Author: gustavorernesto

In this second edition of the best-selling Second Language Research, Alison Mackey and Sue Gass continue to guide students step-by-step through conducting the second language research process with a clear and comprehensive overview of the core issues in second language research. Supported by a wealth of data examples from actual studies, the book examines questions of what is meant by research and what defines good research questions, covering such topics as basic research principles and data collection methods, designing a quantitative research study, and concluding and reporting research findings. The second edition includes a new chapter on mixed-methods, new “time to think” and “time to do” text boxes throughout, and updates to reflect the latest research and literature. Supplementary materials, including an extensive glossary and appendices of forms and documents that students can use in conducting their own studies, serve as useful reference tools, with suggestions on how to get research published reemphasizing the books practical how-to approach. This is the ideal resource for understanding the second language research process for graduate students in Second Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics.

Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition: A Practical Guide is an informative guide to research design and methodology for graduate students and scholars. Each chapter of this volume offers background, step-by-step guidance, and relevant studies to create comprehensive coverage of each method.  Includes chapters by expert scholars on an array of topics, including second language writing and reading, meta-analyses, research replication, qualitative data collection and analysis, and more. It includes feature boxes in each chapter highlighting relevant research studies, discussion questions and suggested further readings. It utilizes research methods and tools from varied fields of study including education, linguistics, psychology, and sociology.

Researching Second Language Classrooms – This text introduces teachers to research methods they can use to examine their own classrooms in order to become more effective teachers. Becoming familiar with classroom-based research methods not only enables teachers to do research in their own classrooms, it also provides a basis for assessing the findings of existing research. McKay emphasizes throughout that what a teacher chooses to examine will dictate which method is most effective. Each chapter includes activities to help readers apply the methods described in the chapter, often by analyzing research data. Chapter I, Classroom Research, introduces the reader to major research purposes and research types as they relate to classroom research, the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research, the formulation of research questions and research designs, and ethical issues in research. Chapter II, Researching Teachers and Learners, presents research methods that can be used to examine teachers’ and learners’ attitudes and behaviors: action research, survey research, interviews, verbal reports, diary studies, case studies, and ethnographies. Chapter III, Researching Classroom Discourse, deals with methods that can be used to study the oral and written discourse of classrooms: interaction analysis, discourse analysis, text analysis, and ways to examine the social and political assumptions underlying the choice and presentation of content in second language teaching materials.
*Chapter IV, Writing Research Reports, provides guidelines for both thesis writing and journal articles. Researching Second Language Classrooms is an ideal text for TESOL research methods courses and an essential resource for in service teachers who wish to undertake classroom research.

Pedagogical Norms for Second and Foreign Language Learning and Teaching – The concept of Pedagogical Norm is grounded in both sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic principles. Pedagogical norms guide the selection and sequencing of target language features for language teaching and learning. This book both situates and expands on this concept highlighting the interaction of research and pedagogy. The papers collectively illustrate how the concept of pedagogical norm applies to all components of language, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and discourse. The book begins with a discussion of definitions including papers that trace the history of the concept and define what is meant by norms. Also included are papers that apply the concept of pedagogical norms in specific contexts (e.g., intonation, morphology) and to specific languages. Finally, pedagogical norms are extended beyond the more traditional areas of grammatical competence to such disparate areas as listening, discourse, and circumlocution.

Teaching Reading in the Secondary Schools – Being able to read well is one of the most important literacy requirements in our society. It is fundamental to almost all secondary school subjects and the English program in particular. The new Key Stage 3 focus on teaching reading compels us to find exciting ways to engage young people with texts that they will continue with and develop themselves. This book outlines several approaches to reading which challenge former classroom practices. It is through these approaches that all students – from reluctant boys to the most able of either gender – can continue to grow as readers and develop their readiness to seek meaning in texts. This second edition adds to the original ideas in Geoff Dean’s first book and includes new methods of teaching reading, including “guided reading” and using increased grammatical student knowledge.

Finding The Key to The Secret Garden of Reading: Extensive Reading in The Second Language Classroom – The aim of this book is to communicate to those concerned with language teaching and to share some ideas on different reading approaches, especially with focus on extensive reading and the use of graded readers in the second language classroom. Different approaches to reading and vocabulary learning is presented and evaluated throughout the book in an attempt to “provide a theoretical and pedagogical foundation for the premise that extensive reading should be an integral part of reading instruction in the second language classroom”. Students developing positive attitudes and an inner motivation for reading in a second language will experience the pleasure of reading and be encouraged to continue reading. Just like the characters in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel planted seeds in the secret hidden garden and watched it come alive with beauty, the students finding the pleasure and beauty of reading would want to read more and more. For each book read a new “seed” is planted in the readers very own secret garden of reading, and this hidden garden within will become more and more beautiful by each passing day. Extensive reading can be the key to the secret garden of reading!

The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages – with 32 chapters by leading figures in the field, is an up-to-date guide to the central areas of applied linguistics and language studies with particular reference to TESOL. It looks at the current state of TESOL as well as at what is likely to happen in the future.

The Blackwell Guide to Research Methods in Bilingualism and Multilingualism – Written by leading experts in the field, The Blackwell Guide to Research Methods in Bilingualism and Multilingualism focuses on the methodology of research in this rapidly growing field. It highlights the interdisciplinary nature of research on bilingualism and multilingualism and offers a practical guide to the specific procedures and tools for collecting and analyzing data.

Growing Old with Two Languages: Effects of Bilingualism on Cognitive Aging – This collection brings together two areas of research that are currently receiving great attention in both scientific and public spheres: cognitive aging and bilingualism. With ongoing media focus on the aging population and the need for activities to forestall cognitive decline, experiences that appear effective in maintaining functioning are of great interest. One such experience is lifelong bilingualism. Moreover, research into the cognitive effects of bilingualism has increased dramatically in the past decade, making it an exciting area of study. This volume combines these issues and presents the most recent research and thinking into the effects of bilingualism on cognitive decline in aging. The contributors are all leading scholars in their field. The result is a state-of-the art collection on the effect of bilingualism on cognition in older populations for both healthy aging and aging with dementia. The papers will be of interest to researchers, students, and health professionals.

Vocabulary in Language Teaching  – This text offers a comprehensive introduction to vocabulary for language teachers who would like to know more about the way vocabulary works. It provides the background knowledge necessary for practitioners to make informed choices about vocabulary teaching and testing. The overall theme is making research and theory accessible, and then drawing on it to suggest effective classroom applications. Chapters 1 and 2 provide linguistic and historical background. Chapters 3-7 describe the various kinds of knowledge a person can have about a word, how vocabulary behaves in context, and how it is acquired. Chapters 8 and 9 focus on issues in teaching and testing vocabulary. The chapters include teaching applications, exercises, and suggestions for further reading. The appendices include a word list of academic vocabulary and a vocabulary test.