My research Archives - Pérez-Paredes

New publication: An investigation of Chinese EFL learners’ acceptance of mobile dictionaries in English language learning

Zhang,D., Hennessy, S. & Pérez-Paredes, P. (2023) An investigation of Chinese EFL learners’ acceptance of mobile dictionaries in English language learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, DOI: 10.1080/09588221.2023.2189915

Abstract

Although many studies have explored the role of dictionaries in English language learning, few have investigated mobile dictionaries (MDs) from learners’ perspectives. This study aimed to explore Chinese EFL learners’ acceptance of three types of MDs: monolingual, bilingualised and bilingual. A total of 125 participants used mobile dictionaries in various English learning contexts, especially in reading comprehension and vocabulary learning. Adapted from the Technology Acceptance Model and the mobile technology evaluation framework, the questionnaire in this study addressed three key themes: (1) perceived ease of use, (2) perceived usefulness, and (3) behavioural intention to use.

Analysis shows that the bilingualised MD group reported the most positive perceptions, especially compared to the bilingual MD group. A total of 101 participants participated in semi-structured group interviews to further explore the reasons underlying their perceptions. Several factors impacting learner acceptance, from the micro to the macro level, are proposed and discussed. As an interdisciplinary study, this research fills theoretical and empirical gaps in investigating mobile-assisted language learning. It offers application designers and language teachers insights into learners’ acceptance of MDs. Moreover, it provides recommendations concerning making MDs more personalised, attractive and effective.

Free copy of our latest paper in Computer Assisted Language Learning

Our article, Language teachers’ perceptions on the use of OER language processing technologies in MALL, has just been published on Computer Assisted Language Learning Journal, Taylor & Francis Online.

50 free eprints can be downloaded from the following URL:

http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/epWFWhVAGFZ4yRSIaMcA/full

Get yours now!!!!

Abstract

Combined with the ubiquity and constant connectivity of mobile devices, and with innovative approaches such as Data-Driven Learning (DDL), Natural Language Processing Technologies (NLPTs) as Open Educational Resources (OERs) could become a powerful tool for language learning as they promote individual and personalized learning. Using a questionnaire that was answered by language teachers (n = 230) in Spain and the UK, this research explores the extent to which OER NLPTs are currently known and used in adult foreign language learning. Our results suggest that teachers’ familiarity and use of OER NLPTs are very low. Although online dictionaries, collocation dictionaries and spell checkers are widely known, NLPTs appear to be generally underused in foreign language teaching. It was found that teachers prefer computer-based environments over mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets and that teachers’ qualification determines their familiarity with a wider range of OER NLPTs. This research offers insight into future applications of Language Processing Technologies as OERs in language learning.

KEYWORDS: Language learning, teachers’ perceptions, OER, MALL, natural language processing technologies, higher education

Learner Corpora in Language Testing and Assessment

Edited by Marcus Callies and Sandra Götz

University of Bremen / Justus Liebig University, Giessen

ISBN 9789027203786

The aim of this volume is to highlight the benefits and potential of using learner corpora for the testing and assessment of L2 proficiency in both speaking and writing, reflecting the growing importance of learner corpora in applied linguistics and second language acquisition research. Identifying several desiderata for future research and practice, the volume presents a selection of original studies, covering a variety of different languages. It features studies that present very thoroughly compiled new corpus resources which are tailor-made and ready for analysis in LTA, new tools for the automatic assessment of proficiency levels, and new methods of (self-)assessment with the help of learner corpora. Other studies suggest innovative research methodologies of how proficiency can be operationalized through learner corpus data. The volume is of particular interest to researchers in (applied) corpus linguistics, learner corpus research, language testing and assessment, as well as for materials developers and language teachers.

Learner corpora in language testing and assessment: Prospects and challenges

Marcus Callies and Sandra Götz

1 – 10

New corpus resources, tools and methods. The Marburg Corpus of Intermediate Learner English (MILE)

Rolf Kreyer

13 – 34

Avalingua : Natural language processing for automatic error detection

Pablo Gamallo Otero, Marcos Garcia, Iria del Río and Isaac González López

35 – 58

Data commentary in science writing: Using a small, specialized corpus for formative self-assessment practices

Lene Nordrum and Andreas Eriksson

59 – 84

First steps in assigning proficiency to texts in a learner corpus of computer-mediated communication

Tim Marchand and Sumie Akutsu

85 – 112

Data-driven approaches to the assessment of proficiency

The English Vocabulary Profile as a benchmark for assigning levels to learner corpus data

Agnieszka Lenko-Szymanska

115 – 140

A multidimensional analysis of learner language during story reconstruction in interviews

Pascual Pérez-Paredes and María Sánchez-Tornel

141 – 162

Article use and criterial features in Spanish EFL writing: A pilot study from CEFR A2 to B2 levels

María Belén Díez-Bedmar

163 – 190

Tense and aspect errors in spoken learner English: Implications for language testing and assessment

