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Research methods in applied linguistics : quantitative,qualitative, and mixed methodologies

01 Jan 2007-
TL;DR: This is a very practical and accessible book that offers a comprehensive overview of research methodology in applied linguistics by describing the various stages of qualitative and quantitative investigations, from collecting the data to reporting the results.
Abstract: This is a very practical and accessible book that offers a comprehensive overview of research methodology in applied linguistics by describing the various stages of qualitative and quantitative investigations, from collecting the data to reporting the results. It also discusses 'mixed methods research', that is, the various combinations of qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article investigated Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) in the classroom and found that levels of FLE were significantly higher than those of FLCA.
Abstract: The present study investigates Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) in the classroom. Participants were 1746 current FL learners from around the world. We used a measure of FLE, based on Likert scale ratings of 21 items (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014), and a measure of FLCA based on 8 items extracted from the FLCAS (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986). Statistical analyses revealed that levels of FLE were significantly higher than those of FLCA. FLE and FLCA were linked to a number of independent variables: participants’ perception of their relative level of proficiency within the FL classroom, number of languages known, education level, number of FLs under study, age group and general level of the FL (ranging from lower-intermediate to advanced). Female participants reported both more FLE and more FLCA. Cultural background of participants also had a significant effect on their scores. Participants’ views on episodes of enjoyment in the FL class revealed the importance of teachers’ professional and emotional skills and of a supportive peer group. Many participants mentioned the moment at which they realised that their long effort in mastering an aspect of the FL paid off.

645 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a large-scale investigation of 40 ESOL classrooms in South Korea involving 27 teachers and more than 1,300 learners was conducted to examine the link between the teachers' motivational teaching practice and their students' language learning motivation.
Abstract: The teacher’s use of motivational strategies is generally believed to enhance student motivation, yet the literature has little empirical evidence to support this claim. Based on a large-scale investigation of 40 ESOL classrooms in South Korea involving 27 teachers and more than 1,300 learners, this study examined the link between the teachers’ motivational teaching practice and their students’ language learning motivation. The students’ motivation was measured by a self-report questionnaire and a classroom observation instrument specifically developed for this investigation, the motivation orientation of language teaching (MOLT). The MOLT observation scheme was also used to assess the teachers’ use of motivational strategies, along with a posthoc rating scale filled in by the observer. The MOLT follows the real-time coding principle of Spada and Frohlich’s (1995) communication orientation of language teaching (COLT) scheme but uses categories of observable teacher behaviors derived from Dornyei’s (2001) motivational strategies framework for foreign language classrooms. The results indicate that the language teachers’ motivational practice is linked to increased levels of the learners’ motivated learning behavior as well as their motivational state.

561 citations


Cites background from "Research methods in applied linguis..."

  • ...As a result, somewhat lower Cronbach alpha coefficients are to be expected, but even with short scales of three or four items, we should aim at reliability coefficients in excess of 0.70; a scale with a Cronbach alpha that does not reach 0.60 should sound warning bells (Dörnyei, 2007)....

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  • ...The resulting z-scores express how much each raw value is different from the group mean, and by equalizing the means, scores obtained from different sources are readily comparable (Dörnyei, 2007)....

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  • ...We are aware of only two published studies (Cheng & Dörnyei, 2007; Dörnyei & Csizér, 1998) that had the explicit objective to provide empirical data on the effectiveness of motivational strategies....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the value and limitations of interviewing as a research instrument and discuss issues of validity and reliability of using interviews as research instrument, concluding with ethical issues concerning the use of interviews.
Abstract: Through this paper I would critically assess the value and limitations of interviewing as a research instrument. Therefore, my discussion, which would be based on methodological issues allied with the use of interviews in qualitative social science research, is two-fold. Firstly, I briefly review the literature concerning the use of interviews, discuss interviews' types and illustrate the differences between these types. Then, issues regarding interviewing in practice will be discussed, ending this part with a brief review of the notion of interviewing in linguistic research. Secondly, a critical evaluation of the method will be presented, including a consideration of its usefulness and pitfalls, followed by discussing issues of validity and reliability of using interviews as a research instrument. To end with, ethical issues concerning the use of interviews will be discussed before drawing on our conclusion.

537 citations


Cites background from "Research methods in applied linguis..."

  • ...Yet, this overlooks the question that Dörnyei (2007) refers to as often not mentioned in research projects, which is weather to make a single or multiple interview sessions....

