Introducing Second Language Classroom Research
Getting Started on Classroom Research
Key Concepts in Planning Classroom Research
Classroom Research
Classroom Research
The research projects was similar to Scherer and Wertheimer’s, but differed in that Swaffar et al. were aware of the need to look at what was actually happening in the classroom.
1. Two Main Classroom Research Traditions: the psychometric research and the naturalistic research 2. A brief historical background 3. Some concepts: classroom, vitual classroom, research, data, action research, classroom research, teacher research
A Brief Historical Background
An early example of classroom research in the psychometric tradition.------by Scherer & Wertheimer (1964)
Research goals: grammar-translation method of teaching VS audiolingual method
A Brief Historical Background
• Research procedures: one group was instructபைடு நூலகம்d in listening, speaking, reading, and writing using translation and grammar studies. The other group was taught by the innovative audiolingual method, in which the emphasis was on listening and speaking rather than on reading and writing. • Research results: did not demonstrate conclusively that one method is superior to the other • DRAWBACK:It did not look at what actually went on in the classroom themselves. (Clark, 1969)------ “ a product study”---only outcomes
• Allwright and Bailey(1991) argue against the oversimplistic contrast of quantitative-versusqualitative research. They state that classroom data can be collected either quantitatively or qualitatively, and that it can also be analyzed quantitatively or qualitatively.
• In terms of research design, they were able to demonstrate the importance of collecting process data from inside the classroom as well as product data in the form of test scores. • They collected process data from inside the classroom as well as product data in the form of test scores. • ---- “a process-product study”(Long, 1984).
Distinction: quantitative research VS qualitative research
质 性 研 究
1 2 3 Experimental design Qualitative data Interpretive analysis 1 2 3
量 性 研 究
Non-experimental Quantitative data Statistical analysis
Exploring Second Language Classroom Research: A Comprehensive Guide 第二语言课堂研究：综合指导
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Part 1 Second Language Classroom Research: An Overview Part 2 Research Design Issues: Approach To Planning And Implementing Classroom Research Part 3 Data Collection Issues: Getting The Information You Need
It combined observational data about what actually occurs in language classrooms with measures of learning outcomes.
Defining Classroom Research
classroom research
Two Main Classroom Research Traditions
the psychometric research 心理测量研究
the naturalistic research 自然主义研究
◆ more qualitatively oriented ◆ Aims to obtain insights into
◆ more quantitatively oriented ◆Seeks to measure psychological properties (attitude) and psychological operations (language learning) ◆Aims to test the influence of different variables on one another ◆Sometimes=experimental research or quantitative research
the complexities of teaching and learning through uncontrolled observation and description
◆Sometimes=qualitative
research
• Both the psychometric tradition and the naturalistic inquiry tradition represent different families, or cultures, of empirical research. •
• Quantitative researchers collect facts and study the relationship of one set of facts to another. They use techniques that are likely to produce quantified and, if possible, generalizable conclusions. • Qualitative researchers are more concerned to understand individuals‟ perceptions of the world. They see insight rather than statistical analysis. • 量性研究有一套完备的操作技术: 包括抽样方法，如 （随机抽样，分层抽样，系统抽样，整群抽样）；资 料收集方法（如问卷法，实验法）；数字统计方法等。 • 质性研究的方法有以下几个类型：人种志，参与观察， 访谈法等。
Research subjects: two groups of college students learning German as a FL Research question: is audiolingual more effective of learning a FL for college-level learners than grammar-translation?
Swaffar, Arens, and Morgan (1982):
They set out to evaluate the relative efficacy of audiaolingualism in comparison with cognitive code learning in the teaching of German as a foreign language.
•
Empirical research
psychometic tradition naturalistic inquiry tradition
Empirical research is the cover term, meaning research based on the collection and analysis of data.