Effects of data-driven learning on the writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) of Thai EFL learners

Recent years have seen an increasing focus on incorporating data-driven learning (DDL) into L2 writing instruction. This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of DDL activities in improving the writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) of 30 Thai EFL learners, exploring both the extent and impact of these activities. The presentation of DDL in this study was hands-on concordancing with the assistance of the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). The study was held in the context of an English writing workshop focusing on opinion paragraphs, divided into two phases: four weeks for the pattern hunting activities and two weeks for the pattern refining activities. Applying CAF Profile of Larsen-Freeman (2006), the pretest and posttest writings were analysed. The results showed that DDL can enhance learners’ writing lexical complexity, accuracy, and fluency, whereas no statistically significant evidence was found in terms of grammatical complexity. Furthermore, the results from the questionnaire and the interview indicated that the learners had positive attitudes towards DDL as a useful reference resource to enhance their vocabulary acquisition, refine their writing, revise their compositions, generate fresh ideas for writing, and boost their writing confidence. Additionally, drawing insights from participants’ reflections during stimulated recall sessions and an examination of corpus search logs, the DDL strategies used by Thai EFL learners to facilitate their writing development are categorized into four themes: Utilization of COCA for Lexico-Grammatical Patterns, Strategic Use of Concordance Lines, Frequency Consideration in Word Selection, and Adaptability and Multiple Answers. These findings underscore the potential of DDL as a pedagogical tool in L2 writing instruction.