Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, Oct 1, 2013
In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted with regard to communication strategy tr... more In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted with regard to communication strategy training and performance on communicative tasks (Lam, 2009; Nakatani, 2010; Naughton, 2006). This study aims to add to the literature by examining how two strategies, clarifying/confirming and extending a conversation, and two methods of teaching the strategies, affected the interactional sequences and overall group discussion performance of EFL students at a university in Japan. Pre and posttreatment small-group discussions were recorded for assessment, and a stimulated recall interview was administered to determine the participants' perceptions of their learning and language use. Posttest results reveal that the experimental groups
The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with p... more The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.
Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned, and the employment of patte... more Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned, and the employment of patterned language has been linked to processing advantages with respect to listening and reading, which has implications for perceptions of fluency. The last 20 years has seen an increase in the integration of corpus-based language learning, or data-driven learning (DDL), as a supporting feature in EFL/ESL curricula. Most research has investigated student attitudes of DDL as tool to facilitate writing. Other studies, though notably fewer, have taken a quantitative perspective of the efficacy of DDL as a tool to facilitate the inductive learning of grammar rules. The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to present an EFL curriculum built around DDL; 2) to investigate student attitudes toward such an approach to language learning; and 3), to gauge the student efficacy in the appropriate employment of learned phrases. Student attitudes were investigated via a questionnaire and then triangulated through interviews and student logs. The findings indicate that students believe DDL to be a useful and educational tool in the classroom. However, they do note some difficulties related to DDL such as encountering unfamiliar vocabulary and cutoff concordance lines. Finally, questions are raised as to the students' ability to embed learned phrases in a pragmatically appropriate way.
Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned. The use of patterned langua... more Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned. The use of patterned language has been linked to processing advantages with respect to listening and reading, which has implications for perceptions of fluency. The last twenty years has seen an increase in the integration of corpus-based language learning, or data-driven learning (DDL), as a supporting feature in teaching English as a foreign / second language (EFL/ESL). Most research has investigated student attitudes towards DDL as a tool to facilitate writing. Other studies, though notably fewer, have taken a quantitative perspective of the efficacy of DDL as a tool to facilitate the inductive learning of grammar rules. The purpose of this study is threefold: (1) to present an EFL curriculum designed around DDL with the aim of improving spoken fluency; (2) to gauge how effective students were in employing newly discovered phrases in an appropriate manner; and (3) to investigate student attitudes toward such an approach to language learning. Student attitudes were investigated via a questionnaire and then triangulated through interviews and student logs. The findings indicate that students believe DDL to be a useful and effective tool in the classroom. However, students do note some difficulties related to DDL, such as encountering unfamiliar vocabulary and cutoff concordance lines. Finally, questions are raised as to the students' ability to embed learned phrases in a pragmatically appropriate way.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to crimina... more Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. Contents List of Examples vii List of Tables and Figures x 1 Introduction 1 Part I General Considerations in Writing about Quantitative Research 2 Writing about Research Design 11 3 Reliability, Validity and Ethics 25 4 Writing about Participants 36
In the present study, we take a longitudinal, corpus‐based perspective to investigate short‐term ... more In the present study, we take a longitudinal, corpus‐based perspective to investigate short‐term (over 9 months) linguistic change in the language produced for the spoken and written sections of the TOEFL iBT® test by a group of English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (EFL) learners in China. The goal of the study is to identify patterns that characterize the trajectory that language learners move through in terms of their use of phrasal and clausal grammatical complexity, as mediated by mode (spoken and written) and task type (independent and integrated). Results of a multidimensional analysis reveal that in many cases, learners developed in expected ways: discourse styles at Time 1 were not always aligned with mode‐ and task type‐specific discourse patterns but developed over time, with discourse styles at Time 2 better approximating expected norms and exhibiting increased task differentiation. These changes were particularly noteworthy for Dimension 1, which is related to phrasal and clausal complexity. Results of a developmental complexity analysis revealed more mixed results, seeming to indicate that the relatively low‐proficiency learners represented by the longitudinal corpus may just be beginning on the hypothesized paths of development. The most important developments occurred for independent writing, in which students exhibited increases in the frequency of phrasal features, as well as functional expansion in the use of a range of complexity features.
