Data‐Driven Learning: Taking the Computer Out of the Equation

Despite considerable research interest, data‐driven learning (DDL) has not become part of mainstream teaching practice. It may be that technical aspects are too daunting for teachers and students, but there seems to be no reason why DDL in its early stages should not eliminate the computer from the equation by using prepared materials on paper—considerably easier for the novice learner to handle. This article reports on an experiment to see how lower level learners cope with such paper‐based corpus materials and a DDL approach compared to more traditional teaching materials and practices. Pretests and posttests show that both are effective compared to control items, with the DDL items showing the greatest improvement, and questionnaire responses are more favorable to the DDL activities. The results are argued to show that printed materials can counter a number of potential barriers and may thus enable DDL to reach a wider audience.