Empirical Research

A review of the usage-based linguistics literature reveals multiple macro-approaches providing a wide range of research findings. A number of case studies of individual learners have confirmed the usage-based trajectory of moving from item-based constructions towards more abstract structures. Other studies have focused on groups to identify general trends. Some studies have found that usage-based learners develop higher general proficiency than learners who take a grammar-based course and do as well on grammar tests. A number of corpus studies have been used to track learner progress using large data sets. These found that as learners become more proficient, they move from using a small set of general verbs to using a wider set of more specific verbs in verb-argument constructions. A major area of interest has been individual variation and variability and research confirms that there is wide variation in individual development. Other studies have found that student groups taught with a multimedia usage-based approach achieve more than others taught using communicative pedagogy. Finally, researchers have found that online independent language learning is growing in significance and is highly valued by learners.