The KSAUHS learner corpus: A longitudinal resource on Arabic L1 EFL academic writing

The KSAU-HS Learner Corpus is a longitudinal corpus of EFL tertiary writing that complies with the FAIR principles. Collection began in 2022 and captures writing development during a period of emerging language technologies (2022–24). The corpus contains over 856,907 tokens across 2,387 texts produced by 157 preparatory year university students, within a CEFR-aligned program with an instructional range of approximately A2-B2. Texts span four trimesters and include rhetorical modes such as cause-and-effect, argumentation, and summarisation. Metadata includes years of English schooling, other languages spoken, and preferred reference tools. The corpus enables research into writing development to inform EAP pedagogy and assessment. Avenues for investigation include lexico-grammatical development, cross-linguistic influence, individual differences, and the impact of task conditions and language technologies. This resource promises data-driven insights into the textual features and factors that characterise EFL writing proficiency, and plans are in place to expand its size, representation, and accessibility.

Keywords: corpus compilation, corpus design, corpus study design, learner corpus research, metadata, second language acquisition

Article outline

1.Introduction
2.Key features of the learner corpus
- 2.1Longitudinal design
- 2.2Extensive metadata
- 2.3Discipline-linked proficiency differentiation
- 2.4Register diversity and task variation
- 2.5Temporally situated around generative AI emergence
- 2.6Continued access to participants for follow-up
- 2.7Alignment with FAIR Principles
3.Corpus design and composition
4.Writing task progression across trimesters
5.Workflow and annotation procedures
6.Corpus composition across subcorpora
7.Ethical considerations
8.Future directions and conclusion
Open data badge and data availability statement
AI use disclosure statement
Acknowledgements
References

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