This dissertation investigates the frequency, semantic, and functional characteristics of recurre... more This dissertation investigates the frequency, semantic, and functional characteristics of recurrent, or highly frequent, discontinuous formulaic language in a learner corpus of argumentative and literary essays. Discontinuous sequences of words, or ‘frames’, are recurrent sequences of words that have one or more variable slots. For example, in the * of and it is * to are frames where the asterisks represent variable slots in the sequences of words. A corpus of English argumentative essays authored by native speakers of English, Japanese, and Spanish is analyzed using modern methods in corpus linguistics to determine which frames are used frequently. Frequent frames are compared between the first language (L1) groups to investigate trends in structure, frequency, and variability. The focus of analysis then narrows to a group of 30 recurrent frames comprised of only function words, that is, function word frames such as in the * of, the * of the, and to the * that where the fixed slots...
This study investigates the effect that reference corpora of different registers have on the cont... more This study investigates the effect that reference corpora of different registers have on the content of keyword lists. The study focusses on two target corpora and the keyword lists generated for each when using three distinct reference corpora. The two target corpora consist of published research by faculty at two PhD-granting programs in applied linguistics in North America. The reference corpora comprise published research in applied linguistics, newspaper and magazine articles, and fiction texts, respectively. The findings suggest that while common keywords representing each target corpus emerge regardless of the reference corpus used in the analysis, there are also substantial differences. Primarily, using a reference corpus of the same sub-register as the target corpus better highlights content unique to each target corpus while using a reference corpus of a different register better uncovers words that reflect the register that the target corpora represent. Implications for c...
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2013
In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted with regard to communication strategy tr... more In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted with regard to communication strategy training and performance on communicative tasks (Lam, 2009; Nakatani, 2010; Naughton, 2006). This study aims to add to the literature by examining how two strategies, clarifying/confirming and extending a conversation, and two methods of teaching the strategies, affected the interactional sequences and overall group discussion performance of EFL students at a university in Japan. Pre and posttreatment small-group discussions were recorded for assessment, and a stimulated recall interview was administered to determine the participants' perceptions of their learning and language use. Posttest results reveal that the experimental groups
Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned, and the employment of patte... more Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned, and the employment of patterned language has been linked to processing advantages with respect to listening and reading, which has implications for perceptions of fluency. The last 20 years has seen an increase in the integration of corpus-based language learning, or data-driven learning (DDL), as a supporting feature in EFL/ESL curricula. Most research has investigated student attitudes of DDL as tool to facilitate writing. Other studies, though notably fewer, have taken a quantitative perspective of the efficacy of DDL as a tool to facilitate the inductive learning of grammar rules. The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to present an EFL curriculum built around DDL; 2) to investigate student attitudes toward such an approach to language learning; and 3), to gauge the student efficacy in the appropriate employment of learned phrases. Student attitudes were investigated via a questionnaire and then triangulated through interviews and student logs. The findings indicate that students believe DDL to be a useful and educational tool in the classroom. However, they do note some difficulties related to DDL such as encountering unfamiliar vocabulary and cutoff concordance lines. Finally, questions are raised as to the students' ability to embed learned phrases in a pragmatically appropriate way.
Verb argument constructions (VACs) are categories of semantic meaning that map onto syntactic str... more Verb argument constructions (VACs) are categories of semantic meaning that map onto syntactic structures such as verb, object and location, verb and location, and verb, direct object and indirect object, or VOL, VL, and VOO, respectively. Studies of these VACs in naturalistic settings have followed the English language acquisition of children with their parents and the language development of English language learners and their native speaker interlocutors. The studies found that the verbs put, go, and get constitute the most frequent examples of their respective VACs and occur so often that their distribution among other verbs from the same category is predictable. This study aims to extend the scope of studies on VACs in naturalistic settings to include EFL settings. Replicating the methodology of the studies done in naturalistic settings, this study collected output by English language learners over one academic year, from their interactive lessons. Findings suggest that put, give, get do not represent the most frequent verbs for the categories VOL, VL, and VOO in the students' output. Moreover, the verbs that are most frequent are distributed among other verbs in the same category predictably. Limitations include the length and context data collection. Recommendations for further research of this nature is given.
Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned. The use of patterned langua... more Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned. The use of patterned language has been linked to processing advantages with respect to listening and reading, which has implications for perceptions of fluency. The last twenty years has seen an increase in the integration of corpus-based language learning, or data-driven learning (DDL), as a supporting feature in teaching English as a foreign / second language (EFL/ESL). Most research has investigated student attitudes towards DDL as a tool to facilitate writing. Other studies, though notably fewer, have taken a quantitative perspective of the efficacy of DDL as a tool to facilitate the inductive learning of grammar rules. The purpose of this study is three-fold: (1) to present an EFL curriculum designed around DDL with the aim of improving spoken fluency; (2) to gauge how effective students were in employing newly discovered phrases in an appropriate manner; and (3) to investigate student attitudes toward such a...
