Guidelines for SLA Case Study Proposal
TESL 423/623
Overview: This semester-long project will take you through the process of selecting a case study
participant, articulating a narrow research question(s) appropriate for a qualitative study,
reading relevant literature, designing a research methodology, collecting data, and writing up
the results in an academic paper. Your case study will be grounded in a review of the relevant
literature, which will allow you to contribute to the SLA field’s global knowledge of a given
topic.
Every L2 learner has unique characteristics, experiences, motivations, goals, strengths, challenges,
learning histories, fears, beliefs and attitudes, strategies for learning, and more. This case study
project will help you to really get to know some of the underlying complexities of one particular
English language learner. However, the case study is not a generic profile of an English
language learner, nor is it simply an account of their language learning history. Your case study
should portray something specific about your participant in light of a previously-researched
topic, theory, or finding in SLA scholarship.
Potential Research Topics: Here are some previously-researched SLA topics that you might
choose to build on with your participant, along with a sample publication:
 willingness to communicate (e.g., MacIntyre, 2007)
 the L2 motivational self system (e.g., Dornyei, 2009)
 identity and investment (e.g., Norton, 2013)
 learner autonomy and self-regulation (e.g., Kormos & Csizér, 2014)
 beliefs about language learning (e.g., Kartchava & Ammar, 2014)
 attitudes toward the L2 (Ahn 2017)
 metalinguistic awareness and knowledge
 anxiety (e.g., DeCosta, 2015)
 personality (e.g., Ehrman, 2008)
 learning strategies and metacognition (e.g., Chamot, 2008)
 emotions (e.g., Swain, 2013)
 L1 literacy background (e.g., Tarone, 2010)
 development of pragmatic competence (e.g., Barron, 2012)
 family bilingualism (e.g., Lanza, 2009)
 social inclusion (e.g., Yates, 2011)
Please consult the required readings for our class as well as other SLA-related resources you’ve
searched for online to help guide you in focusing on a particular SLA topic.
Electronic books available through our library that provide overview of many of these topics
include:
Dornyei’s (2005) The Psychology of the Language Learner : Individual Differences in Second Language
Acquisition: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/aul/detail.action?docID=257290
The Routledge Encyclopedia of SLA:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/aul/detail.action?docID=1016020
The Routledge Handbook of SLA (especially Part V):
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/aul/detail.action?docID=957566
See also paper books (for curbside pick-up at AU’s library) like:
Exploring psychology in language learning and teaching (Williams, 2015)
You are also encouraged to consult the extensive topic-related bibliographies at
https://www.tirfonline.org/resources/references/.
Like all good research, there should be a clear link and a direct line in your final paper from (a)
the previous literature to (b) your research question(s) to (c) the data collection methods to (d) the data
collection analysis to (e) the findings and conclusions.
Data Collection Methods: Please pay close attention to the kinds of data collection methods and
instruments that have been used in previously published SLA research studies related to your
topic. As you read the existing literature, note how the authors’ research questions relate to
their data collection techniques and findings.
Although each TESL 623 paper will be unique, your data collection should include the
following components:
 An interview(s) with your participant (in their L1 or in English) that yields qualitative
data about your research questions
 Collection of short oral and/or written English language samples, for analysis of their
English proficiency
 A relevant English language task followed by a reflection or stimulated recall activity.
This task must require the participant to use English (at whatever their current
proficiency level is) and then give them the chance to reflect on their English language
use (or on what’s “going on” for them as they engage with English).
Possible data collection tasks might include observation of them carrying out an L2 task or
conversation with someone, learning strategy inventory, beliefs questionnaire, language use
log, think aloud activity, elicited narrative, metalinguistic awareness activity, etc.
Template for SLA Case Study Proposal
Prior to carrying out your data collection, you will submit a formal case study proposal. Please
note that this is only a proposal – I will give you plenty of feedback and guidance on the
direction of your data collection and final paper. Chances are that your research questions, data
collection methods, and other aspects of your paper will actually change between now and the
final paper. That’s OK! Right now, you just need to focus on your initial proposal; as long as
you’ve crafted some reasonable questions and you’ve identified some reasonable initial
resources, you’re on the right track. This is not a quick process, but will require several rounds
of collaborative thinking, analyzing, drafting, etc. We are in this together!
The proposal must adhere to APA formatting conventions, be structured like an academic
paper with headings/subheadings, and address the following points:

Cover page with a tentative title for your paper that gives us an idea of what makes this
learner an interesting case

Introduction (20 points)
o What SLA research question(s) and topics are you interested in pursuing?
o What is the importance of this topic for the field of SLA?

Preliminary literature review (40 points)
o What previous relevant research exists that address your questions? Provide a
summary of five related references (in APA format).
 What methods have these studies used? What findings have emerged
from these studies? What gaps (or questions) are there in these studies
that your study might address?

Proposed methods (20 points)
o Who will be your case study participant, and why have you chosen him or her?
How is this participant a good choice for your RQs?
o What are some examples of interview questions you would like to ask your
participant? How do these interview questions relate to your RQs?
o What kind of oral and written language samples would be appropriate to elicit to
address his/her English language proficiency? How do these language samples
relate to your RQs?
o What kind of other language task(s) would you like to ask your participant to
complete? What reflection questions could you ask them to find out more about
what they were thinking about while using the language? How might your
observations relate to your RQs?

