Abstract
The article reviews the book "Continuum Companion to Research Methods in Applied Linguistics," edited by B. Paltridge and A. Phakiti.
Extract:
This important volume, the work of a diverse group of experienced researchers, introduces beginning researchers to the available resources on research approaches to language teaching and learning and outlines some possible areas of research in this field. A succinct introduction included in Chapter 1 outlines the book’s aims and contents, and the two following sections discuss research methods and research content areas in language teaching and learning.
The nine chapters in first section of the book, Research Methods and Approaches, cover a wide range of both qualitative and quantitative methods useful for studying language and issues related to language learning and teaching. The second chapter opens the volume with an important introduction to epistemological issues of inductive and deductive research methodology and ethical issues associated with social research. In it, Susan Gass defines experimental research and explores fundamental concepts such as research questions,research hypotheses, variables, randomization, interpretation of results and concepts associated with data analysis, including different types of validity and reliability. Although these techniques and instruments are not dealt with in detail, the author refers the reader to recent sources for more information. An interesting example of research that focuses on students’ perceptions of interactional feedback, undertaken by Gass and McDonough,illustrates the issues described in the chapter.
Extract:
This important volume, the work of a diverse group of experienced researchers, introduces beginning researchers to the available resources on research approaches to language teaching and learning and outlines some possible areas of research in this field. A succinct introduction included in Chapter 1 outlines the book’s aims and contents, and the two following sections discuss research methods and research content areas in language teaching and learning.
The nine chapters in first section of the book, Research Methods and Approaches, cover a wide range of both qualitative and quantitative methods useful for studying language and issues related to language learning and teaching. The second chapter opens the volume with an important introduction to epistemological issues of inductive and deductive research methodology and ethical issues associated with social research. In it, Susan Gass defines experimental research and explores fundamental concepts such as research questions,research hypotheses, variables, randomization, interpretation of results and concepts associated with data analysis, including different types of validity and reliability. Although these techniques and instruments are not dealt with in detail, the author refers the reader to recent sources for more information. An interesting example of research that focuses on students’ perceptions of interactional feedback, undertaken by Gass and McDonough,illustrates the issues described in the chapter.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 368-370 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Australian Review of Applied Linguistics |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2012 |