
students. The many meanings of these words have always been pedagogically treated in a
piecemeal fashion and as largely arbitrary, or they have not been given the proper attention
they deserve. This makes their learning more complicated because learners keep on
experiencing difficulty with their semantics. However, the use of a new way to teach
polysemous prepositions such as applying image-schemas seems to be very promising. The
present study aims at presenting the characteristics of the semantics of polysemous
prepositions and examining the efficacy of image-schema-based instruction on learning the
semantics of the English prepositions above, across, in, on, out, over and through which serve
as representative examples. It also investigates the students’ attitudes towards the usefulness
of this form of instruction through administering a Students’ Questionnaire. Eighty students
studying English as a foreign language at the University “Frères Mentouri”, Constantine 1
were chosen randomly. They were divided into a Control Group and an Experimental Group.
Comparisons of the pre-test and post-test results show that the group who received instruction
based on image-schemas experienced a change in their understanding and use of the
semantics of the target prepositions. The analysis of the Students’ Questionnaire also reveals
that the students held positive attitudes towards the use of image-schema-based instruction.
On the basis of the results of the Students’ Questionnaire and the Experiment, it can be
deduced that image-schema-based instruction plays an important role in improving the
learning of polysemous prepositions, and it can serve as a vital tool in teaching them. This
study provides evidence for the importance of dealing with polysemous prepositions and how
revisiting the way they are taught through applying image-schema-based instruction can bring
forth a new breath to their learning.
