Language corpus and data driven learning (DDL) in language classrooms: A systematic review.

This systematic review presents a comprehensive analysis of the literature on the use of corpora and data-driven learning (DDL) in language education. Corpus linguistics encompasses the use of electronic text collections for linguistic analysis, while DDL entails using corpora for pedagogical purposes in second/foreign language teaching. DDL allows language educators to move beyond traditional methods to enhance teaching practices and learning skills. An extensive database search identified 89 pertinent studies published between 1997 and 2022 that met the inclusion criteria. The selected studies focused on keywords such as "DDL," "corpus linguistics," and related phrases to identify relevant literature discussing DDL interventions in language classrooms. Only English, peer-reviewed texts with accessible PDFs were considered for inclusion. These studies described DDL implementation in classroom settings and the common pedagogical practices, difficulties, and limitations encountered. The findings suggest that DDL has significant potential as a pedagogical tool, but challenges exist that limit its positive impact on language learning. Tailored tasks, auxiliary guidance, supplemental support, and peer/group learning were identified as effective strategies for facilitating meaningful corpus engagement for lower-proficiency students.

The relationships between students' comprehension of conversational implicatures and their achievement in reading comprehension.

The most important thing in effective communication is understanding not only what is said, but also why it is said. Therefore, the development of pragmatic competence in another language is essential to be able to communicate effectively. Pragmatic competence plays an important role in enabling interlocutors to work out what is intended by what is said. In this sense, special emphasis should be placed on the pragmatic aspects of language in order to enable language learners to use language appropriately. In this regard, this study aims to investigate whether there is a relationship between students' comprehension of conversational implicatures and their achievement in reading comprehension. To this end, the data were collected from first-year 122 students at one of the private universities in northern Cyprus with different bachelor's degrees via the Multiple-Choice Discourse Completion Test (MCDCT) and the reading test. The quantitative data were analysed by means of A Pearson Correlational Analysis, Simple Linear Regression, and Canonical Correlational Analysis. The results of the study revealed that comprehension of conversational implicatures of first-year university students is positively related to their achievement in reading comprehension. Moreover, it has been depicted that among the eight implicature types, topic change, indirect refusal, and disclosure are more related (0.855) to reading comprehension. Therefore, these three implicature types provide the most contribution to the participants' comprehension of conversational implicatures. As it is, they are more powerful predictors of reading comprehension. In addition to these results, there is only one high positive correlation among the six reading subskills; that is between the subskill to identify ideas and opinions of the writer and the subskill to scan a text to find specific information (0.749). In the light of the findings, this study yields crucial implications for language teachers, material developers, and curriculum designers to take full advantage of these associations for promoting EFL learners' achievement in reading and comprehension of conversational implicatures in the target language.

Metacognitive awareness and self-regulated learning skills of medical students in different medical curricula.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the acquisition of metacognitive awareness and self-regulated learning skills in medical schools using different curricular models. METHODS: The study was carried out in four medical schools implementing different curricular models. Eight hundred and sixty two medical students took part in the study and two scales (self-regulated learning perception scale--SRLPS and metacognitive awareness inventory--MAI) were used. Cronbach's alpha was 0.93 for the MAI, and 0.88, 0.91, 0.83, and 0.76 for the four dimensions of the SRLPS. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in MAI scores according to gender, curricular language, or previous exposure or not to a learner-centered method during secondary school, but the differences in scores according to the phase and curricular model were found to be significant. With regard to SRLPS total scores, no difference was found according to gender, but significant differences were found according to phase, curricular language, and curricular model. MAI and SRLPS scores of students from the medical school using a learner-centered curriculum were higher than the other schools' students. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that students who experience a learner-centered curriculum, such as PBL during their medical education demonstrate improved metacognitive awareness and self-regulated learning skills.