Corpus-Based Approaches to Cuban Higher Education English Language Teaching and Teacher Training: Needs Assessment

ABSTRACT This paper presents the analysis of the data collected with a view to assessing the need for a corpus-based methodology to be integrated into the English language teacher educators’ methodological preparation in Cuban academic institutions. To carry out this research process, a mixed approach is adopted whereby qualitative and quantitative data are collected, assuming a sequential explanatory design. To test the hypothesis that corpora and corpus tools are scarcely used by teachers in higher education, data collection constituted an essential stage of the research. The collection of data entailed documentation on the national documents for language policies, examination of the curricula, and interviews applied to key members of relevant Cuban institutions. The data analysis indicates that the necessary methodological preparation of teacher educators in the use of authentic databases in English to enhance language teaching, and for trainees to learn on their own and throughout their lives, is not achieved. Therefore, the documented results thereof do validate the hypothesis and confirm the need for corpus-based methodologies.