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An Investigation Into Learners’ Cognitive Processes in Data-Driven Learning: Case Studies of Six Learners of Chinese

  • Tanjun Liu

    Tanjun Liu [corresponding author] is an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. She received her PhD in linguistics from Lancaster University and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Hong Kong Baptist University. Her research interests include datadriven learning, learner corpus research, corpus-based language studies, formulaic sequences, and second language acquisition. Her publications have appeared in journals such as Computer-Assisted Language Learning (SSCI) and in an edited book by John Benjamins (2021).

     EMAIL logo     and Meilin Chen

    Meilin Chen is a Lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). She teaches discipline-specific English academic writing to students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and other courses related to language learning or research. She is interested in corpus linguistics, learner corpus research, English for academic purposes, critical discourse analysis, data-driven learning, and corpus-assisted discourse analysis. Her publications have appeared in journals such as Discourse and Society, English for Specific Purposes, International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, and System.
Published/Copyright: April 10, 2024
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Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics
From the journal Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics Volume 46 Issue 4

Abstract

Data-driven learning (DDL), the direct use of corpus by learners in the second language classroom, has been shown to be effective in improving learners’ acquisition of various English linguistic items (Boulton & Cobb, 2017). However, it is still limited to our knowledge regarding how learners interact with DDL-related materials or tools and how DDL works in the learning/teaching of languages other than English. This study aims to closely examine the cognitive processes of six learners of Chinese in using printed concordance-based materials to learn Chinese resultative constructions. These materials contained adapted complete concordance sentences drawn from the Lancaster Corpus for Mandarin Chinese (McEnery & Xiao, 2004). The results show that in general, learners employed various strategies when scrutinising the concordance lines, particularly cognitive strategies such as summarising and grouping. Differences among individual learners were also found: learners who used more diverse strategies with higher frequencies could successfully infer the regularities, which led to learning gains. The study provides some implications for effective teacher guidance in DDL.

Keywords: data-driven learning; corpus linguistics; concordance-based materials; think-aloud; Chinese language learning

About the authors

Tanjun Liu

Tanjun Liu [corresponding author] is an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. She received her PhD in linguistics from Lancaster University and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Hong Kong Baptist University. Her research interests include datadriven learning, learner corpus research, corpus-based language studies, formulaic sequences, and second language acquisition. Her publications have appeared in journals such as Computer-Assisted Language Learning (SSCI) and in an edited book by John Benjamins (2021).

Meilin Chen

Meilin Chen is a Lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). She teaches discipline-specific English academic writing to students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and other courses related to language learning or research. She is interested in corpus linguistics, learner corpus research, English for academic purposes, critical discourse analysis, data-driven learning, and corpus-assisted discourse analysis. Her publications have appeared in journals such as Discourse and Society, English for Specific Purposes, International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, and System.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the reviewers, Dr Rining (Tony) Wei and Dr Xiangdong Liu for their constructive feedback for improving the earlier versions of this paper. We also wish to thank Dr. Shuo Yu for her invaluable contributions during the data collection stage.

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Appendix: Test of Chinese Resultative Constructions

一、用所给的词写出正确的句子。

1. 看 字 黑板 清 的 能 我 上

2. 累 大家 走 都 了

3. 湿 打 泪水 了 手绢

4. 了 问题 这 老师 清楚 个 讲

5. 刮 狂风 倒 大 了 树

6. 衣服 晒 了 干 太阳

7. 碎 打 弟弟 打 了 杯子

8. 哭 了 他 骂 孩子

9. 嘴巴 他 吓 张 了 大 得

10. 掉 了 爸爸 拿 盖子

二、在下面句子的括号内填上适当的词（不少于两个）。

1. 衣服都洗( )了。

2. 昨天听写,你写( )了两个 。

3. 小王打( )了小李。

4. 对不起我没听( ),请再说一遍好吗?

5. 奶奶拉( )了妹妹。

6. 昨天学的生词我都记( )了。

7. 他的生活费不到一个月都花( )了。

8. 老师说的话他现在能听( )百分之六十 。

9. 这本书是老师说的那种,你买( )了吗?

10. 妹妹推( )了桶,里面的水全洒了出来。
Published Online: 2024-04-10
Published in Print: 2023-11-27

© 2023 FLTRP, Walter de Gruyter, Cultural and Education Section British Embassy

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. New Research Trends in Language Education Guest Editors: Rining Tony WEI & Peter I. DE COSTA
  3. New Research Trends in Language Education: An introduction
  4. Identity and Investment: A Critical Exploration of English Major Students’ Perceptions of Learning and Using English Language in Contemporary China
  5. Motivational Dynamics of Intermediate Chinese Learners in a COVID-Induced Remote IPA-Informed CSL Curriculum: A Case Study From a CDST Lens
  6. An Investigation Into Learners’ Cognitive Processes in Data-Driven Learning: Case Studies of Six Learners of Chinese
  7. Second Language Acquisition
  8. Developing EFL Learners’ Collocational Knowledge in Self-Regulated Flipped Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Study
  9. Investigating the Borrowing of English Inflectional Morphemes Into Chinese Newspapers
  10. The Correlations Between Perceived Classroom Environment, Foreign Language Learning Boredom and EFL Achievement: A Full Mediation Model
  11. Teacher Development
  12. Toward Teaching Innovatively: L2 Teachers’ Belief Change and Development
  13. Abstracts
  14. Chinese Abstracts
https://doi.org/10.1515/CJAL-2023-0404
Keywords for this article
data-driven learning; corpus linguistics; concordance-based materials; think-aloud; Chinese language learning

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. New Research Trends in Language Education Guest Editors: Rining Tony WEI & Peter I. DE COSTA
  3. New Research Trends in Language Education: An introduction
  4. Identity and Investment: A Critical Exploration of English Major Students’ Perceptions of Learning and Using English Language in Contemporary China
  5. Motivational Dynamics of Intermediate Chinese Learners in a COVID-Induced Remote IPA-Informed CSL Curriculum: A Case Study From a CDST Lens
  6. An Investigation Into Learners’ Cognitive Processes in Data-Driven Learning: Case Studies of Six Learners of Chinese
  7. Second Language Acquisition
  8. Developing EFL Learners’ Collocational Knowledge in Self-Regulated Flipped Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Study
  9. Investigating the Borrowing of English Inflectional Morphemes Into Chinese Newspapers
  10. The Correlations Between Perceived Classroom Environment, Foreign Language Learning Boredom and EFL Achievement: A Full Mediation Model
  11. Teacher Development
  12. Toward Teaching Innovatively: L2 Teachers’ Belief Change and Development
  13. Abstracts
  14. Chinese Abstracts
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