FROM MEANING RECOGNITION TO CONTEXTUAL USE: AN ADAPTIVE APPROACH TO ENGLISH IDIOM TEACHING

English idioms constitute an important component of communicative language competence, yet they remain challenging for EFL learners because their figurative meanings cannot always be understood from the meanings of their individual words. Traditional approaches to idiom teaching often emphasize memorization and recognition of meanings, which may not enable learners to use idiomatic expressions appropriately in authentic communication. This paper proposes an adaptive approach that moves learners progressively from meaning recognition to contextual interpretation, controlled production, independent use, and transfer to new communicative situations. The approach provides different levels of teacher support according to learners’ performance and gradually increases task complexity. The proposed model aims to promote deeper idiom learning and facilitate the development of contextual and communicative competence in EFL learners.