ELE-Tutor Inteligente: Un analizador computacional para el tratamiento de errores gramaticales en Español como Lengua Extranjera

Abstract

Intelligent Tutorial Systems (ITS) are based on the advances in Artificial Intelligence, mainly regarding the use of comprehension techniques for natural language or natural language generation. An ITS is a computer-based programme for teaching and learning and aims to facilitate personalized learning processes. The label of 'intelligent' is associated with the system's capacity to analyse the grammar of the language entry and then generate the appropriate feedback according to the student's error. To do this, it is necessary to use natural language processing techniques based on grammar-related theories so that the student's entry can be processed to generate a specific feedback strategy. The interest in learning Spanish as a Foreign Language has increased over the years, and this has resulted in the elaboration of learning environments highly improved by professionals and researchers that effectively support the processes to foster student learning autonomy. As to foreign language learning, the interest that students have in the incorporation of e-learning platforms empowered with Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) has been empirically proven. However, the limitations of such platforms have also been observed regarding the processing of linguistic forms, specifically in terms of recognizing the different language errors that students make (grammar, lexicon, etc.) and the precariousness and lack of effectiveness in the type of feedback used to process these errors. Corrective feedback and errors are an essential and normal part of the language learning process. The main objective of this article is to meet the need of improving the Spanish as a foreign language learning process through the design and implementation of the parser of an intelligent tutorial system that could identify and classify grammatical errors in Spanish as a foreign language.