Date: 27-Jul-2006
From: Julian Heather <jheathercsus.edu>
Subject: Researching Second Language Classrooms
Announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/17/17-500.html
AUTHOR: McKay, Sandra LeeTITLE: Researching Second Language ClassroomsSERIES: ESL & Applied Linguistics Professional SeriesPUBLISHER: Lawrence ErlbaumYEAR: 2006
Julian Heather, California State University, Sacramento
OVERVIEW
Researching Second Language Classrooms is a textbook that introduces noviceresearchers to the research methods commonly used to gather ''evidence toanswer questions about L2 teaching and learning'' (p. vii). In particular,the book focuses mostly on qualitative methods, which are seen by theauthor as generally more feasible for implementation by individualclassroom teachers (who would appear to be the book's primary audience).The book is divided into 4 main chapters, each of which contains a numberof application activities and ends with suggestions for further in-depthreading on each of the topics covered in the chapter.
Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to research and is divided intothree main sections. In the first section, McKay argues briefly, butcogently, in favor of teachers undertaking classroom research due to thepotential for them to (a) generate beneficial insights into teaching andlearning by conducting original research and (b) develop the expertisenecessary to critically evaluate other's research. In the second section,which is the largest, McKay outlines the major types of research. Shebegins by examining the construct of 'research' using Richards' (2003)distinction between paradigms, traditions, and methods. While McKay brieflydiscusses the key paradigmatic distinction between basic and appliedresearch, her main focus is on contrasting the qualitative andquantitative research traditions, which are introduced by describing tworepresentative studies and discussing how they illustrate the majordifferences between the qualitative and quantitative traditions in theirassumptions about reality, the role of the researcher, the purpose ofresearch, and research design. McKay also presents van Lier's notions ofcontrol and structure (van Lier, 1988) as a framework for understandingdifferences between the two traditions and between research methods.Further insight into the qualitative/quantitative distinction is providedby the author's discussion of how each tradition characterizes thequalities of validity, reliability, and generalizability, which again drawson the concepts of control and structure. The second section also includesa brief overview of the research methods that will be presented in greaterdetail in chapter 2 and a process for determining research questions anddesigns. In the third section of the chapter, McKay argues in favor ofethical research and describes ways this may be achieved.
Chapter 2 describes several research methods that have been used to''examine the behavior, beliefs and thoughts of second language learners andteachers'' (p. 29). McKay starts with action research because of thedifficulty in placing it on the qualitative/quantitative continuum. Theremaining methods are presented in an order that moves from methods thatare more controlled and structured to those that are less controlled andstructured: surveys (which McKay defines narrowly as writtenquestionnaires), interviews, verbal reports, diary studies, case studies,and ethnographies. For each method, McKay includes a similar set ofinformation: definition of the method; explanation of the method's purposeand key concepts; strengths and limitations of the method and, whererelevant, of the different ways it may be implemented; guidelines forconducting research with that particular method, which typically includessuggestions for maintaining reliability and validity; and presentation ofstudies that exemplify the method. For all of the methods except actionresearch, McKay presents suggestions for data analysis. Her treatment ofeach method includes application activities that ask readers to completeone or more of a range of tasks such as analysis of sample instruments ordata, critical reading of a previous study which used the method, creationof data collection instruments and protocols, or collection of data.
Chapter 3 focuses on the methods used to investigate oral and writtenclassroom discourse. For the former, McKay focuses on interaction analysisand discourse analysis. Her discussion of interaction analysisdifferentiates between generic and limited coding schemes and providesexamples of each for readers to examine and use in coding sample data.Three approaches to discourse analysis are presented--conversationanalysis, ethnography of communication, and critical discourseanalysis--and guidelines for transcription and analysis are provided.McKay's discussion of the text analysis of written discourse starts with adescription of methodologies for linguistic and rhetorical (especiallycontrastive) analysis of L2 students' written texts before turning toanalysis of teacher feedback and of teaching materials. Her discussion ofthe textual analysis of teaching materials includes a section oncorpus-based research which lists online corpora with concordancers.Application activities in this chapter cover the same range of tasks asthose in the previous chapter.
The focus of Chapter 4 is on writing reports of research for publication asa master's thesis or as a journal article. It starts with practicalguidelines for preparing manuscripts for publication in each of theseforums. It also discusses how to choose appropriate journals and thetypical process for journal publication. The majority of the chapter,however, focuses on the content of the written report: the sections areport should have, the purpose of each section, what each should include,tips for effective writing, and how to tailor writing to meet the needs ofthe different publication forums. Direct quotes from several publishedarticles are liberally included to illustrate points the author makes andprovide models of effective writing for readers to analyze.
