Achieving Academic Proficiency Standards in Higher Education through Corpus-Based Language Teaching

Abstract

Schools and colleges in India are now facing the challenge of preparing students for higher studies in countries like the USA and the UK, where English is the primary mode of study. It is argued that a large number of ESL and EFL learners fail to meet the expected academic proficiency standards of B2 of the CEFR due to their poor prior exposure to English. Mushrooming of institutions offering short-term training in English for TOEFL and IELTS sets the tone of the problem. However, corpus based approach, when embedded into our curriculum practices, can address a range of teaching issues, and help our students cope with the needs of higher education, in India as well as abroad. While corpus-based language teaching (CBLT) is not new to India, there are reasons why it has not received as much support as other approaches did. In this paper, I discuss the popular notions that withheld CBLT from its growth and present how corpora—general or specific—can assist ELT practitioners achieve high quality standards in higher education.