Towards the development of a grammar checker and its utilization in the teaching of Modern Greek as mother tongue

Abstract

Abstract The goal of the current study is the exploration of the standardization of grammatical errors through templates, a process that ultimately led to the development of a Grammar Checker for Modern Greek, an electronic tool for the automatic recognition and correction of grammatical errors. Moreover, the study investigates the utilization of such a tool in a classroom setting and its contribution to the teaching of mother tongue. The participants of the study were secondary school students and main results showed that errors they made in text production activities could be categorized as errors of mechanics, grammar, and usage through certain templates, which then lead to the development of a Grammar Checker for Modern Greek. Moreover, we also found other errors that could not be analysed and categorized using the theory of taxonomy of errors by Ho, i.e. style: forms—learned forms and semantic. Additionally, the participants highlighted that the specific tool has advantages for the teaching of mother tongue. Implications for the methodology of Grammar Checkers’ development and their use in the teaching of mother tongue, generally, are discussed.