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, Oct 1, 2013
In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted with regard to communication strategy tr... more In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted with regard to communication strategy training and performance on communicative tasks (Lam, 2009; Nakatani, 2010; Naughton, 2006). This study aims to add to the literature by examining how two strategies, clarifying/confirming and extending a conversation, and two methods of teaching the strategies, affected the interactional sequences and overall group discussion performance of EFL students at a university in Japan. Pre and posttreatment small-group discussions were recorded for assessment, and a stimulated recall interview was administered to determine the participants' perceptions of their learning and language use. Posttest results reveal that the experimental groups
The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with p... more The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.
Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned, and the employment of patte... more Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned, and the employment of patterned language has been linked to processing advantages with respect to listening and reading, which has implications for perceptions of fluency. The last 20 years has seen an increase in the integration of corpus-based language learning, or data-driven learning (DDL), as a supporting feature in EFL/ESL curricula. Most research has investigated student attitudes of DDL as tool to facilitate writing. Other studies, though notably fewer, have taken a quantitative perspective of the efficacy of DDL as a tool to facilitate the inductive learning of grammar rules. The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to present an EFL curriculum built around DDL; 2) to investigate student attitudes toward such an approach to language learning; and 3), to gauge the student efficacy in the appropriate employment of learned phrases. Student attitudes were investigated via a questionnaire and then triangulated through interviews and student logs. The findings indicate that students believe DDL to be a useful and educational tool in the classroom. However, they do note some difficulties related to DDL such as encountering unfamiliar vocabulary and cutoff concordance lines. Finally, questions are raised as to the students' ability to embed learned phrases in a pragmatically appropriate way.
Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned. The use of patterned langua... more Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned. The use of patterned language has been linked to processing advantages with respect to listening and reading, which has implications for perceptions of fluency. The last twenty years has seen an increase in the integration of corpus-based language learning, or data-driven learning (DDL), as a supporting feature in teaching English as a foreign / second language (EFL/ESL). Most research has investigated student attitudes towards DDL as a tool to facilitate writing. Other studies, though notably fewer, have taken a quantitative perspective of the efficacy of DDL as a tool to facilitate the inductive learning of grammar rules. The purpose of this study is threefold: (1) to present an EFL curriculum designed around DDL with the aim of improving spoken fluency; (2) to gauge how effective students were in employing newly discovered phrases in an appropriate manner; and (3) to investigate student attitudes toward such an approach to language learning. Student attitudes were investigated via a questionnaire and then triangulated through interviews and student logs. The findings indicate that students believe DDL to be a useful and effective tool in the classroom. However, students do note some difficulties related to DDL, such as encountering unfamiliar vocabulary and cutoff concordance lines. Finally, questions are raised as to the students' ability to embed learned phrases in a pragmatically appropriate way.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to crimina... more Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. Contents List of Examples vii List of Tables and Figures x 1 Introduction 1 Part I General Considerations in Writing about Quantitative Research 2 Writing about Research Design 11 3 Reliability, Validity and Ethics 25 4 Writing about Participants 36
In the present study, we take a longitudinal, corpus‐based perspective to investigate short‐term ... more In the present study, we take a longitudinal, corpus‐based perspective to investigate short‐term (over 9 months) linguistic change in the language produced for the spoken and written sections of the TOEFL iBT® test by a group of English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (EFL) learners in China. The goal of the study is to identify patterns that characterize the trajectory that language learners move through in terms of their use of phrasal and clausal grammatical complexity, as mediated by mode (spoken and written) and task type (independent and integrated). Results of a multidimensional analysis reveal that in many cases, learners developed in expected ways: discourse styles at Time 1 were not always aligned with mode‐ and task type‐specific discourse patterns but developed over time, with discourse styles at Time 2 better approximating expected norms and exhibiting increased task differentiation. These changes were particularly noteworthy for Dimension 1, which is related to phrasal and clausal complexity. Results of a developmental complexity analysis revealed more mixed results, seeming to indicate that the relatively low‐proficiency learners represented by the longitudinal corpus may just be beginning on the hypothesized paths of development. The most important developments occurred for independent writing, in which students exhibited increases in the frequency of phrasal features, as well as functional expansion in the use of a range of complexity features.
This dissertation investigates the frequency, semantic, and functional characteristics of recurre... more This dissertation investigates the frequency, semantic, and functional characteristics of recurrent, or highly frequent, discontinuous formulaic language in a learner corpus of argumentative and literary essays. Discontinuous sequences of words, or ‘frames’, are recurrent sequences of words that have one or more variable slots. For example, in the * of and it is * to are frames where the asterisks represent variable slots in the sequences of words. A corpus of English argumentative essays authored by native speakers of English, Japanese, and Spanish is analyzed using modern methods in corpus linguistics to determine which frames are used frequently. Frequent frames are compared between the first language (L1) groups to investigate trends in structure, frequency, and variability. The focus of analysis then narrows to a group of 30 recurrent frames comprised of only function words, that is, function word frames such as in the * of, the * of the, and to the * that where the fixed slots...
