Possible Effects of Free on Line Data Driven Lexicographic Instruments on Foreign Language Learning: The Case of Linguee and the Interactive Language Toolbox

Although there is a rich body of literature about the implementation of ICTs in foreign language learning, none has investigated the technological attitudes and digital skills of pre-service teachers thanks to the adoption of a Project-Based Learning (PBL) methodology. This study analyses the attitudes and digital skills of pre-service teachers through the implementation of ICT-based projects in the EFL classroom. For this purpose, 120 teacher candidates at the University of Alicante (Spain) participated in this experiment. First, all students were administered a pretest to measure the degree of technological affinity and digital skills. Then, they were divided into smaller groups (cooperative learning) in order to design and create several ICT-based projects aimed at teaching English as a foreign language to children and young learners. All the participants later presented their projects and evaluated the results (peer-evaluation) from a technical and pedagogical perspective. Finally, they completed a post-test based on their self-perceived learning outcomes in relation to ICT integration. The results revealed significant learning gains in digital and higher-order thinking skills (create, analyse, evaluate). Teaching candidates show a positive attitude towards the integration of ICTs in the EFL classroom but demand better training as regards the adoption of new technologies, particularly given the current situation and the need for increased on-line teaching.

Download Full-text

Vocabulary learning through data-driven learning in the context of Spanish as a foreign language

Research in Corpus Linguistics ◽

10.32714/ricl.07.02 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 18-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gang Yao

Keyword(s):

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Longitudinal Design ◽

Vocabulary Learning ◽

Foreign Language Learning ◽

Data Driven ◽

Future Application ◽

Traditional Learning ◽

Significant Difference

An increasing number of studies have shown the potential associations between corpus work and second language acquisition and teaching. Some research, for example, explores the effect of data-driven learning (DDL, Johns 1991) in the context of foreign language learning. Up till now, however, empirical quantitative studies on the topic have been limited, especially with respect to foreign languages other than English. In order to bridge this gap, a quasi-experimental longitudinal design was used in the present study to examine whether there is a statistically significant difference between the DDL approach to vocabulary learning and more traditional learning methods (e.g., dictionary approach) in the context of Spanish as a foreign language (SFL) by Chinese students. The study further gauged students’ attitude towards DDL activities. The results of two post-tests revealed that the DDL group of students significantly outperformed the group of students following a traditional learning method. Furthermore, a questionnaire assessment collected from the experimental group showed that the respondents generally favored DDL and adopted a positive attitude towards its future application to Spanish learning.

Download Full-text

Learner corpora, corpora of professional translations and creative writing in a course on translation of general texts: an action research project

Cadernos de Tradução ◽

10.5007/2175-7968.2016v36nesp1p121 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 121

Author(s):

María Teresa Sánchez Nieto

Keyword(s):

Action Research ◽

Creative Writing ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Foreign Language Learning ◽

Qualitative Change ◽

Data Driven ◽

Action Research Project ◽

Research Project ◽

Past Tenses

http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7968.2016v36nesp1p121This paper describes the design of a small action research project conducted in a course on translation of general texts from German into Spanish. The project methodology combines creative writing techniques with those of data-driven learning put forward by Johns (1991) for foreign language learning and applied by Laviosa (2014, in press) to translator training, as well as with the methods of corpus use for learning to translate proposed by Marco and Van Lawick (2009). The aim of the project is threefold: (i) raising the students’ awareness on the possibility of interference between German and Spanish past tenses when translating narrative sequences; (ii) allowing the students practicing data-driven learning about translation issues, and (iii) observing if these interventions bring about a qualitative change in their translation performance, specifically in the decrease of interference when translating narrative sequences with past tenses from German into Spanish. In the paper, special attention will be paid to the theoretical basis of the project, as well as to the methodological decisions involved in its design.

Download Full-text