Building ecotourism corpus and application of corpus-based materials in vocabulary teaching: Master of TESOL

Abstract

This study explored the efficiency of using corpus-based activities in English vocabulary teaching and learning. The study aims to, first research the efficiency of corpus-based activities in vocabulary teaching rather than traditional methods such as textbook activities and dictionaries in vocabulary session, secondly to research students' attitudes towards corpus based vocabulary activities. Thirty-four secondary students at a Hermann Gmeiner school participated in the study. There were two separate groups; the experimental group worked on concordance-based materials, while the control group leant with textbook and dictionary as tradition. The study was quasi-experimental research and included both quantitative and qualitative research instruments. As quantitative instruments, a qualification examination, pre- and post tests and a questionnaire based on a 5-point Likert scale were utilized. Interviews and learner diaries were used as qualitative instruments. The test results were statistically analyzed revealing that using corpus-based vocabulary activities were more effective than the traditional way that the students use the textbook and dictionary for vocabulary learning. Moreover, the findings showed that the students' attitudes were positive towards using corpus-based vocabulary activities.