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  • ...Dörnyei & Skehan, 2003; Nazari, 2007; Talmy, 2010) showed that interviews are one, if not the primary, method of investigating linguistic phenomena. More specifically, Block (2000: 757) states that the rationale behind using interviews in linguistic research is “to take research participants ‘at their word’ ...[that is] to offer presentation of data plus content analysis, but no problematization of the data themselves or the respective roles of interviewers and interviewees”. As noted by Paylenko (2007), when using narrative data, people’s description of their linguistic behaviour (e.g. language learners' reticence) may not always reflect the reality. He, therefore, maintains that interviewing might be the successful alternative technique in testing linguistic phenomena. However, although this may indicate that interviewing is more than just describing facts; presenting events might differ greatly depending on the language of telling (Richards, 2009). Yet, to overcome this, Mackay and Gass (2005: 174) state that “...depending on the research questions and resources available, interviews can be conducted in the interviewee's L1, thus removing the concerns about the proficiency of the [interviewer] impacting quality and quantity of the data provided”. Additionally, however, analysing interview linguistic data can be challenging with regard to the co-constructed nature of oral responses. That is, although some researchers would analyse the narratives as if they would do any oral or written analysis, this method tends to ignore the interactional influence on the presented data. Paylenko (2007) argues that analysing interviews using traditional approaches is more likely to create a distance between the interviewer and his/her interviewee, which would therefore produce an incomplete snapshot of the investigated phenomenon....

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  • ...That is, as Dörnyei (2007) indicates, a one-hour interview may approximately take up to six to seven hours to transcribe, and around fifty pages of transcript. However, to begin with, analysis can be done through coding. Two steps of coding have widely been discussed in social science research: a) generating meaningful data units; and b) classifying and ordering these units. Accordingly, such a process is expected to deliberately reduce the amount of data collected. Creswell (2009) notes that the analysis process should also be reflexive, i....

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  • ...That is, as Dörnyei (2007) indicates, a one-hour interview may approximately take up to six to seven hours to transcribe, and around fifty pages of transcript....

    [...]

  • ...Dörnyei & Skehan, 2003; Nazari, 2007; Talmy, 2010) showed that interviews are one, if not the primary, method of investigating linguistic phenomena. More specifically, Block (2000: 757) states that the rationale behind using interviews in linguistic research is “to take research participants ‘at their word’ ...[that is] to offer presentation of data plus content analysis, but no problematization of the data themselves or the respective roles of interviewers and interviewees”. As noted by Paylenko (2007), when using narrative data, people’s description of their linguistic behaviour (e.g. language learners' reticence) may not always reflect the reality. He, therefore, maintains that interviewing might be the successful alternative technique in testing linguistic phenomena. However, although this may indicate that interviewing is more than just describing facts; presenting events might differ greatly depending on the language of telling (Richards, 2009). Yet, to overcome this, Mackay and Gass (2005: 174) state that “...depending on the research questions and resources available, interviews can be conducted in the interviewee's L1, thus removing the concerns about the proficiency of the [interviewer] impacting quality and quantity of the data provided”. Additionally, however, analysing interview linguistic data can be challenging with regard to the co-constructed nature of oral responses. That is, although some researchers would analyse the narratives as if they would do any oral or written analysis, this method tends to ignore the interactional influence on the presented data. Paylenko (2007) argues that analysing interviews using traditional approaches is more likely to create a distance between the interviewer and his/her interviewee, which would therefore produce an incomplete snapshot of the investigated phenomenon. Yet, to resolve the issue, I would follow Sidnell (2010) who suggests using an interactional/conversational approach (e....

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Journal ArticleDOI
01 Sep 2010-System
TL;DR: In this article, the authors take the initiative to test a theoretical model that subsumes the ideal L2 self, the ought-to-L2 self and the L2 learning experience.

344 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the interplay among language, agent, and environment in the language acquisition process is discussed. But, despite the importance of individual-level variation in the characteristics and contextual circumstances of the learner/speaker, little is known about the interaction between language, environment, and agent.
Abstract: The notion of language as a complex adaptive system has been conceived within an agent-based framework, which highlights the significance of individual-level variation in the characteristics and contextual circumstances of the learner/speaker. Yet, in spite of this emphasis, currently we know relatively little about the interplay among language, agent, and environment in the language acquisition process, which highlights the need for further research in this area. This article is intended to pursue this agenda by discussing four key issues in this respect: (a) conceptualizing the agent, (b) conceptualizing the environment and its relationship to the agent, (c) operationalizing the dynamic relationship among language, agent, and environment, and (d) researching dynamic systems.

285 citations


Cites background from "Research methods in applied linguis..."

  • ...I have argued elsewhere (Dörnyei, 2007) that mixed methods research (i....

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  • ...I have argued elsewhere (Dörnyei, 2007) that mixed methods research (i.e., the meaningful combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches) offers a radically different new strand of research methodology that suits the multilevel analysis of complex issues, because it allows investigators to…...

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