Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00 to 2:15 p.m., 7109 Helen C. White Hall
 Instructor |
Assignments |
| Materials |
Assessment and Grading |
| Aims of the Course |
Course Outline |
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Professor Richard F Young 7163 Helen C White Hall Office hours: Wednesdays, 12:00 noon - 2:00 p.m., or by appointment E-mail: rfyoung at wisc dot edu Home Page: www.wisc.edu/english/rfyoung Phone: 263-2679 |
Class E-mail List. You may send e-mail messages to me and to all students registered for this course through the class e-mail list. Send your messages to english711-1-f09 at lists dot wisc dot edu. In order for you to receive messages from the e-mail list, your e-mail address must be in the Registrar's database. You can update your preferred email address by accessing My UW-Madison, "Student Records" tab, "Preferred Address" module.
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Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2005). Second language research: Methodology and design. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. This textbook covers many of the issues in this course in detail, although the focus is on quantitative research. |
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Pallant, J. (2007). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS for Windows (3rd ed.). Maidenhead, UK & New York: Open University Press. Use this book, together with the online training for SPSS, to familiarize yourself with SPSS—the most popular computer-aided statistical analysis program. |
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Gelfand, H., Walker, C. J., & American Psychological Association. (2002). Mastering APA style: Student's workbook and training guide. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. This is a step-by-step guide to writing in APA style. We will do a few exercises every week. There is a new edition of this book designed for the 6th edition of the APA Manual but I plan to use this 2002 edition. |
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Focal studies that are the subject of learning activities are available in PDF format on Learn@UW. Each of these studies exemplifies a different research technique. |
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American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of The American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Use this reference for any writing that you do in applied linguistics or SLA. A 6th edition of the APA Manual has just been published but I plan to refer to the 2001 edition. |
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PASW Statistics (formerly SPSS Statistics) GradPack v17.0 or Windows Vista/XP or Mac OS X 10.4 or later. SPSS software is available on campus InfoLabs at Breese Terrace Union, Chadbourne TLC, Elizabeth Waters TLC, Friedrick TLC, Kronshage TLC, Memorial, Ogg Hall TLC, Sellery Hall TLC Smith Hall TLC, Witte Hall TLC. This software is expensive for a 4-year license but, if you are planning to do quantitative research it's indispensable. Version 18 is expected to be available in August. |
This course is designed to prepare graduate students in second language acquisition and other branches of applied linguistics to critically evaluate published research in their field and to design their own research studies. Full details about the course are available at Learn@UW.
In the course, I will introduce the ways of doing research in applied linguistics and especially research in second language acquisition. I hope by the end of the course you will be comfortable with critically evaluating published reports of both quantitative and qualitative research studies in your field.
In the first three weeks of the semester, we will discuss general topics of research design, the social and political context of applied linguistic research, and ways of reading published research. Following these introductions, we will spend most of the semester discussing quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Because I want to present a balanced picture of quantitative and qualitative research, the techniques I present will alternate between qualitative and quantitative. At the end of the semester, I will share with you human, print, and computer resources that are available to you as a researcher.
To introduce each of the techniques of research, we will read together a published study that has used that technique. Sometimes we will interview the authors of the study to understand the process they went through—from their initial curiosity and design of the study to its publication, and their responses to how their research has been received.
Doing research of any kind—quantitative or qualitative—involves developing a set of technical skills, and that is hard work. If you have a solid foundation in mathematics, you may find quantitative methods easier to learn, whereas if you have literary training, you will probably prefer qualitative methods. But I encourage you to recognize your own strengths and prejudices. By presenting quantitative and qualitative techniques side by side and by asking questions about the advantages and disadvantages of each, I encourage you to make a choice of research technique that is appropriate to the research questions you ask, the data you assemble, and the techniques of analysis you choose.
By the end of this course, I hope you will be able to:
o Formulate an appropriate research question
o Decide how to collect data to answer your question
o Decide on an appropriate technique to analyze your data
o Use SPSS to explore statistical relationships among variables
o Constructively criticize the methods of quantitative and qualitative reserarch used in published studies
o Write term papers and research reports in APA style
Attendance and Readings. All students are expected to attend class regularly and to complete weekly assigned readings.
Reaction Papers. Most weeks you will write a reaction paper to the use of a research technique used in the previous week's focal study. The aim of these is for you to get hands-on experience with critiquing published studies or with solving problems in the design of research. These activities must be done in groups of two or three students. Each member of the group will receive the same grade. Each Tuesday, one group will present their own responses and facilitate seminar discussion of the previous week's focal study. Written reaction papers are due on the day specified in the Course Outline and should be deposited in the Dropbox in Learn@UW. Assignments that are dropped in late will receive a failing grade. Guidelines for critiquing quantitative and qualitative studies are available online.
