ERIC Number: ED578666
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The SocWoC Corpus: Compiling and Exploiting ESP Material for Undergraduate Social Workers
Johnson, Jane Helen
Research-publishing.net
Successful social work is based on communication (Clark, 2000; Pierson & Thomas, 2000; Thompson, 2010), yet there is little consensus in the field as to what exactly constitutes proper communication (Richards, Ruch, & Trevithick, 2005; Trevithick et al., 2004) and where models of good communication might be found. It is therefore not surprising that there is little material available for teaching the language required for social services students studying English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at undergraduate level in European universities (Kornbeck, 2003, 2008). This chapter describes the creation of a specialised corpus of material related to social work to meet the needs of undergraduate students using L2 English in Italy. It focuses on specific needs of this population (such as the language of social work and recent migration patterns), then describes the selection and preparation of source material for a monitor corpus in this domain. The chapter then shows how the resulting corpus can be used by teachers to select samples and analyse texts for classroom discussion. In conclusion, it is suggested that such material will contribute to language development through awareness-raising in the classroom as regards the effects of different language choices in a discourse context, while also mentioning areas for further development. [For the complete book, "New Developments in ESP Teaching and Learning Research," see ED578581.]
Descriptors: English for Special Purposes, Social Work, Caseworkers, Computational Linguistics, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Countries, Communication Skills, Counselor Client Relationship, Undergraduate Students, Student Needs, Counselor Training, Migration Patterns, Material Development, Group Discussion, Language Usage, Metalinguistics, Teaching Methods, Instructional Materials
Research-publishing.net. La Grange des Noyes, 25110 Voillans, France. e-mail: info@research-publishing.net; Web site: http://research-publishing.net
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A

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