Course Content (Syllabus)
This course introduces the main concepts and some of the techniques used in research in (English as a) second/foreign language. Specifically, it covers the following points:
1. Introduction to research. Aims and significance of research in classroom settings. Issues of ethics.
2. Quantitative and qualitative approaches: differences, types of quantitative and qualitative research projects.
3. Research design: setting a research question, literature research, formulation of research hypotheses.
4. Methodology: scales and variables, tools and tasks, validity and reliability.
5. Data collection methods: questionnaires, interviews, grammaticality judgment tasks, etc. Advantages and disadvantages.
6. Analyzing quantitative research data: organizing datasheets and files, descriptive and inferential statistics, data processing statistical software.
7. Descriptive statistics: frequency,distribution, mean and median, measures of central tendency and dispersion.
8. Inferential statistics: basic concepts of hypothesis testing, level of significance, comparison of two or more means, correlation, interactions and main effects of variables.
9. Data analysis in qualitative statistics: data organization, coding, processing.
10. Organizing and presenting data using Powerpoint presentations,
11. Discussing research findings. Writing a research report.
Additional bibliography for study
Brown, J.D. (2014). Mixed Methods Reasearch for TESOL. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Brown, J. D., & Rodgers, T. (2002). Doing second language research. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chaudron, C. (1988). Second language classrooms: Research on teaching and learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Gass, S., & Mackey, A. (2007). Data elicitation for second and foreign language research. Mahwah, N. j. Lawrence Erlbaum Ass. P53.755.GE7 2007
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. (2005). Second language research: Methodology and design. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
McDonough, J., & McDonough S. (1997). Research Methods for English Language Teachers. London: Arnold.
Weissberg, R.,& Buker, S. (1990). Writing up research. Experimental research report writing for students of English. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.