Learning process, strategies, and Learning process, strategies, and web-based concordancers:web-based concordancers:

a case studya case study

指導教授指導教授 : : 陳 明 溥陳 明 溥研 究 生研 究 生 : : 許 良 村 許 良 村

Sun, Y. C. (2003). Learning process, strategies, and web-based concordancers: A case study. British Journal of Educational Technology, 34 (5), 601-613. (SSCI Journal)

IntroductionIntroduction In the past teachers usually presented students with examIn the past teachers usually presented students with exam

ples they had made up themselves.ples they had made up themselves. The weaknesses of such a method are that these exampleThe weaknesses of such a method are that these example

s lack authenticity and their number is limited. s lack authenticity and their number is limited. Students often have difficulty exploring underlie ying paStudents often have difficulty exploring underlie ying pa

tterns from these poor examples. tterns from these poor examples. One effective and efficient solution that researchers have One effective and efficient solution that researchers have

proposed is that students can benefit from a concordanceproposed is that students can benefit from a concordancerr

A concordancer allows users to interact with a selected cA concordancer allows users to interact with a selected corpus.orpus.

IntroductionIntroduction types of search method:types of search method:1. only exact matches1. only exact matches2. all instances containing the search string as a prefix2. all instances containing the search string as a prefix3. all instances containing the search string as a suffix3. all instances containing the search string as a suffix4. all instances containing the search string 4. all instances containing the search string 5. all instances containing both of the search words.5. all instances containing both of the search words. the goal of this study is to identify the learning procesthe goal of this study is to identify the learning proces

s and strategies used by EFL learners in the concordas and strategies used by EFL learners in the concordancer setting and to examine the factors that impact on ncer setting and to examine the factors that impact on learner behavior.learner behavior.

Research questionResearch question

What are the learning process and strategies used by What are the learning process and strategies used by EFL learners in the web-based concordancing setting?EFL learners in the web-based concordancing setting?

What are the factors that influence student learning oWhat are the factors that influence student learning outcome? utcome?

Results and discussionResults and discussion Prior knowledge modesPrior knowledge modes:: 1.correct error detection1.correct error detection & & successful correctionsuccessful correction 2.correct error detection2.correct error detection & & unsuccessful correctionunsuccessful correction 3.incorrect error detection3.incorrect error detection & & unsuccessful correctionunsuccessful correction

Cognitive stages:Cognitive stages: 1.comparing 1.comparing 2.grouping 2.grouping 3.differentiating 3.differentiating 4.inferring 4.inferring

Flow chart of concordance learning processFlow chart of concordance learning process

Factors that influence student learning Factors that influence student learning outcomeoutcome

1.1.learners’ prior knowledgelearners’ prior knowledge

2. learners’ cognitive skills2. learners’ cognitive skills

3. teacher intervention3. teacher intervention

4. concordancer skills 4. concordancer skills

Conceptual framework of concordancer Conceptual framework of concordancer learning learning

Learners’ prior knowledgeLearners’ prior knowledge Prior knowledgePrior knowledge -- three levels three levels : :complete, incomplete and lackingcomplete, incomplete and lacking - w- with different degrees of prior knowledge students undergo differeith different degrees of prior knowledge students undergo differe

nt learning stagesnt learning stages - - complete PKcomplete PK the concordancer the concordancer plays the role of a supporting toolplays the role of a supporting tool, ,

which can help them to verify their hypotheses and affirm their intwhich can help them to verify their hypotheses and affirm their intuition and prior knowledge.uition and prior knowledge.

- - incompleteincomplete PKPK thethe concordancer could concordancer could encourage them to explore encourage them to explore and buildand build their own structural knowledge. their own structural knowledge.

-- lackinglacking PKPK thethe concordancer concordancer can also provide them with a tool to ecan also provide them with a tool to explore, sort out certain linguistic rules and practise inductive thinkxplore, sort out certain linguistic rules and practise inductive thinking skills. they ing skills. they need either a stronger degree of teacher involvemeneed either a stronger degree of teacher involvementnt, , or or to learn in a more structured environment. to learn in a more structured environment.

