Research synthesis

2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Norris ◽  
Lourdes Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Research Synthesis ◽  
Instructional Effectiveness ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Learning And Teaching

When in the late 1990s we set out to review the accumulated research on second language (L2) instructional effectiveness, it was with a sense – though no certainty – that a journey into the uncharted territory of systematic research synthesis would eventually prove worth the effort. In order to find a fitting methodology, and in the absence of any guidance within applied linguistics, we willingly delved into challenging techniques and debates from other disciplines. A few years later, we had to search long and hard to find enough synthesists working on language learning and teaching issues to warrant a book, but we did, and we saw that new effort as an important, if initial, step towards the adoption and adaptation of research synthesis, and particularly the subset of methods known as meta-analysis, to the problems of applied linguistics. Now, some ten years after our first publication on the topic, applications of meta-analysis have increased dramatically in the field, as this Timeline clearly shows. For some topics (e.g. interaction, corrective feedback), we have even seen several studies replicating and building on each other. We are pleased with these developments and welcome the efforts of the field to engage in rigorous and meaningful reviews of L2 research, with an eye towards cumulative explanation of key phenomena. At the same time, we also hope that researchers will avail themselves of the full potential of systematic research synthesis, which considerably transcends the narrower domain of meta-analysis and includes other quantitative as well as qualitative methods that more fully enable the task of synthesizing accumulated knowledge in the increasingly diverse research landscape of applied linguistics.

Practice and progression in Second Language Research methods

AILA Review ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 80-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Mackey
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Research Synthesis ◽  
Deep Dive ◽  
Psychology Education ◽  
Language Research ◽  
General Linguistics

Since its inception, the field of second language research has utilized methods from a number of areas, including general linguistics, psychology, education, sociology, anthropology and, recently, neuroscience and corpus linguistics. As the questions and objectives expand, researchers are increasingly pushing methodological boundaries to gain a clearer picture of second language learning. At one end for example, we see measures of cognition (e.g., brain imaging and eye tracking) and at the other end we see exploration of issues of culture and identity (e.g., ethnographies, deep dive case studies, introspective and narrative analyses). There is an emerging emphasis on research synthesis, meta-analysis, and replication. This article illustrates a few of the advancements in methods and research agendas in SLA. I will conclude by highlighting some of the ways that second language researchers can continue to incorporate, assimilate, and shape methodology, as well as pointing out some of the potential pitfalls, and overall, how these methodological innovations benefit the field.

Transparency of reporting in CALL meta-analyses between 2003 and 2015

ReCALL ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huifen Lin ◽  
Tsuiping Chen ◽  
Hsien-Chin Liou
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Research Synthesis ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Research Domain

AbstractSince its introduction by Glass in the 1970s, meta-analysis has become a widely accepted and the most preferred approach to conducting research synthesis. Overcoming the weaknesses commonly associated with traditional narrative review and vote counting, meta-analysis is a statistical method of systematically aggregating and analyzing empirical studies by following well-established procedures. The findings of a meta-analysis, when appropriately conducted, are able to inform important policy decisions and provide practical pedagogical suggestions. With the growing number of publications employing meta-analysis across a wide variety of disciplines, it has received criticism due to its inconsistent findings derived from multiple meta-analyses in the same research domain. These inconsistencies have arisen partly due to the alternatives available to meta-analysts in each major meta-analytic procedure. Researchers have therefore recommended transparent reporting on the decision-making for every essential judgment call so that the results across multiple meta-analyses become replicable, consistent, and interpretable. This research explored the degree to which meta-analyses in the computer-assisted language learning (CALL) discipline transparently reported their decisions in every critical step. To achieve this aim, we retrieved 15 eligible meta-analyses in CALL published between 2003 and 2015. Features of these meta-analyses were extracted based on a codebook modified from Cooper (2003) and Aytug, Rothstein, Zhou and Kern (2012). A transparency score of reporting was then calculated to examine the degree to which these meta-analyses are compliant with the norms of reporting as recommended in the literature. We then discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the methodologies and provide suggestions for conducting quality meta-analyses in this domain.