This study investigates the effect that reference corpora of different registers have on the cont... more This study investigates the effect that reference corpora of different registers have on the content of keyword lists. The study focusses on two target corpora and the keyword lists generated for each when using three distinct reference corpora. The two target corpora consist of published research by faculty at two PhD-granting programs in applied linguistics in North America. The reference corpora comprise published research in applied linguistics, newspaper and magazine articles, and fiction texts, respectively. The findings suggest that while common keywords representing each target corpus emerge regardless of the reference corpus used in the analysis, there are also substantial differences. Primarily, using a reference corpus of the same sub-register as the target corpus better highlights content unique to each target corpus while using a reference corpus of a different register better uncovers words that reflect the register that the target corpora represent. Implications for c...
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2013
In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted with regard to communication strategy tr... more In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted with regard to communication strategy training and performance on communicative tasks (Lam, 2009; Nakatani, 2010; Naughton, 2006). This study aims to add to the literature by examining how two strategies, clarifying/confirming and extending a conversation, and two methods of teaching the strategies, affected the interactional sequences and overall group discussion performance of EFL students at a university in Japan. Pre and posttreatment small-group discussions were recorded for assessment, and a stimulated recall interview was administered to determine the participants' perceptions of their learning and language use. Posttest results reveal that the experimental groups
Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned, and the employment of patte... more Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned, and the employment of patterned language has been linked to processing advantages with respect to listening and reading, which has implications for perceptions of fluency. The last 20 years has seen an increase in the integration of corpus-based language learning, or data-driven learning (DDL), as a supporting feature in EFL/ESL curricula. Most research has investigated student attitudes of DDL as tool to facilitate writing. Other studies, though notably fewer, have taken a quantitative perspective of the efficacy of DDL as a tool to facilitate the inductive learning of grammar rules. The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to present an EFL curriculum built around DDL; 2) to investigate student attitudes toward such an approach to language learning; and 3), to gauge the student efficacy in the appropriate employment of learned phrases. Student attitudes were investigated via a questionnaire and then triangulated through interviews and student logs. The findings indicate that students believe DDL to be a useful and educational tool in the classroom. However, they do note some difficulties related to DDL such as encountering unfamiliar vocabulary and cutoff concordance lines. Finally, questions are raised as to the students' ability to embed learned phrases in a pragmatically appropriate way.
Verb argument constructions (VACs) are categories of semantic meaning that map onto syntactic str... more Verb argument constructions (VACs) are categories of semantic meaning that map onto syntactic structures such as verb, object and location, verb and location, and verb, direct object and indirect object, or VOL, VL, and VOO, respectively. Studies of these VACs in naturalistic settings have followed the English language acquisition of children with their parents and the language development of English language learners and their native speaker interlocutors. The studies found that the verbs put, go, and get constitute the most frequent examples of their respective VACs and occur so often that their distribution among other verbs from the same category is predictable. This study aims to extend the scope of studies on VACs in naturalistic settings to include EFL settings. Replicating the methodology of the studies done in naturalistic settings, this study collected output by English language learners over one academic year, from their interactive lessons. Findings suggest that put, give, get do not represent the most frequent verbs for the categories VOL, VL, and VOO in the students' output. Moreover, the verbs that are most frequent are distributed among other verbs in the same category predictably. Limitations include the length and context data collection. Recommendations for further research of this nature is given.
Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned. The use of patterned langua... more Corpus linguistics has established that language is highly patterned. The use of patterned language has been linked to processing advantages with respect to listening and reading, which has implications for perceptions of fluency. The last twenty years has seen an increase in the integration of corpus-based language learning, or data-driven learning (DDL), as a supporting feature in teaching English as a foreign / second language (EFL/ESL). Most research has investigated student attitudes towards DDL as a tool to facilitate writing. Other studies, though notably fewer, have taken a quantitative perspective of the efficacy of DDL as a tool to facilitate the inductive learning of grammar rules. The purpose of this study is three-fold: (1) to present an EFL curriculum designed around DDL with the aim of improving spoken fluency; (2) to gauge how effective students were in employing newly discovered phrases in an appropriate manner; and (3) to investigate student attitudes toward such a...
Uploads
Papers by Joe Geluso