An Effective Way to Use Corpus Exercises to Learn Grammar Basics in English

Abstract

Computer-based data driven learning (DDL) is becoming gradually more prevalent in L2 classrooms, and studies have shown that DDL exercises can be effective even at the beginner level in teaching vocabulary and grammar (Chujo & Oghigian, 2006, 2008). In addition, paperbased DDL studies are gaining ground (Boulton, 2008b), so that even without computers, students are able to explore concordance lines to identify recurring grammatical features and word derivations and to learn how to induce generalizations from the samples to the language in general. In this study, the researchers have developed a series of computer-based and paperbased DDL exercises focused on grammar basics and using a four-step approach that is both inductive and deductive. Course evaluations indicate statistically significant gains in most areas, and students report an overall positive rating on questionnaires. The benefits of data driven learning (DDL) or corpus-based exercises in the L2 classroom are widely recognized. Leech tells us that “... the corpus, as an information source, fits in very well with the dominant trend...from teaching as imparting knowledge to teaching as mediated learning” (1997, p. 2); others point to advantages of using DDL: authenticity; active, studentcentered learning where the learner has control of the learning process; and the powerful and motivating discovery aspect in which the learner acts as researcher (Braun, 2008; Huang, 2008; Hunston, 2002; Johns, 1994; O’Keefe, McCarthy, & Carter, 2007; Stevens, 1995). There is no question that corpus-based learning is gaining ground in second language acquisition; however, Boulton’s (2008a) survey of 50 DDL studies shows only four at the beginner level. Corpus use at the beginning level, either directly on computers or with paper-based material, is the focus of this study. In the first section of this paper, several considerations for using DDL in the beginner level L2 classroom are provided. Next, examples of computer-based and paper-based vocabulary and grammar exercises are given in the second section. These exercises have been used in the Nihon University Study, described in the third section. In the final section, the advantages and disadvantages of computer-based and paper-based corpus exercises are discussed. Language Education in Asia, 2010, 1(1), 200-214. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/10/V1/A17/Oghigian_Chujo Language Education in Asia, Volume 1, 2010 Oghigian and Chujo Page 201 Considerations for DDL in the Beginner L2 Classroom The authors posit that DDL can be successful with beginner level students, although there are several important considerations. Choosing an appropriate corpus. The first and arguably most essential consideration for classroom DDL exercises is choosing the appropriate corpus with regard to size, relevance, and accessibility. Size. The largest and certainly most accessible corpus is “the Internet,” estimated at 100 trillion words in 2007 by Peter Norvig, Director of Research at Google (Norvig, 2007). The use of an immense corpus this size risks “drowning [learners] in data” (Tribble, 1997, p. 2); this risk is present even with corpora of only a few million words. Comparatively smaller corpora, such as the British National Corpus (BNC) with 100 million words, or the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) with 410 million words, can be somewhat more manageable. With these corpora, it is easier to narrow the focus to a particular and more practical language function, context, or register. For example, Biber (2009) points out that conversation generally contains numerous embedded clauses, whereas writing contains many more phrases, especially noun phrases. Therefore, the focus of a communication or writing class might be directed to smaller and more relevant, specialized spoken or written corpora, respectively. Sub-corpora can further narrow the focus to types of spoken or written discourse, for example, academic discourse (e.g., from the Michigan Corpus of Academic Spoken English (MICASE)), or academic-sourced writing (e.g., the COCA academic register). Tribble (1997) advocates creating micro-corpora, but this may be overly ambitious for many teachers, particularly given copyright issues, and may be unnecessary, given the accessibility of many corpora and corpus tools. It is also important to note that with a corpus that is too small, there may not be a sufficient number of examples for learners to see a pattern. A sample of corpora and corpus tools is shown in Table 1; for a comprehensive list of corpora, corpus tools and related information, see David Lee’s Bookmarks for Corpus-based Linguists website.