ENGLISH/LINGUISTICS 623
RESEARCH METHODS IN APPLIED LINGUISTICS -- FALL 2005
Time & Place:
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Homepage:
Texts:
Readings:
Monday & Wednesday 3:40-5:00, Ross 26
Professor Carol A. Chapelle
339 Ross Hall, phone: 294-7274, e-mail: carolc@iastate.edu
Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:00 & by appointment
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~carolc/RESMET/ResMet623.html
Mackey, A. & Gass S. M. (2005). Second Language Research: Methodology and Design.
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Ellis, R., & Barkhuizen, G. (2005). Analyzing learner language. Oxford University Press.
Available in class, on the Web and in the library
COURSE OVERVIEW
This course introduces students to research methods used in applied linguistics with emphasis on second language
research. It covers all phases of conceptualizing and conducting research, including, the process of developing
research questions, gathering data, obtaining permission from an Institutional Review Board, choosing data collection
measures, coding linguistic and non-linguistic data. It introduces students to differences between quantitative and
qualitative research with particular emphasis on classroom research, mixed-method designs, common statistical
methods, and the process of writing research for publication. The epistemological bases underlying different
perspectives to research in applied linguistics will be discussed and students will read examples from a range of
approaches in the journals in applied linguistics. Assignments will include analysis of research approaches used in
technology studies in applied linguistics and carrying out a small-scale quantitative and qualitative study. As a result of
this course, students should develop the ability to appraise and use research methods and techniques for applied
linguistic research and develop the schema required to benefit from other research methods courses in statistics,
qualitative research, computational analysis, and discourse analysis.
OBJECTIVES
● Develop strategies for formulating research questions and for collecting and analyzing data pertaining to those
questions
● In designing and communicating about research, use arguments informed by professional consensus about
technical quality of research designs.
● Infer the epistemological perspective(s) underlying applied linguistics research.
● Justify criteria used for evaluating the language of research participants
● Communicate research results in a way that explains their relevance to appropriate audiences and informs future
research.
● Identify the value implications and social consequences of research in applied linguistics
● Critically evaluate published research in applied linguistics.
REQUIREMENTS
1)
2)
3)
4)
Paper on research questions in technology research (Paper 1; due 9/7; 10% of grade)
Paper on data collection in technology research (Paper 2; due 9/26; 10% of grade)
Paper and presentation of quantitative study (Paper 3; due 10/17; 40% of grade)
Paper and presentation of qualitative study (Paper 4; due 11/30; 40% of grade)
SYLLABUS
Week
Date
1
Topics
Readings
Aug. 22
Aug. 24
Course introduction
Introduction to research
Aug. 29
Aug. 11
Sept. 5
Sept. 7
Research questions in technology studies
Data gathering
Labor Day
Data collection methods (Paper 1 due)
Sept. 12
Sept. 14
Sept. 19
Data collection in technology studies
Research variables, validity and reliability
Data collection as measurement
Sept. 21
Sept. 26
Sept. 28
Friday Sept. 30
11
Saturday Oct. 1
Oct. 3
Oct. 5
Oct. 10
Oct. 12
Oct. 17
Oct. 19
Oct. 24
Oct. 26
Oct. 31
Designing a quantitative study
Quantitative technology studies (Paper 2 due)
Proposal for quantitative study
Technology & Second Language Learning
Conference (9:00-5:00 Memorial Union)
MWALT Conference
Analyzing quantitative data
SPSS
Conducting research
Concluding and reporting research
Reporting on research (Paper 3 due)
Qualitative research
Qualitative technology studies
Classroom research
Coding data
12
Nov. 2
Nov. 7
Issues in classroom research and coding
Analyzing learner language
Nov. 9
Analyzing learner language
13
Nov. 14
Nov. 18 (Th, 2:00)
14
Nov. 28
Nov. 30
Dec. 5
Dec. 7
Analyzing learner language
Library research
Thanksgiving Break
Reporting on research
Mixed method designs (Paper 4 due)
Mixed methods
Issues in applied linguistics research methods
Dec. 12-16
Final Exams Week
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
15
16
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 1; Ellis,
Chapter 1; Duff, forthcoming
2
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 2
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 3; Ellis &
Barkhuizen, Chapter 2
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 4
Norris & Ortega, 2003; Mislevy,
1994; Hegelheimer & Chapelle, 2000
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 5
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 9
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 10
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 6
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 7
Mackey & Gass, Chapter 8; Ellis &
Barkhuizen, Chapter 11
Ortega, 2005
Ellis & Barkhuizen, Chapters 3, 4 &
5
Ellis & Barkhuizen, Chapters 6, 7 &
8
Ellis & Barkhuizen, Chapter 9 & 10
Gass & Selinker, Chapter 14
Johnson, & Onwuegbuzie, 2004;.
Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2003
Chapelle & Duff, 2003; Bachman,
2004; Holliday, 2004; Shohamy,
2004
EXPLANATION OF SYLLABUS AND REQUIREMENTS
1) The first paper will allow you to examine the research questions posed in technology studies in applied linguistics in
order to connect these to the discussion of research questions in the broader field of applied linguistics. Guidelines
will be provided on the Web.
2) The second paper builds on the first by asking you allow you to examine the data collection methods used in
technology studies in view of the discussion of data collection in the text books on research methods. Guidelines
will be provided on the Web.
3) You will need to design, carry out, and report on a quantitative study. You should work with other member of the
class to pool knowledge and resources. However you need to write your own paper.
4) You will need to design, carry out, and report on a qualitative study. You should work with other member of the
class to pool knowledge and resources. However you need to write your own paper.
For each class you miss beyond two, 5% will be deducted from your grade. If you are absent, you are responsible for
finding out what we did in class from another student. Participation counts so you should attend class. No late papers
will be accepted.
READINGS
Bachman, L. F. (2004). Linking observations to interpretations and uses in TESOL research. TESOL Quarterly, 38(4), 723728.
Chapelle, C. A., & Duff, P. A. (Eds.) (2003). Some guidelines for conducting quantitative and qualitative research in
TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 37(1), 157-178.
Duff, P. A. (forthcoming). Beyond generalizability: Contextualization, complexity, and credibility in applied linguistics
research. In Chalhoub-Deville, Chapelle, C., and Duff, P., (Eds.). Inference and generalizability in applied
linguistics: Multiple perspectives. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Ellis, R., & Barkhuizen, G. (2004). Analyzing learner language. Oxford University Press.
Hegelheimer, V., & Chapelle, C. A. (2000). Methodological issues in research on learner-computer interactions in CALL.
Language Learning and Technology, 4(1), 41-59.
Holliday, A. (2004). Issues of validity in progressive paradigms of qualitative research. TESOL Quarterly, 38(4), 731-734.
Johnson, R. B., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come.
Educational Researcher, 33(7), pp. 14-26.
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. (2005). Second language research: Methodology and design. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Mislevy, R. J. (1994). Evidence and inference in educational assessment. Psychometrika, 59, 439–483.
Norris, J., & Ortega, L. (2003). Defining and measuring SLA. In C. J. Doughty & M. H. Long, (Eds.) The handbook of
second language acquisition (pp. 718–761). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Ortega, L. (2005). For what and for whom is our research? The ethical as transformative lens in instructed SLA research.
Modern Language Journal, 89(3).
Shohamy, E. (2004). Reflections on research guidelines, categories, and responsibility. TESOL Quarterly, 38(4), 728-731.
Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2003). Major issues and controversies in the use of mixed methods in the social and behavioral
sciences. In A. Tashakkori, & C. Teddlie, (Eds.). Handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research, (pp. 350). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
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