The Effectiveness of Corpus-aided Instruction to Improve Second Language College Students’ Academic Writing

Abstract

International second language (L2) students should learn word and phrasal combinations of disciplinary conventions in academic settings as a basic principle to enhance writing skills (Cortes, 2004; Hyland, 2008a, 2008b). The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using lexical bundles (the combination of words) in corpus-aided instructed second language acquisition (ISLA). This study employed a quasi-experimental research design to examine the effects of using lexical bundles in the L2 writing classes. Fifty L2 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university participated in this study. The results of the quasi-experimental research design with pre- and post-tests revealed that both intentional and incidental instructional modes were effective in improving their lexico-grammatical writing gains although the intentional learning intervention has a longer effect. This study is of significance due to the pedagogical value, the usefulness of lexical bundles in language teaching and the contribution to developing the transdisciplinary framework (The Douglas Fir Group, 2016) within the field of L2 composition and corpus linguistics in ISLA.