SLA Exam Questions. There will be two examination questions taken from past papers of the Preliminary Exam for the Ph.D. program in SLA. You should answer these questions individually. One question will focus on a qualitative study and one on a quantitative study. An essay formatted in APA style is required to answer each of the exam questions.
Mastering APA Style. Most weeks will involve practice in some aspect of APA style and exercises from the Mastering APA Style workbook. There will be two practice tests from the workbook which will be graded.
Authorship. Some assignments in this course involve integrating information from published sources into your own writing. This means that you need to be careful not to plagiarize: "to steal or pass off (the ideas and words of another) as one's own" or to "present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition, p. 888). For advice on what sources you should document and how to document them, consult Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources on the Writing Center website, from which the preceding statement is taken.
Grades. Letter grades will be awarded for the SLA exam essays and reaction papers. Numerical scores will be awarded for the practice tests from MAstering APA Style. The meanings of the grades are as follows.
Grade name |
Percent cutoff |
Letter grade equivalent |
Narrative |
A+ |
100 |
100% |
Excellent. Work goes well beyond the requirements of the assignment. |
A |
93 |
96% |
Demonstrates full understanding of all concepts; creatively applies theories and methods to new problems in the field. |
AB |
85 |
88% |
Intermediate grade |
B |
77 |
80% |
Demonstrates understanding of all concepts; can correctly apply theories and methods to new problems in the field. |
BC |
69 |
72% |
Intermediate grade |
C |
61 |
64% |
Demonstrates understanding of some but not all concepts; some errors in applying theory and methods to new problems in the field. |
D |
53 |
56% |
Demonstrates understanding of a limited number of concepts; many errors in applying theory and methods to new problems in the field. |
F |
0 |
0% |
Lack of understanding of concepts; not capable of applying theories and methods to new problems in the field. |
The final grade for the course will take into account grades awarded on all assignments in the following proportions.
| SLA exam questions | 40%, 20% for each |
| Reaction papers | 50%, 10% for each |
| Mastering APA style | 10%, 5% for each practice test |
Format. All written work must use APA style.
Incompletes. The grade of "Incomplete" will only be used for a student who has carried the course with a passing grade until near the end of the semester and then, because of illness or other unusual and substantial cause beyond his/her control, is unable to complete the research project.
| Dates | Topics | Main Readings | Focal Studies | APA Style | Presentations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, September 3 | Issues in applied linguistic research | Mackey & Gass, Chapter 1 |
Sanz, C., Lin, H.-J., Lado, B., Wood, B. H., & Stafford, C. A. (2009). Concurrent verbalizations, pedagogical conditions, and reactivity: Two CALL studies. Language Learning, 59(1), 33-71. | ||
| Tuesday & Thursday, September 8 & 10 |
Research in its social context | Mackey & Gass, Chapter 2 |
Complete the UW-Madison Graduate School Human Subjects Training, due Tuesday, September 15. | ||
| Tuesday & Thursday, September 15 & 17 |
Reading published research | Mackey & Gass, Chapter 3 SPSS Survival Manual, Chapters 1-5 |
Term paper familiarization test | ||
| Tuesday & Thursday, September 22 & 24 |
Case studies | Mackey & Gass, Chapter 4 and 6.2.2 SPSS Survival Manual, Chapters 6-10 APA Publication Manual, Chapters 1 & 2 Duff, P. A. (2008). Case study research in applied linguistics. New York: Erlbaum. |
Schmidt, R. W. (1983). Interaction, acculturation, and the acquisition of communicative competence: A case study of an adult. In N. Wolfson & E. Judd (Eds.), Sociolinguistics and language acquisition (pp. 137-174). Rowley, MA: Newbury House. |
Parts of a manuscript Grammar Guidelines to reduce bias in language |
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| Tuesday & Thursday, September 29 & October 1 | Surveys and questionnaires | Mackey & Gass, Chapter 5 Dörnyei, Z. (2003). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Chapter 2 APA Publication Manual, 3.01-3.18, 5.09 & 5.11 |
Dewaele, J.-M. (2008). The emotional weight of I love you in multilinguals’ languages. Journal of Pragmatics, 40, 1753–1780. |
Punctuation Spelling and hyphenation Capitalization |
Reaction to Schmidt's case study by Akira, Brook, and Marisa |
| Tuesday & Thursday, October 6 & 8 |
