Optimizing Applied Linguistics Research for Practical Impact: Strategies for Enhanced Informativeness
This talk will begin with a summary of a recent systematic analysis of pedagogical implications in empirical applied linguistics research published in TESOL Quarterly, The Modern Language Journal, Foreign Language Annals, and Language Teaching Research. The main finding from this study was that while all four journals mandate pedagogical implications, these implications are often absent or minimally informative for potentially interested readers, such as teachers and policymakers. A second key finding, derived from a move-step genre analysis of 200 pedagogical implications, identified common features of highly informative ones. Based on these findings, we will present attendees (researchers, journal reviewers, and editors) with a series of recommendations to enhance the effectiveness and informativeness of pedagogical implications in research publications. Specifically, we will present a framework for study conceptualization and evaluation. Following this, we will dissect the move-step rhetorical structure of highly informative implications. At the end of the talk, attendees will have the tools to analyze the pedagogical relevance of and improve the pedagogical implications in their own research as well as provide constructive feedback on pedagogical implications when reviewing and editing colleagues’ work. Ultimately, our aim is to foster a community of applied linguists committed to enhancing the quality of pedagogical implications, and, therefore, the practical impact potential of our research.
Matt Coss is a PhD candidate in Second Language Studies at Michigan State University. His research focuses on the multiple existing and potential interfaces between additional language learning research and practice, with particular focus on (task-based) language leaching and assessment, language program design and evaluation, and language teacher education. Matt’s recent research has appeared in Foreign Language Annals, Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, and Studies in Second Language Acquisition. He is also the co-editor of two edited volumes, Transforming Hanzi Pedagogy in the Digital Age: Theory, Research, and Practice (Routledge, in press) and Technology and Instructed Second Language Acquisition: Connecting Research and Pedagogy (John Benjamins, under contract).
Hyun-Bin Hwang is a PhD candidate in Second Language Studies at Michigan State University. He is a teacher-researcher who has taught English language at public schools in South Korea and conducted classroom-based research. His research centers on technology-enhanced instructed SLA, with a particular focus on mobile-assisted language learning, and the research-pedagogy dialogue. His recent research has appeared in The Modern Language Journal, Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, and Studies in Second Language Acquisition. Hyun-Bin is also the co-editor of Technology and Instructed Second Language Acquisition: Connecting Research and Pedagogy (John Benjamins, under contract).
Multiʻōlelo 