Developing phraseological competence in Italian L2: a study on the effects of Data-driven learning

Recent meta-analyses indicate Data-driven learning (DDL) as a generally effective approach in second language learning, worthy of being integrated in existing teaching and learning practices (Mizumoto & Chujo, 2015; Boulton & Cobb, 2017; Lee et al., 2018). However, these meta-analyses reveal that the effects of the approach vary considerably when taking into account a number of moderator variables, such as teaching context, proficiency level of the learners and type of study design investigating these effects. Furthermore, they point to the limited empirical evidence available for languages other than English, proficiency levels other than upper-intermediate or advanced, and the almost absence of evidence for variables involving the properties of the learning aims. A need for more rigorous research in terms of the research methods adopted is also called for. This thesis reports on a study based on an 8-week controlled pedagogical intervention focused on verb-noun collocations. The study took place in the context of an Italian L2 university course for Chinese learners. Accuracy data was collected from a total of 123 students by means of an ad-hoc phraseological competence test at 4 weeks intervals and analysed through mixed-effects modeling. Learning patterns were analysed overall, in relation to two specific properties of the learning aims (i.e. semantic transparency and L1 congruency) and to two dimensions of collocational knowledge (i.e. definitional and transferable knowledge). An end-of-course questionnaire was administered to elicit learner attitudes towards the approach. Both the DDL and control conditions in the study displayed U-shaped developmental patterns in most of the cases considered, with no significant differences between them. Retention rates, however, appeared to be better in the DDL rather than the traditional approach. The control condition exhibited a higher degree of variation in comparison to the DDL condition. Despite some initial difficulties, the participants in the study showed overall positive attitudes towards the DDL approach, perceiving the usefulness of focusing on collocations and working on concordances. These findings contribute to DDL research in the context of Italian L2 teaching and learning from both the pedagogical perspective, related to the operationalising of DDL principles, and from the methodological perspective, concerning the potential of using mixed-effects modeling in language learning research. The thesis concludes with a description of the main limitations characterising this study, with some indications as to how these could be dealt with in future research.