Conclusion (20 points)
o What do you hope to learn through this case study research?
o What substantive challenges do you anticipate in conducting this research? (E.g.,
by ‘substantive,’ I do not mean the anticipated challenge of “not having enough
time,” etc. 😊 That’s a struggle that everyone will have with semester-long
projects.)
Additional Notes: Here are some other things to think about as you start envisioning your
project.
 Ethics: Make sure to use a pseudonym for your case study participant and change any
identifying information (e.g., the school that they attend). This is just good practice in terms
of research ethics. Make sure that your participant understands your project and what is
expected of them before you begin collecting data. Let them know that their information
will be kept confidential and their identity will remain anonymous. If you’re working with
children, you should get their parents’ permission. I’ll post the informed consent form I
used for my dissertation research, which is required for university IRB approval. You may
not need to do that, but it’s a good idea to review what one looks like for your own
background knowledge.
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Formatting: Well-organized academic papers require clear and consistent headings and
subheadings. Going forward, pay particular attention to how your submissions are
presented and organized. Make use of headings and subheadings to clearly identify the
sections of your paper. On all drafts and assignments, make sure to begin by reiterating
your research question(s) (in whatever form they currently are in) and basic (very brief)
information about your participant.
Research Constructs and Terms: In your final paper, you will need to clearly define your
main construct (e.g., identity, acculturation, willingness to communicate, motivation, etc.).
Use the definition of your choice from the literature (with proper citation) or formulate your
own definition that makes sense to you (based on your understanding of the literature).
Make sure you understand NOW what it is you are studying!! Don’t wait until the final
paper to go look for the definition that will guide your understanding.
Literature Review: Your final paper should have about 20 relevant references to support
your introduction, literature review, methods, and possibly implications/discussion
sections. Identify and read these references now, figuring out what the “takeaway” is from
each one. Make sure that your work is grounded in previous SLA research – so that it is
clear that you are building from what has been done before. You should not be reinventing
the wheel!
Envisioning and organizing your project: Like all good research, there should be a clear
link and a direct line from (a) the previous literature to (b) your research question(s) to (c)
the data collection methods to (d) the data collection analysis to (e) the findings and
conclusions. In all of your work, you need to continually refer back to your research
questions, and revise them as needed.
Oral and written L2 samples: Please note that the main purpose of the L2 samples is simply
to generate a general description of your participant’s L2 abilities. Consult the ACTFL
proficiency guidelines, the WIDA guidelines, the TESOL standards, or another set of L2
proficiency descriptors for reference. These samples should be representative of the kind of
language that your participant tends to use in English. For example, if your participant is a
stay-at-home mom who mostly talks about her kids when interacting in English with other
moms, then you could ask her something like, “Tell me about your children and what a
typical day is like with them.”
o The oral sample only needs to be about 2 minutes long. You’re analyzing it to look
for what the participant’s apparent strengths and weaknesses are in spoken English.
What can your participant do in English? What kinds of errors does she make? Does
she hesitate a lot? Does her pronunciation of some words impede understanding?
Does she use slang or colloquialisms?
o The written sample does not need to be more than a page (and would be much less
for a beginning learner). You’re analyzing it to look for typical features of written
language (e.g., spelling, punctuation, organization) as well as clarity, organization of
ideas, voice, vocabulary and grammar.
Interviews: Please allot about 1 hour for the interview. A few people have asked how many
questions they should ask for the interviews. After asking the usual background questions
(e.g., How long have you studied English? What are your goals for learning English? How
long have you lived in the U.S.? etc.), you should focus on no more than 10-12 questions
(with follow-ups as needed). You may end up asking even fewer questions, depending on
how lengthy and rich your participant’s answers are. Please pilot (or at least show) your
questions to someone who is NOT an MATESOL student ahead of time, to make sure that
they make sense to someone who is not a language professional. Plan on recording the
interview (with your participant’s permission). Listen to it carefully and take note of
interesting points to revisit and transcribe. However, you shouldn’t need to transcribe the
whole interview – just certain quotations that are particularly salient for your research
questions.
Section
Questions to Address
Points
Possible
0
Cover page

What is the tentative title of your paper for now?
(What constructs or special characteristics of the
participant might make for a good title?)
Introduction

What SLA research question(s) and topics are you
interested in pursuing?
What some key concepts related to your topic(s)
and how are they defined?
What is the importance of this topic for the field of
SLA?
20
What previous relevant research exists that address
your questions? Provide a summary of five related
references (in APA format).
What methods have these studies used? What
findings have emerged from these studies? What
gaps (or questions) are there in these studies that
your study might address?
40
Who will be your case study participant, and why
have you chosen him or her? How is this
participant a good choice for your RQs?
What are some examples of interview questions
you would like to ask your participant? How do
these interview questions relate to your RQs?
What kind of oral and written language samples
would be appropriate to elicit to address his/her
English language proficiency? How do these
language samples relate to your RQs?
What kind of other language task(s) would you
like to ask your participant to complete? What
reflection questions could you ask them to find out
more about what they were thinking about while
using the language? How might your observations
relate to your RQs?
20
What do you hope to learn through this case study
20


Preliminary
literature
review


Proposed
methods




Conclusion

Your
Points
research?
 What substantive challenges do you anticipate in
conducting this research?
TOTAL
100