Research Methods In Language And Education

This volume seeks to enable language and education practitioners and researchers to get a sense of the range of issues being pursued in language and education research and the array of methods employed to do so. It focuses on language and education in relation to society, variation, culture, and interaction. Its unity of purpose and outlook with regard to the central role of language as both vehicle and mediator of educational processes and to the need for continued and deepening research into the limits and possibilities that implies is most impressive.

A practical guide to the methodologies used in language teaching and learning research, providing expert advice and real-life examples from leading TESOL researchers Research Methods in Language Teaching and Learning provides practical guidance on the primary research methods used in second language teaching, learning, and education. Designed to support researchers and students in language education and learning, this highly accessible book covers a wide range of research methodologies in the context of actual practice to help readers fully understand the process of conducting research. Organized into three parts, the book covers qualitative studies, quantitative studies, and systematic reviews. Contributions by an international team of distinguished researchers and practitioners explain and demonstrate narrative inquiry, discourse analysis, ethnography, heuristic inquiry, mixed methods, experimental and quasi-experimental studies, and more. Each chapter presents an overview of a method of research, an in-depth description of the research framework or data analysis process, and a meta-analysis of choices made and challenges encountered. Offering invaluable insights and hands-on research knowledge to students and early-career practitioners alike, this book: Focuses on the research methods, techniques, tools, and practical aspects of performing research Provides firsthand narratives and case studies to explain the decisions researchers make Compares the relative strengths and weaknesses of different research methods Includes real-world examples for each research method and framework to highlight the context of the study Includes extensive references, further reading suggestions, and end-of-chapter review questions Part of the Guides to Research Methods in Language and Linguistics series, Research Methods in Language Teaching and Learning is essential reading for students, educators, and researchers in all related fields, including TESOL, second language acquisition, English language teaching, and applied linguistics.

An introduction to research methods intended to help readers understand and evaluate research in language learning, this book presents a balanced, accessible view of a range of methods including:" formal experiments" introspective methods (including diaries, logs, journals, and stimulated recall" interaction and transcript analysis" case studiesIt emphasises the value to language teachers of reading published research, as well as initiating their own research. After completing the tasks and exercises in each chapter, readers should acquire sufficient skills and knowledge to formulate research questions, collect relevant data, analyse and interpret it, and report the results to others.

Encyclopedia of Language and Education offers the newest developments in research methods, including an entirely new volume of research and scholarly content, essential to the field of language teaching and learning in the age of globalization.

This volume, Research Methods in Language, offers an overview of the wide range of methodological approaches to language and education across the axes of micro and macro-linguistic and social levels of analysis, as well as the multiple connections between them. The four sections each offer •Several reviews of different broad areas or subfields •Articles with a more narrow focus or demonstrating the application of an approach •International scope •Diversity of scholarly perspectives The resultant breadth and depth of theoretical and methodological research perspective makes this a unique and highly valuable resource. This is one of ten volumes of the Encyclopedia of Language and Education published by Springer. The Encyclopedia bears testimony to the dynamism and evolution of the language and education field, as it confronts the ever-burgeoning and irrepressible linguistic diversity and ongoing pressures and expectations placed on education around the world.

Mixed methods research (MMR), where quantitative and qualitative methods are combined in the collecting and analysing of research data, is gaining increasing prominence and utility across a range of academic disciplines including applied linguistics and language teaching and learning. This volume is the first to examine MMR in language teaching and learning and how such a methodology works in practice. The book brings together all the main topics related to MMR in one place and attempts to elaborate on and discuss them in plain language to help researchers better understand and use the methodology. In addition to detailed discussion of the theoretical (for example, the worldviews underlying MMR) and practical (purposes, designs, data collection and analysis), the book presents a framework for analyzing MMR (FRAMMR) studies. In the third section of the book where FRAMMR is presented, eight published MMR articles addressing different topics in language teaching and learning are analysed and eight more are suggested to be analysed by the readers using FRAMMR. Another salient feature of the book is Chapter 7 in which writing MMR proposals is discussed. The chapter should be of particular interest to postgraduate and doctoral students as well as early career researchers who will be preparing thesis and/or research proposals. Given the scarcity of resources on MMR in applied linguistics in general, and language teaching and learning in particular, the current volume can fill this gap to a great extent. Attempt has been made to present a coherent and transparent discussion of sometimes confusing MMR issues and topics. As a newly developed research methodology, MMR poses its own challenges to researchers. These challenges are also discussed in different chapters of the book so that researchers can consider them when planning for and implementing MMR projects.

This book offers a lively introduction to the research methods and techniques available to English language teachers who wish to investigate aspects of their own practice. It covers qualitative and quantitative methodology and includes sections on observation, introspection, diary studies, experiments, interviews, questionnaires, numerical techniques and case study research. Each method is illustrated with examples in language teaching contexts, and techniques of data collection and analysis are introduced. The authors focus particularly on research in the classroom, on tests, materials, the effects of innovations, and they discuss methods appropriate to research in various collaborative modes as well as by individuals. A key feature of the book is an introduction to the debate surrounding different approaches to research, with an evaluation of traditional research in relation to the paradigms associated with reflective practice and action research. The book is ideal for teachers on initial training and post-experience courses, students on degree programmes in applied linguistics and TEFL and, of course, practising teachers with an interest in research methods in language teaching.