Online Corpus Consultation in L2 Writing for In-service Teachers of English

Abstract

Use of corpus has traditionally been of interest for syllabus designers and lexicographers. However, the recent paradigm shift in research on corpus has shifted to how corpus consultation may have an affect on the writing performance of L2 writers. In the study, using a repeated measures design, two groups of in-service English teachers were asked to write two compositions on two writing prompts where subjects were provided with online referencing at Concord Writer 2 to help writers solve their lexical and grammatical problems. When the writing products were rated, compositions from the post-training writing tasks showed significant improvements in vocabulary, but not for grammar. Comments made by raters in the written feedback for the compositions imply that L2 writers may notice their problems more immediately if the lexical and grammatical errors can be pointed out to them for independent corpus consultation. Results of the study indicate importance of training in online corpus consultation skills for the different types of errors that may occur during the process of writing. The study is expected to provide implications for training in online corpus consultation skills in L2 writing.