Frontiers of Language and Teaching …...…………………………………………….… Volume 3 (2012) 96 Learners’ Interaction with Online Applications: Tracking Language Related Episodes in Computer-Assisted L2 Writing Wael Hamed Alharbi University of Essex, UK Email: whmalh@essex.ac.uk Abstract Learner concordancing or direct corpus use by learners has been applauded as one of the promising areas which can revolutionize L2 writing and language pedagogy as a whole (Conrad, 2000; Hyland, 2003). Researchers have argued that it provides authentic contexts in which linguistic items are used, promotes data-driven learning (Johns, 1988), and serves as a reference tool that language learners can use to solve language problems. However, these potential benefits have been more talked about than investigated with empirical studies, and only until recently, researchers have started conducting studies in this area. Focusing on L2 writing, this presentation will show how this potential of concordancing has been realized in a study in a university in Saudi Arabia where the presenter introduced concordancing along with other freely available tools such as online dictionaries to his students to improve their L2 writing. The presenter will show the participants how he trained his students on corpus and dictionary search techniques. Then, he will lead the discussion towards the findings of the study shedding light on the new search strategies that the students came up with to solve their language problems, correct their errors and produce better texts. This session is intended for teachers and researchers who want to learn about the applications of corpora and online dictionaries in EFL/ESL writing classrooms. It is also intended for researchers who are interested in learning more about new tools for collecting digital data from participants working on computers. Keywords: Corpus, Corpora, Concordancing, Writing 1. INTRODUCTION Over the past two decades, corpus linguistics has become more widely acknowledged as a valuable approach in language instruction and learning (Conrad, 2000; Granger et al., 2002; Hunston, 2002; Sinclair, 2004; Flowerdew, 2005; Romer, 2011). With regard to the suggestions for data-driven learning (DDL) presented by Johns (1986, 1881) to serve as a key directing element, the majority of studies centred on pedagogical use of corpora emphasises quantitative examinations of learning effects (Cobb, 1997; Gaskell & Cobb, 2004) and/or accounts of the attitudes and viewpoints of learners in regard to corpus utilisation (Chambers & O’Sullivan, 2004; Yoon & Hirvela, 2004). Although such research implies that use of corpora enable positive learning outcomes, it remains true that there is a dearth of studies on the interaction of learners with corpora, and on the learning approach that develops throughout the course of such interaction. There is a clear gap in the literature regarding computer-mediated research. This lack of empirical data relating to the behaviour and development of learners fundamentally weakens the overall reliability and applicability of the results presented in the literature; assigning a learning outcome to the utilisation of online software, without precisely