Impacts of a Corpus Linguistics Course on in-Service EFL Teachers’ Corpus Literacy

Abstract

In recent years, corpus-based technologies have received unparalleled expansion and development. Along these lines, corpora have extended into various educational contexts, especially in language teaching and learning. In line with this increasing attention, the present study reports on the impacts of a professional development course structured around corpus use on six Iranian EFL teachers’ corpus literacy. Data were collected at three junctures in time including before, after, and delayed phases via semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, and classroom observations. Data analysis showed that the course was able to expand on the teachers’ conceptual and pedagogical knowledge of corpora. Moreover, the teachers gradually engaged in further use of corpora in their classes, which was realized in multiple corpus-initiated practical efforts. These findings provide novel ways for (re)interpreting the role of teachers in corpus-related initiatives. The study argues that corpus-informed pedagogy should receive further attention from policymakers to initiate institutional initiatives that highlight the central role of the corpora in the organizational undertaking.