This study reports on a qualitative study which explored 32 pre-service teachers’ evaluations of two online seven-week introductory courses in corpus linguistics (CL). Data were gathered through questionnaires, participants’ written journals, post-course semi-structured email interviews, and discussion forum entries. The qualitative analysis of data revealed that for successful integration of CL into online language teacher education programs, several procedures should be employed. These include: providing the necessary technological infrastructure in educational settings; incorporating CL instruction in initial stages of language teacher education degree programs and extending it throughout the whole curriculum; focusing more on the practical aspects of CL with much emphasis placed on the necessary pedagogical knowledge and skills for successful exploitation of CL; introducing user-friendly tools and encouraging indirect use of corpora in the absence of necessary technological facilities; providing adequate and effective instructional materials (text-based reading materials, screen capture videos, hands-on activities, etc.) along with sufficient instructor support; and encouraging the participants to reflect on the approach critically. The findings may promise implications for language teacher educators to effectively introduce CL to student teachers in virtual learning environments.

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This study reports on a qualitative small-scale exploratory study which examined the factors influencing 32 Iranian pre-service language teachers' participation in online asynchronous textbased discussion forums. By adopting a multiple case study design and analysing data gathered through semi-structured interviews and participants' online postings, it was found that access to computers and the Internet or high speed Internet, group size, quality of messages, level of instructor's involvement, grades, interface qualities, participants' personal characteristics and attitudes toward online interactions, as well as familiarity and experience with online discussions influenced participants' level of participation in online discussions. Based on the findings, recommendations are made to help language teacher educators to encourage effective online communication practices in similar educational settings.

Recently, educating teachers in computer- assisted language learning (CALL) has gained much popularity. In this regard, corpus linguistics (CL), as an area related to CALL, has received great attention. Researchers, now argue strongly for the inclusion of CL in language teacher education (LTE) programs. However, there is no research on how individual and contextual differences may affect student teachers' (STs) reactions to such training. This chapter reports on a qualitative study which explored a range of variables related to STs' personal and professional backgrounds as well as group dynamics influential in the adoption and application of CL training by STs. Through analyzing the data collected using surveys, interviews, and students' written evaluations of the course, it was found that STs' years of teaching experience, characteristics and beliefs, prior experience of online communication, access to technology, and familiarity with and attitudes toward CALL play a crucial role in this regard.