Research

Corpus research methods

Studies in learner corpus research frequently compare linguistic features between groups of writers in terms of “more-than and less-than” relationships. For example, how do rates of occurrence of lexical bundles or phrase frames between L2 and L1 speakers of English compare? Researchers can treat the entire corpus as the unit of analysis, or each text that makes up the corpus as the unit of analysis. In this study, two colleagues and I explored how this methodological decision can affect the interpretation and subsequent inferences about the data. This research was published in 2025 in the journal Applied Corpus Linguistics (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acorp.2025.100123).

Phrase frames

1. Discontinuous sequences of words, or “phrase frames”, are phrases with an internal variable slot, such as in the * of or it is * to. Working with two colleagues, we investigated variability and predictability in the variable slot of phrase frames in argumentative essays by L1 Japanese learners of English of different proficiency levels. This work was published in 2024 and is open access in the journal System.

2.  In this study, I investigated the grammatical and functional characteristics of frames comprised of function words (mainly prepositions and articles, e.g. at the * of ) in English argumentative essays by L1 speakers of English and Spanish. This work was published in 2022 in the Journal of English for Academic Purposes.

Text analysis of faculty publications from PhD programs in Applied Linguistics

A colleague and I completed a study focusing on the effect that different reference corpora have on keyword analysis. This study was published in the journal Register Studies (2019), 1(2), 209-242.

In 2025, we are preparing a manuscript that compares the output of topic modeling to two methods of keyword analysis (i.e., log-likelihood and t-test).

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects

1. In this study, a colleague from the US and I had students in the US and Japan work together to create a video aimed at helping international students intending to study in Japan for short to medium-term study abroad programs. The students were tasked with creating videos that would help international students navigate life in the Tokyo area upon arrival to Japan. We employed qualitative research methodology to better understand how students engage with technology to complete tasks without instruction from teachers, as well as student perceptions and attitudes about the project. Our hope is that via thick description we can provide insights to others with opportunities for COIL projects.

2. A colleague and I employed a qualitative approach aimed at providing insights into students’ perceptions of cross-cultural telecollaborative project-based learning (PBL) in an introduction to linguistics course. Findings indicated that students had positive perceptions of the telecollaborative work and provide an example of how goal-oriented and structured telecollaborative PBL can lead to positive learning experiences. This research was published in 2020 in the edited volume: T. Slater and G. Beckett (Eds.), Global perspectives on project-based language learning, teaching, and assessment: Key approaches, technology tools, and frameworks (pp. 224-243). New York: Routledge.

Corpus-based language learning

This project investigates learners’ perceptions and the efficacy of placing data-driven learning (DDL) at the center of a speaking course. The aim of the course was to teach students to use free, online, open-access corpora to gain insights into the formulaic tendencies of their chosen target lexical items. Early versions of this research were presented at JALT CALL 2012 and SLRF 2012. The study was published in ReCALL (2014), 26(2), 225-242.

Web as corpus

Some researchers in applied linguistics and SLA consider the web to be a “living”, dynamic corpus. Others argue against this citing the fact that the web is not a principled collection of texts representing a specific register of writing. Either way, the web exists and can be searched via search engines such as Google. This research project investigates whether or not EFL learners can make improvements to the “naturalness” of their writing, as judged by L1 speakers of English, by using web searches to shed light on the frequency of occurrence of potential formulaic sequences to be used in their writing. This research was published in Computer Assisted Language Learning (2013), 26(2), 144-157.

Professional identity of foreign teachers of English in Japan

Native speakers of English enjoy abundant, and often well-paid, English teaching opportunities in Japan. However, many feel that there is a “glass ceiling” for foreign teachers in Japan. This research project used semi-structured interviews to illuminate how five foreign teachers of English in pre-tertiary education in Japan perceived their professional identity and contrasted that with how they believe they are viewed by their students and their Japanese colleagues. This research was published in D. J. Rivers and S. Houghton (Eds.), Native-speakerism in Japan: Intergroup Dynamics in Foreign Language Education (pp. 90-102). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.