Ethnography | Mackey & Gass, Chapter 6 Berg, B. L. (2009). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Chapter 6 APA Publication Manual, 3.19-3.33, 5.10, & 5.12 |
Gebhard, M. (2002/2004). Fast capitalism, school reform, and second language literacy practices. The Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 59(1), 15-52. Reprinted in The Modern Language Journal, 88(2), 245-264. |
Italics Abbreviations Headings and Series |
Reaction to Dewaele's survey by Erica and Yasin |
Tuesday & Thursday, October |
Correlation and association | Mackey & Gass, Chapter 9, esp. 9.12 SPSS Survival Manual, Chapters 11 and 12 APA Publication Manual, 3.34-3.41 & 5.13; 3.94-3.103; 4.01-4.05, 5.18 & Appendix D |
D'Angiulli, A., Siegel, L. S., & Serra, E. (2001). The development of reading in English and Italian in bilingual children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 22(4), 479-507. SLA Exam Question: In a report of qualitative research, identify 3 to 4 of the most important points in the research questions, methodology, argument, and analysis and discuss their strengths and/or weaknesses. Essays are due in the Learn@UW Dropbox by Tuesday, October 20. |
Quotations Reference citations in text Reference list |
Reaction to Gebhard's ethnography by Abel and Aneidys |
| Tuesday & Thursday, October 20 & 22 |
Grounded theory | Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. London & Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Chapters 1-3. | Garrett, P., & Young, R. F. (2009). Theorizing affect in foreign language learning: An analysis of one learner's responses to a communicative-based Portuguese course. The Modern Language Journal, 93(2), 209-226. |
Term Paper Mastery Test | Reaction to D'Angiulli et al's correlational study by Abel and Aneidys |
| Tuesday & Thursday, October 27 & 29 |
Comparing groups | SPSS Survival Manual, Chapters 16-19 |
Pilus, Z. (2002). Second language speech: Production and perception of voicing contrast in word-final consonants by Malay speakers of English. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison. |
Research report familiarization test | Reaction to Garrett & Young's grounded theory study |
| Tuesday & Thursday, November 3 & 5 |
Narrative inquiry | Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1990). Stories of experience and narrative inquiry. Educational Researcher, 19(5), 2-14. APA Publication Manual, 3.12-3.18 & 5.09; 3.20-3.29; 3.30-3.33, 5.10 & 5.12 |
Ye, V. Z. (2003). La double vie de Veronica: Reflections on my life as a Chinese migrant in Australia [Electronic Version]. Mots Pluriel, 23. |
Capitalization Abbreviations Headings and series |
Reaction to Pilus's study of comparisons by Marisa |
| Tuesday & Thursday, November 10 & 12 |
Regression and prediction | SPSS Survival Manual, Chapters 13-15 APA Publication Manual, 3.42-3.61, 5.14 |
Chapelle, C., & Roberts, C. (1986). Ambiguity tolerance and field independence as predictors of proficiency in English as a second language. Language Learning, 36(1), 27-45. |
Numbers Metrication Statistical and mathematical copy |
Reaction to Ye's narrative inquiry by Erica and Yasin |
| Tuesday & Thursday, November 17 & 19; Tuesday November 24 |
Classroom research | Mackey & Gass, Chapter 7 Hopkins, D. (2002). A teacher's guide to classroom research (3rd ed.). Buckingham, UK & Philadelphia: Open University Press. Chapters 6-8. APA Publication Manual, 3.62-3.74, 5.12 |
Toth, P. (2008). Teacher- and learner-led discourse in task-based grammar instruction: Providing procedural assistance for L2 morphosyntactic development. Language Learning, 58(2), 237-283. |
Tables | Reaction to Chapelle & Robert's use of regression by Akira and Brook |
| Tuesday & Thursday, December 1 & 3 |
Size matters | Mackey & Gass, Chapter 9, esp. 9.8-11 |
Norris, J. M., & Ortega, L. (2000). Effectiveness of L2 instruction: A research synthesis and quantitative meta-analysis. Language Learning, 50(3), 417-528. |
Research Report Mastery Test | Reaction to Toth's study of classroom interaction |
| Tuesday & Thursday, December 8 & 10 | Resources | CHILDES Child Language Data Exchange System ICLE International Corpus of Learner English LINDSEI Louvain International Database of Spoken English Interlanguage CAQDAS computer-assisted qualitative data analyses software |
Reaction to Norris & Ortega's meta-analysis by Erica and Yasin | ||
| Tuesday, December 15 | Final Exam: In a report of quantitative research, identify 3 to 4 of the most important points in the research questions, methodology, argument, and analysis and discuss their strengths and/or weaknesses. Deposit your essays in the Learn@UW Dropbox by Tuesday, December 22. |
This page last revised October 23, 2009.
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