A review of recent research (2000–2008) on applied linguistics and language teaching with specific reference to L2 Spanish

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Antón
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
L2 Spanish

Esta reseña presenta una visión general de los estudios sobre español como segunda lengua en contextos educativos. La temática y el ámbito geográfico es amplio a fin de captar la diversidad de alumnos y contextos de aprendizaje de español L2 a sólo dos décadas de que la enseñanza de este idioma adquiriera ímpetu a nivel global. Los alumnos tradicionales de segunda lengua o lengua extranjera, hablantes de herencia, inmigrantes y niños indígenas presentan una variedad de contextos de investigación que contribuye y expande las disciplinas de enseñanza y aprendizaje de segunda lengua/lengua extranjera, lingüística aplicada y sociolingüística. Siguiendo tendencias iniciadas en años anteriores en adquisición de segunda lengua, y en relación con investigaciones sobre otros idiomas, los temas principales en este periodo reciente han sido la adquisición y enseñanza del sistema lingüístico, procesos de aprendizaje y su contexto social. La reseña se organiza temáticamente según estas categorías principales.This review presents a broad picture of recent work on L2 Spanish1in educational contexts. The thematic and geographic scope of the review is wide, in order to capture the diversity of learners and learning contexts of L2 Spanish, just two decades after teaching and learning the language gained impetus worldwide. Traditional second or foreign language learners, heritage learners, immigrants and indigenous children provide a variety of contexts for research that builds on and expands the fields of second and foreign language learning and teaching, applied linguistics and sociolinguistics. Continuing the trend from previous years in SLA, and in connection with research on learners of other languages, main themes in this time period have been the acquisition and teaching of the language system, learning processes, and social contexts of learning. The review is organized thematically according to these main categories.

scholarly journals Applied linguistics

2004 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-210
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Relevance Theory ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Language Research

04–413 Biber, Douglas and Cortes, Viviana (Northern Arizona U., USA). If you look at…: lexical bundles in university teaching and textbooks. Applied Linguistics (Oxford, UK), 25, 3 (2004), 371–405.04–414 Davies, C. E. (U. of Alabama, USA), Developing awareness of crosscultural pragmatics: The case of American/German sociable interactionMultilingua (Berlin, Germany), 23, 3 (2004), 207–231.04–415 Kaufman, Dorit.Constructivist issues in language learning and teaching. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK), 24 (2004), 303–319.04–416 Kern, Richard, Ware, Paige and Warschauer, Mark. Crossing frontiers: new directions in online pedagogy and research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK), 24 (2004), 243–260.04–417 Liszka, S. A. (U. of London, UK; Email: [email protected]). Exploring the effects of first language influence on second language pragmatic processes from a syntactic deficit perspective. Second Language Research (London,UK), 20, 3 (2004), 212–231.04–418 McArthur, T. Is it world or international or globalEnglish, and does it matter?English Today (Cambridge, UK), 20, 3 (2004), 3–15.04–419 Ying, H. G. (U. of Colorado at Denver, USA; Email: [email protected]). Relevance mapping: a study of second language learners' processing of syntactically ambiguous sentences in English. Second Language Research (London,UK), 20, 3 (2004), 232–255.04–420 Zegarac, V. (U. of Luton, UK; Email: [email protected]). Relevance Theory andthein second language acquisition. Second Language Research (London, UK), 20, 3 (2004), 193–211.

Narrative Inquiry in Applied Linguistics Research

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 154-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil Benson
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Longitudinal Methods ◽  
The Past ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Numerous Data

The importance of narrative inquiry as an alternative approach to research in the humanities and social sciences has grown considerably over the past 20 years or so. Over the past decade, it has also become an established approach to research on second and foreign language learning and teaching through the publication of numerous data-based studies and several texts on narrative inquiry for applied linguistics. Focusing on studies published since 2008, this article outlines the scope of narrative research on language learning and teaching at the present time. It discusses recent innovations in data collection (the use of mixed and longitudinal methods and the use of narrative frames and multimodal data) and data analysis (focus on the discourse of narrative and the use of narrative writing). It concludes that these innovations represent a welcome trend toward methodological diversity that is strengthening the contribution of narrative inquiry to our understanding of the experience of language teaching and learning.

