ENGL 574 A: Research Methods in Second-Language Acquisition

The aim of this course is to introduce students to research methods currently employed within the field of applied linguistics. Students will learn about the ontological and epistemological foundations that underpin research conducted under various paradigms within the field. They will examine the strengths and weaknesses of the methods under discussion and develop a comprehensive understanding of the types of knowledge claims that can be made when adopting different research methodologies. Students will also plan, conduct, and write up an original research study and thereby gain first-hand experience of utilizing specific research methods. The course also aims to familiarize students with a variety of analytic frameworks for examining oral and written data focusing especially on discourse analysis, interview analysis, and narrative analysis. By the end of this course students will be able to: a) understand differences between quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, b) become familiar with a variety of qualitative research methodologies, c) become familiar with the underlying ontological and epistemological basis of different research methodologies, d) conduct library-based research and formulate a relevant theoretical framework for their research projects, e) conceptualize, plan, and conduct their own research, f) gain experience in finding research participants, g) collect, organize, analyze, and interpret original data, h) write an original research paper, and i) critically evaluate published research.