Learners’ cognitive skillsLearners’ cognitive skills Cognitive skills’ four stagesCognitive skills’ four stages:: - - comparingcomparing students briefly observe students briefly observe the concordancer outputsthe concordancer outputs, identify the , identify the

generalgeneral differences differences in structures and try to identify the data rel in structures and try to identify the data relevant to the target questionevant to the target question

- - groupinggrouping try to classify them into groupstry to classify them into groups - - differentiatingdifferentiating identify the critical semantic or structural differences between identify the critical semantic or structural differences between

each categoryeach category -- inferencing inferencing try to formulate the hypothesis and then apply the inferences thtry to formulate the hypothesis and then apply the inferences th

ey have made to predict the answerey have made to predict the answer

Teacher interventionTeacher intervention Teacher interventionTeacher intervention:: - - The intervention given here was based on the The intervention given here was based on the

principles of scaffoldingprinciples of scaffolding - - intervention by the teacher proceeds from general to intervention by the teacher proceeds from general to

specific intervention, depending on the student’s specific intervention, depending on the student’s current cognitive levelscurrent cognitive levels

- - can be classified into can be classified into four levelsfour levels in this case study in this case study 1.encouragement1.encouragement(student H)(student H)

when students tried to give up or believed that there when students tried to give up or believed that there was nothing wrong with the proofreading sentencewas nothing wrong with the proofreading sentence

2.redirection 2.redirection (student C)(student C)

when students are misled by a false hypothesiswhen students are misled by a false hypothesis

Teacher interventionTeacher intervention

3.identifying the error type3.identifying the error type for students with more limited for students with more limited PKPK, more specific and , more specific and

deductive guidance might be called fordeductive guidance might be called for 4.identifying the error4.identifying the error sometimes students have very limited or no prior knosometimes students have very limited or no prior kno

wledge of certain concept and cannot make inferenceswledge of certain concept and cannot make inferences

Concordancer skills Concordancer skills Concordancer skillsConcordancer skills : : -- if they knew how to select effective ‘search strings’,’a if they knew how to select effective ‘search strings’,’a

lphabetic lists’or ‘sort types’, they would get more rellphabetic lists’or ‘sort types’, they would get more relevant and organised outputs that facilitated searching, evant and organised outputs that facilitated searching, analysing and making inferences.analysing and making inferences.

ConclusionsConclusions The experience helps learners develop ‘The experience helps learners develop ‘llanguage awareness’ and anguage awareness’ and

empowers them to be autonomous and responsible for their own lempowers them to be autonomous and responsible for their own learning. earning.

Results show that concordancing tools alone do not necessarily leResults show that concordancing tools alone do not necessarily lead to productive induction.ad to productive induction.

A number of factors could also contribute to the concordancing oA number of factors could also contribute to the concordancing outcome, including utcome, including prior knowledgeprior knowledge of a specific linguistic form or of a specific linguistic form or usage, usage, concordancing search skillsconcordancing search skills, , inductive thinking strategies inductive thinking strategies (cognitive skills)(cognitive skills) and and teacher interventionteacher intervention..

To accommodate this limitation timely teacher intervention or the To accommodate this limitation timely teacher intervention or the design of a tutorial program with appropriate guidance could be hdesign of a tutorial program with appropriate guidance could be helpful.elpful.

ConclusionsConclusions In order to cater to students’ different reading abilities the devIn order to cater to students’ different reading abilities the dev

elopment of an extensive corpus with varying levels of reading elopment of an extensive corpus with varying levels of reading difficulty can better serve the needs of learners with different ldifficulty can better serve the needs of learners with different levels of reading proficiency.evels of reading proficiency.

Unfamiliarity with inductive learning strategies also tends to Unfamiliarity with inductive learning strategies also tends to make exploration of linguistic patterns a struggle. make exploration of linguistic patterns a struggle.

Thus modeling concordancing search functions and practicing Thus modeling concordancing search functions and practicing in a more extended context become necessary. in a more extended context become necessary.

In addition, guidance from the system or instructor becomes iIn addition, guidance from the system or instructor becomes important in some cases. mportant in some cases.