2023 Ongoing

BLABLA Corpus

Analysis of frequent challenges from corpora and creation of complementary microlearning to contribute to the learning of a third or additional language.

The project aims to compile and analyze the written productions of learners of various second or third languages, who have different mother tongues and different linguistic learning paths. The analysis of the corpus is carried out through a multi-focus annotation of the detected errors, to later propose pedagogical approaches that address the frequent training needs that have been identified (for example, microlearning capsules).

The link between research and practice is central to teaching, but second language acquisition research is often criticized for lacking clear implications for practice. However, it is known that the link between research and the field is essential if you want to optimize the choice of the right material in the classroom. (Haukås, 2016).

The BLABLA Corpus project proposes constant feedback between research and practice by focusing on the formative impact of directed microlearning capsules that are offered as a complement to classroom teaching. The capsules propose a learning activity and a microlearning component with automatic feedback (direct and indirect) in language courses in authentic contexts (hybrid and distance). Its content is based on the common challenges faced by learners in writing (grammatical, lexical and morphological), identified from the analysis of corpora composed of texts by university students learning a third or additional language (for example, Catalan).

By analyzing learners’ progress after using the capsules and by exploring their perceptions, the approach implemented ensures constant feedback between research and practice. These capsules have a design based on the best practices in feedback and learning for multilingual students, and are framed within an approach of ecological validity in the sense used by Orne (1962), that is, the possibility of generalizing the results of the investigation to represent the real world (Kihlstrom, 2021).

Finally, the green approach we use contributes to the sharing of scientific advances by providing language teachers with free access to research-based materials through an online community of practice, materials that are also based on data collected on the ground (digital solidarity )