EVALUATION
The broad variety of research approaches found in the literature on secondlanguage acquisition presents a major challenge to anyone who teaches aresearch methods class in a masters or doctoral program on second languageacquisition. While McKay recognizes this variety in her discussion of boththe qualitative and quantitative traditions, the methodologies presentedin this book are mostly limited, as she acknowledges, to the qualitativeend of the research spectrum. Even where methodologies require quantitativeanalysis--such as surveys--the discussion is limited to simple descriptivestatistics such as the mean. No explanations of inferential statistics areprovided; indeed, on the single occasion when the use of inferentialstatistics is recommended (to establish differences between groups inlarge-scale survey research), McKay simply refers her reader to astatistics books for the formula with no explanation of the rationaleunderlying the use of such statistics. On the one hand, this lack ofdiscussion of inferential statistics is understandable. Statistics areoften intimidating, and I am sure that many a teacher in the past may havebeen turned away from the path of research because they felt underqualifiedto deal with the technical aspects of quantitative research. By focusingon the more ''user-friendly'' (though no less rigorous) qualitativeapproaches, McKay may be better placed to achieve her goal of inspiringteachers to use research as a tool for professional development. On theother hand, a second stated goal of this text is to help teachers developthe expertise and understanding which will permit a more informed readingof published studies. Although much research on second language classroomsemploys the research methods described in this book, a significantproportion of it is quasi-experimental in nature and may not, therefore, bebetter comprehended after reading this book. This suggests that for someinstructors, Researching Second Language Classrooms may not suffice as thesole text in a research methods class and that it may need to be used inconjunction with a text whose focus is on the critical reading ofquantitative studies (for example, Perry 2005; Porte, 2002).
In spite of the above caveat, this book has many admirable qualities thatrecommend its adoption for a research methods class. The first of these isthe book's accessibility, practicality, and clarity, all of which make thebook a particularly useful tool in encouraging teachers to becomeresearchers. Each method is described clearly, and its strengths andweaknesses are outlined without providing an overwhelming level of detail.McKay provides practical guidelines and some experience in each method'simplementation through a combination of explanation and activities. Theactivities are generally challenging, yet not beyond the ability of theaverage reader, and I believe they will generate a great deal of usefuldiscussion in research methods classes.
One of the book's strongest features is its use of previous research toincrease comprehension and knowledge of each method. When examining aparticular research methodology, McKay provides a detailed discussion of atleast one previous study which concretely exemplifies key features of thatmethodology. The inclusion of additional exercises which ask students toindependently read and evaluate other studies enhances readers'understanding and also gives readers greater familiarity with the scope andcontent of research on second language classrooms. The author is to belauded for including both studies that are older, yet important to thefield, and a large number of studies published since the year 2000 (thelatter represent 40% of all the studies discussed in-text or suggested forcritical reading).
References to previous research serve another important purpose. In thefinal chapter on writing research reports, the passages quoted directlyfrom previous studies clearly illustrate the content and style of suchreports and provide extremely useful models for students to follow in theirown writing. Indeed, McKay's book provides a greater degree of training andbetter models of reports than most of the other introductory texts onresearch methods. However, while the chapter on writing research reportsprovides a thorough explanation of what a report should contain, and how itshould be presented, it lacks a clear justification of why readers shouldseek to publish their research in academic journals. As such, this bookcould, perhaps, benefit from a discussion of the importance of ''goingpublic'' similar to that found in other books (for example, Freeman, 1998;Mackey & Gass, 2005; Wallace, 1998). McKay's book also limits itsdiscussion of possible forums for public presentation to those that aremore ''academic'': master's theses and journal articles. While thisrestriction is understandable in the sense that readers are less likely tobe familiar with these genres and will require greater training in them, itis also problematic because it ignores other possible forums fordissemination of teacher-research, such as those discussed in Wallace(1998). This is important because many of the other forums that Wallacesuggests--such as informal presentations to colleagues or more formalconference presentations--can serve either as less intimidating initialforays into the research community or as vital preparation for publication.
Finally, I feel that of the introductory research methods books with whichI am familiar, few provide any introduction to corpus-based research andnone provide as interesting or as relevant an introduction to the topic asthis book does.
REFERENCES
Freeman, D. (1998). Doing teacher research. New York: Heinle & Heinle.
Mackey, A. & Gass, S. (2005). Second language research: Methodology anddesign. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Perry, F. L. (2005). Research in applied linguistics: Becoming a discerningconsumer. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Porte, G.K. (2002). Appraising research in second language learning: Apractical approach to critical analysis of quantitative research.Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Richards, K. (2003). Qualitative inquiry in TESOL. New York: PalgraveMacMillan.
van Lier, L. (1988). The classroom and the language learner. London: Longman.
Wallace, M. J. (1998). Action research for language teachers. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Julian Heather is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English atCalifornia State University, Sacramento, where he teaches in the EnglishEducation and MA TESOL programs. His areas of expertise include researchmethodology, language assessment, curriculum design, and computer-assistedlanguage learning.
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