Sandra Götz

191 – 216

CFP Automated Writing Evaluation in Language Teaching: Theory, Development, and Application

Call for Papers

Special Issue: CALICO Journal 33.1, 2016
Guest editors: Volker Hegelheimer, Ahmet Dursun, Zhi Li, Iowa State University

Automated Writing Evaluation in Language Teaching: Theory, Development, and Application

The first automated writing evaluation (AWE) software for assessment purposes dates back to the 1960s (Project Essay Grade, Page Ellis). Rapid advances in the fields of artificial intelligence and natural language processing in the last few decades have led to the development of more powerful scoring engines, such as e-rater developed by ETS and IntelliMetric by Vantage Learning. Recent years have seen the application of scoring engines expand to language learning and teaching purposes. Likewise, much open-source and commercial AWE software has been released for use in the language learning (L2) classroom.

Opinions on the utility of AWE tools and their potential effects on educational practices vary, as shown by two frequently-cited books on AWE: Ericsson and Haswell (2006) and Shermis and Burstein (2013). While many AWE tools are impressive in terms of scoring reliability, the use of AWE for assessment purposes in writing classrooms has seen fierce discussion and opposition, as articulated in the 2004 position statement of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). More studies are needed to evaluate AWE tools in classrooms. This special issue will bring together a variety of studies related to AWE in the context of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). The issue will cover conceptual and empirical research on AWE tool development, AWE tool classroom implementation, and resulting pedagogical implications. It will thus be of interest to AWE designers and developers, applied-linguistics researchers, and language teachers and practitioners. With an emphasis on AWE development for classroom use and its implementation, this issue will be a good complement to existing books on AWE, such as Ericsson & Haswell (2006) and Shermis & Burstein (2013).

Research articles that include a theoretical discussion and/or empirical research on the promise, challenges, and issues related to the development, implementation, or evaluation of AWE tools are invited. These articles may investigate how AWE tools provide L2 learners, language teachers, and computational linguists with opportunities and challenges to:

* promote writing proficiency development
* encourage learner autonomy
* support pedagogical practices
* incorporate theories of Second Language Acquisition
* integrate L2 writing curricula
* develop theory-based AWE tools

By bringing together a variety of researchers and practitioners who have employed qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method methodologies in researching different AWE tools across different contexts and genres, this Special Issue will raise the awareness of researchers and practitioners regarding the use of AWE tools as part of classroom instruction. This issue is timely as new commercial and academic AWE tools are being used or introduced. The papers in this issue can generate both valuable guidance for implementation and also offer suggestions for needed research on the use of AWE tools as potential language learning technologies.

It is our hope that this Special Issue will stimulate lively discussion about (1) how to approach the theory-based design and use of different AWE tools in order to best address the needs of L2 learners in different contexts, (2) whether or not to integrate AWE tools into the L2 writing curriculum and use these tools as part of classroom instruction, and (3) how to effectively coordinate a variety of existing technologies in light of learner variables, such as self-regulated
learning, motivation, and learner autonomy.

In a wider sense, this Special Issue will illustrate how developers design and create AWE tools, how instructors implement these tools in their classes, and how learners use them to improve their L2 writing skills. We will thus de-mystify the development of AWE tools for pedagogical purposes and shed light on best practices for teaching L2 writing with AWE tools.

Please send inquiries and abstracts to Volker Hegelheimer (volkerh@iastate.edu) before 1st August 2014. Please list CALICO Journal Special Issue in the subject line of your email. For the submission of the manuscript, follow the online submission process and refer to the Author Guidelines of CJ. http://journals.sfu.ca/CALICO/index.php/calico/about/submissions. During the submission process, select ‘Special Issue AWE’ as the section.

Timeline:

First Call for Papers 1 June 2014
Deadline for submission of abstracts 1 August 2014
Notification of contributors 1 September 2014
First draft of papers to be submitted 1 January 2015
Returned to authors for changes 15 March 2015
Second draft of papers to be submitted 15 June 2015
Returned to authors for final changes 1 September 2015
Special Issue to be published February 2016

Thanks to Mathias Schulze

Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities

This research explores the search behaviour of EFL learners (n=24) by tracking their interaction with corpus-based materials during focus-on-form activities (Observe, Search the corpus, Rewriting). One set of learners made no use of web services other than the BNC during the central Search the corpus activity while the other set resorted to other web services and/or consultation guidelines. The performance of the second group was higher, the learners’ formulation of corpus queries on the BNC was unsophisticated and the students tended to use the BNC search interface to a great extent in the same way as they used Google or similar services. Our findings suggest that careful consideration should be given to the cognitive aspects concerning the initiation of corpus searches, the role of computer search interfaces, as well as the implementation of corpus-based language learning. Our study offers a taxonomy of learner searches that may be of interest in future research.

Pérez-Paredes, P., Sánchez-Tornel, M., & Alcaraz Calero, J. M. (2012). Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities.International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 17(4), 483-516

Full text here.