Using online databases in the linguistics classroom: dealing with clause patterns

• Published in: Computer assisted language learning 2013-07, Vol.26 (3), p.282-294
• Main Authors: Comelles, Elisabet, Laso, Natalia Judith, Forcadell, Montserrat, Castaño, Emilia, Feijóo, Sara, Verdaguer, Isabel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: corpus-based tools; EFL higher education; English language; Foreign language instruction; Foreign language learning; Interactive learning; Online instruction; open-source e-learning software platform; Pedagogy; student satisfaction questionnaire; valency pattern database
• ISSN: 0958-8221; 1744-3210
• DOI: 10.1080/09588221.2012.658407

In recent years, a corpus-driven approach to the analysis of language and the appropriateness of applying new technologies in language pedagogy have gained considerable attention. The integration of corpus applications in the language classroom enables both teachers and learners to reflect on genuine data with the assistance of computer technologies. This article aims at illustrating an application of an online corpus database for the teaching and learning of clause patterns. So as to serve this purpose, a continuous assessment task, especially designed for the undergraduate course Gramàtica Descriptiva de l'Anglès II (GDAII) "Descriptive Grammar of English II" will be presented, as well as a description of the questionnaire that was carried out among participants aimed at assessing their satisfaction towards the newly designed online database and the effectiveness of the task.