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One-Day Workshop: Introduction to Qualitative Research
Date: 12 May 2012
Presenter: David Nunan
Location: Graz, Austria
Registration here.
(Online registration closes 27 April)

Congratulations to Kashmir Kaur, winner of the ReSIG Scholarship for attending this event.

Further details:
Title: Qualitative research in language education
Format: One-day seminar consisting of lecture input, presenter-led discussion, and a number of group tasks.
Presenter: David Nunan, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of Hong Kong
Vice-President for Student Affairs and Dean, Graduate School of Education, Anaheim University, California

Overview
The aim of this one-day seminar is to explore theoretical and practical aspects of qualitative research in education. There will be three overlapping phases in the seminar.

I. The ‘big picture’
In the first part of the seminar we will take a ‘big picture’ look at the research enterprise, discussing and clarifying the following issues and questions:
  • What do we mean when we talk about research? What are the ‘ground rules’ that differentiate it from different ways of knowing?
  • What is the purpose of research? Why bother?
  • What are some of the questions and issues that are currently being addressed by researchers in the field of language education?
  • What are some of the gaps in our knowledge base?
II. Taking a closer look at qualitative research
The focus of this part of the seminar is on qualitative research. We will look in greater depth at the characteristics of qualitative research that differentiate it from quantitative research. We will look at a range of methods for data collection and analysis, including case study, introspection, elicitation and observation. We will also look at ‘mixed methods’ research which, as the name suggests, deploys a range of data collection and analysis methods from both quantitative and qualitative paradigms.

III. Developing a research plan
In the final part of the workshop, we will look at steps in the process of developing a research plan, and at the pitfalls and possible solutions to the pitfalls that can occur during the research process.

 
 
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_Article Discussion: Language teacher research engagement

Date: 12-16 December 2011
Article: Language teacher research engagement, by Simon Borg
Guest moderator: Simon Borg, University of Leeds, UK
Location: ReSIG YahooGroup
Download article here

This event is open to ReSIG members and non-members.
You can join our YahooGroup for free here.

How to participate:
- Join our YahooGroup at the link above. if you're not a member yet.
- Download the article at the link above.
- Read the article.
- To help you get ready for the discussion, here are a few prompts for discussion, suggested by Simon:

1. Are there any claims in the study which either support or contradict your personal experience and/or beliefs?

2. In your context, is it reasonable to expect teachers who are not engaged in formal study to engage with language teaching research? Why or why not?

3. How do you feel about the notion of teachers as consumers of published research?

4. In your context, is it reasonable to expect teachers who are not doing a course (e.g. an MA or Delta) to engage in language teaching research? Why or why not? To what extent do the barriers listed in Table 2 pertain? Are there any others in your context?

5. The article argues that inquiry which is not made public should not be called research. What are your views on this?

6. The literature raises concerns about the quality of the classroom-oriented inquiries that practising teachers often undertake. Is it fair to assess such research using the criteria that apply to research more generally?

7. What role can school leaders or departmental heads play in promoting research engagement in their schools? Do you have any positive or negative experience to cite in this respect?

8. What kinds of initiatives in language teaching might increase the extent to which teachers read and do published research? How might associations such as IATEFL contribute to such initiatives?

9. To what extent do the private EFL sector and the state EFL sector face similar challenges in enabling teachers to engage in and with research? Much less evidence exists about the state sector.

10. Respond, in an open-ended manner, to any others issues in the paper which stimulate a reaction in you.


- During the week of 12-16 December, make sure you check the posts on the YahooGroup at least once a day and add your contributions.