The Toledo Teacher Trainees corpus (TTT): Bridging the gap between students’ narratives and corpus linguistics

Abstract

– In recent decades a few research methods have resorted to L2 learners in order to analyse several aspects aiming at methodological improvements. One of them is corpus linguistics, which has largely contributed to the study of language production from a quantitative perspective. A very different one has been the compilation of perceptions of the L2 learning process using ‘narrative inquiry’ and qualitative methods of analysis. However, scholars have not addressed the combination of both methods. In this proposal we examine their main individual features and offer an interwoven line of research, applying the quantitative approach of corpus linguistics to the genre of language learning narratives. Thus, we present a new corpus of L2 learners’ perceptions and provide detailed information on its structure, compilation and categorisation. The interdisciplinary status of this proposal will enable the exploration of new research possibilities that can ultimately benefit the teaching-learning process.