Fostering Intuitive Competence in L2 for a Better Performance in EAP Writing Through fraze.it in a Turkish Context

Abstract

Online corpus referencing through web applications such as fraze.it can help non-native language teachers train tertiary level learners of academic writing by providing them with native or near-native perspectives which come within concordance lines derived from authentic sources. The present study features a semi-experimental design in order to reach an understanding of the impact of simulated academic reading (SAR), which denotes a sentence-based approach to getting students familiar with the authentic use of English in academic texts. The sample (N = 62) is comprised of English for academic purposes (EAP) students taking a grammar course with a specific focus on academic writing at the language school of a state university in Turkey. In order to see the difference that SAR could make, the sample was split into an experimental group (n = 32) and a control group (n = 30). Whilst the experimental group received SAR-weighted grammar aid through effective teacher guidance for seven weeks, the control group was required to follow the guidelines exerted by the existing curriculum. The quantitative data were collected through the application of a delayed pre-test and a post-test, and the scores of the learners in the two groups were compared through a paired sample t-test. The qualitative data was collected by means of an online survey of four open ended questions, and a corpus analysis was conducted to reach common codes and themes emerging in the responses. The difference between the test scores of the two groups were statistically significant. This overall trend was concurrent in the responses to the survey as well. Further research is needed to see the extent to which SAR can change the way learners learn in the long run, though.