A New Field of Research: SLA-Applied Linguistics

PMLA ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 115 (7) ◽  
pp. 1978-1981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Kramsch
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Educational Linguistics ◽  
Linguistic System ◽  
Systematic Exploration ◽  
Context Of Learning ◽  
Instructional Settings

Second language acquisition research (sla) is the systematic exploration of the conditions that make the acquisition of a foreign language possible, both in natural and in instructional settings. Its objects of study are the biological, linguistic, psychological, and emotional makeup of language learners and the educational, social, and institutional context of learning and teaching. Whereas language as a linguistic system is studied through the metalanguage of linguistics (phonology, syntax, and semantics), language learning, as psycholinguistic process and sociolinguistic discourse, is researched through the metadiscourse of applied linguistics: psycho- and sociolinguistics, anthropological and educational linguistics, discourse analysis, pragmatics, stylistics, and composition and literacy studies. These fields illuminate what it means to learn to speak, read, write, and interact in a foreign language, what it means to appropriate for oneself the national idiom of communities that share a history and a culture that are different from one's own. SLA provides the applied linguistic metadiscourse for the practice of language learning and teaching.

scholarly journals Introduction to the Special Issue: The Psychology of Teaching and Learning Content and Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Kyle Talbot ◽  
Marie-Theres Gruber ◽  
Rieko Nishida
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Psychological Experiences

We are pleased to present the first special issue for the Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning (JPLL). The existence of this journal suggests an increased recognition of the importance of psychological factors in language teaching and learning. Indeed, the once emerging field of the psychology of language learning and teaching (PLLT) seems to have cemented itself as a permanent subdiscipline within applied linguistics. With this special issue we want to take the opportunity to draw attention to the psychological experiences of stakeholders in integrated content and language (ICL) settings. These settings present unique challenges and opportunities for teachers and learners and remain relatively underexplored (cf. De Smet et al., 2018; Doiz & Lasagabaster, 2018; Gierlinger, 2007; Gruber et al., 2020; Moate, 2011; Pappa et al., 2017). As such, our principle aim with this special issue is to draw increased attention to this domain of research in the hopes of uncovering ways to better support teachers and learners in these specific settings.

scholarly journals A Meta-Analysis of Studies on the Effectiveness of Using Games Strategies in English Language Learning and Teaching

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 179-193
Author(s):  
Emad Alsoufi ◽  
Ali AbuSeileek
Keyword(s):  
Conference Proceedings ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Study Skills ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Text Length

This study aimed to identify the general trends, description and focus of research about the effectiveness of using games strategy in English language teaching and learning. That is, it investigated the strategies used, instrument, year of publication, publication type, participant, design of the study, skills and areas analyzed in the study, and length of text in studies about the effectiveness of games method. The study used a meta-analysis research design in data collection and analysis. The sample of the study consisted of 70 journal articles, conference proceedings, and graduate theses and dissertations published between 2000-2018. The instrument of the study was a meta-analysis checklist. The descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages were used to find differences between the different features. The findings revealed that strategies used in this study and, the feature games (regular) method had the highest frequency. Moreover, the test instrument had the highest frequency in the sample studies analyzed. However, the year 2016 obtained the highest frequency for the year of the study. The type of publication got the next highest frequency in favour of conference proceedings. This was followed by the participant type and level features (EFL learners, school, and 16 participants and more) in the study sample. The experimental design of studies about games strategies received a high frequency. There was also the frequency for skills and areas in studies about games strategies in favour of reading.  The feature games are more effective than other methods and the text length of 11 to 20 pages (2,645-4,729 words) category had the highest frequency. Finally, several related recommendations were introduced to the researchers, curricula designers, supervisors, and English teachers.  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document