Students’ Voices from the Pandemic. The Use of Modal and Semi-Modal Verbs for Expressing Subjectivity in a Local Academic Learner Corpus
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13074715 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emanuela Tenca (0000-0001-9098-2746, University of Verona, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2023-07-26 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Lingue Culture Mediazioni - Languages Cultures Mediation (LCM Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2284-1881 • E-ISSN: 2421-0293 |
| Publisher | Led Edizioni Universitarie (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.7358/lcm-2023-001-tene |
| OpenAlex | W4385306977 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 22 |
This essay presents the results of a small-scale study on learner output obtained through an asynchronous writing activity completed in a Moodle forum during an English course targeting students of Primary Teacher Education at the University of Modena e Reggio Emilia (Italy) in spring 2020. The activity encouraged learners’ expression about topics relevant to their disciplinary and professional domain, thus enhancing their engagement in the learning process. The analysis focuses on the use of modal and semi-modal verbs, and it aims at contributing to research into modality in learners’ academic writing. Indeed, the insights obtained by examining material created by learners during the pandemic can help develop resources and strategies to be incorporated in a more conscious, organic, and learner-centred manner into the design of future courses. The corpus (27,430 tokens) was investigated using Sketch Engine, and the results show the students’ preference for modals and semi-modals expressing obligation. This may be determined by the topic and by the students’ background, as they integrate their personal perspective as insiders into their contributions, hence demonstrating their strong commitment towards the profession for which they are training
Asynchronous communication · Discipline · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Modal · Modal verb · Modality (human–computer interaction · Pedagogy · Perspective (graphical · Sociology · Subjectivity · Verb · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching · Artificial Intelligence
Modality in Grammar and Discourse
Language for Specific Purposes Learner Corpora
Identity and Language Learning
Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching and Learning
The stance triangle
Covid-19 and emergency eLearning
The Use of Model Verbs as a Reflection of Cultural Values
The effects of essay topics on modal verb uses in L1 and L2 academic writing
Mood and Modality
| Highly cited | No |
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