Implications of Using Corpus Tools in Primary and Secondary Education

This chapter will give a comparison of using computer corpora in primary and in secondary schools. It will compare information that was collected from primary school teachers and secondary school teachers about using computer corpora for language subjects on primary and secondary educational levels. Based on the given information, the chapter will provide an explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of using computer corpora in language learning on those two educational levels. The chapter will explore which educational levels have more possibilities for incorporating computer corpora in their teaching activities and how it can be used in the classroom with students.

Using Computer Corpora in Secondary School

This chapter will provide information and data about secondary schools and its teachers. The chapter will show in-depth interviews with teachers from secondary schools. The purpose of the in-depth interview is to research teacher needs, opinions, attitudes, values, and knowledge about computer corpora in general. The second goal is to explore in which way teachers in secondary schools would use computer corpora for creating teaching materials, exams, or language exercise. The aim of this chapter is to investigate if computer corpora can be implemented in secondary schools for teaching language subjects and in which way and for what students/grade it would be most eligible.

Using Computer Corpora in Primary School

This chapter will provide information and data about primary schools and its teachers who participated in the research. The chapter will show in-depth interviews with teachers from two primary schools in Croatia. The purpose of the in-depth interview is to research and analyze teacher needs, opinions, attitudes, values, and knowledge about computer corpora in general. The second goal is to explore in which way teachers in primary schools would use computer corpora for creating teaching materials, exams, or language exercise. The aim of this chapter is to investigate if computer corpora can be implemented in primary schools for teaching language subjects and in which way and for what students/grades it would be most eligible.

Methodology and Research

This chapter will give insight to used methodology and analysis for interpretation of conducted in-depth interviews with language teachers in primary and secondary schools in Croatia. This research is a case study about perceptions, attitudes, emotions, knowledge, and suggestions about use and implementation of computer corpora in teaching language learning in primary and secondary schools. In-depth interviews were conducted with four teachers who explore their existing knowledge about corpus linguistics and computer corpora. The research is based on language teachers' thoughts and experiences of how computer corpora can be incorporated into the teaching process of language learning. Results are implications (e.g., advantages and obstacles) for inclusion of corpus-based teaching in primary and secondary schools.

Types of Computer Corpora

This chapter will give an overview of different types of corpora and explain their differences. It will provide readers with different examples of computer corpora that are available to users and for which language analysis can be used. Based on differences of existing corpora, the chapter will show in which way users (language teachers) can use these corpora for creating teaching materials for their students. It will explain why certain types of corpora can be and are open educational resources that provide teachers with a large number of language examples. Additionally, the chapter will examine open source technology (e.g., available tools and programs for creating computer corpora).

Searching Methods for Corpora in NoSketch Engine

In this chapter, readers will get insight into a free online system for creating and searching corpora, NoSketch Engine, and its abilities. The chapter will provide valuable information about all corpus tools and functionality that users can use for conducting linguistic research, preparing teaching materials, exams, or exercise for their students. The basic syntax for querying corpus, a corpus query language (CQL), will be explored. Along with that, the chapter will provide examples of CQL syntax so that users can easier comprehend the basics for searching and exploring large language databases in different languages.

Corpus Tools and Technology

This chapter will give insight to available corpus tools that are free for end users and have open language databases with different types of texts. The main corpus tool that will be presented is NoSketch Engine, an online interface for searching, creating, and analyzing corpus data. The chapter will provide information about available corpora in NoSketch Engine and additional corpus tools that are available to users for conducting language analyses, preparing teaching materials, exploring and learning the language.

Conclusion and Further Research

The final chapter will give an overview of full research with its conclusions and implications of creating teaching materials, exercises, and exams with the use of computer corpora. It will explore future possibilities of using corpora and its tools in learning language subjects. The chapter will show research conclusions based on teacher experiences working with computer corpora and its tools to prepare their teaching units for language learning. This chapter will try to give an answer to the question, Does computer corpora have its future in language learning subjects in primary and secondary educational levels? Additionally, this chapter will present ideas for further research and existing limitations of this research.