Selected Projects
Grammatical and functional characteristics of discontinuous formulaic language
Discontinuous sequences of words, or frames, are phrases with an internal variable slot, such as in the * of. In this study, I am investigated the grammatical and functional characteristics of frames comprised of function words (mainly prepositions and articles) in English argumentative essays by L1 speakers of English and Spanish. This work is published in the Journal of English for Academic Purposes.
International telecollaborative learning projects (1 & 2)
1. Telecollaborative Intercultural Communication Projects: A case study between the US and Japan
In this study, Professor Sarah Davis and I had our students from the U.S. 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 the students perceptions and attitudes about the project and their decision process when choosing technology to use for collaborating and task completion. Our hope is that via thick description we can provide insights to others with opportunities for intercultural telecollaborative tasks.
2. Students co-learning linguistics through PBL: A cross-cultural telecollaborative implementation
Aysel Sarıcaoğlu 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. Qualitative data were collected through students’ written reflections at multiple points throughout the project. 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 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.
Text analysis of faculty publications from PhD programs in Applied Linguistics
Roz Hirch and I are collaborating on a project that uses corpus-based methods including keyword analysis, topic modeling, and cluster analysis to shed light on what faculty at PhD programs in applied linguistics in North America are publishing. Different aspects and data mining approaches to this project were presented at SLRF 2015/2017, AAAL 2015, and AACL 2016. An article focusing on the effect different reference corpora have on keyword analysis has been published in the journal Register Studies (2019), 1(2), 209-242.
We are also preparing manuscripts that explore the effect different methods have on keyword analysis (e.g., t-test and log-likelihood).
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 native 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 presented in various states at Thai TESOL 2011 and JALT 2011, and Published in Computer Assisted Language Learning (2013), 26(2), 144-157.
Professional identity of foreign teachers of English in Japan
Native English speakers enjoy abundant, and often well-paid, English teaching opportunities in Japan. However, many teachers feel that there is a “glass ceiling” for foreign teachers of English in Japan. This research project used semi-structured interviews to illuminate how five foreign teachers of English in pre-tertiary education in Japan perceive their own 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.
Joe Geluso 