ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics - Volume 172, Issue 1, 2021

Abstract

The average quantitative research report in applied linguistics is needlessly complicated. Articles with over fifty hypothesis tests are no exception, but despite such an onslaught of numbers, the patterns in the data often remain opaque to readers well-versed in quantitative methods, not to mention to colleagues, students, and non-academics without years of experience in navigating results sections. I offer five suggestions for increasing both the transparency and the simplicity of quantitative research reports: (1) round numbers, (2) draw more graphs, (3) run and report fewer significance tests, (4) report simple rather than complex analyses when they yield essentially the same results, and (5) use online appendices liberally to document secondary analyses and share code and data.

Abstract

Over the past decades, L2 research has shown that properties involving the syntax-discourse interface are typically more complex to acquire than strictly syntactic properties. To determine whether the complexity of the target property moderates the effectiveness of explicit instruction, this study investigates the impact of explicit instruction on the development of a syntactic property (the ungrammaticality of free inversion) and a syntax-discourse property (the unacceptability of locative inversion with informationally heavy verbs) in L1 European Portuguese-L2 English (B2 and C1 levels), using a pre-test/post-test design. Results reveal that instruction only produced lasting effects when it targeted syntax and learners were at the C1 level. These results indicate that syntax may be more permeable to instructional effects than the syntax-discourse interface and that the effectiveness of explicit instruction depends on learners’ stage of L2 development.

Abstract

This study investigated variation in receptive L2 English vocabulary among Norwegian university students in relation to their field of study and exposure to English, both within and outside of formal education. A survey comprising the Vocabulary Levels Test (Schmitt, Schmitt, & Clapham, 2001) and questions about sources of language acquisition was completed by 189 Norwegian university students. The results indicate that vocabulary knowledge varied between students whose courses required different amounts of English reading. Extramural exposure to English was found to be a stronger predictor of vocabulary scores than formal English education. Since vocabulary knowledge is an important predictor of reading comprehension, it is important to consider how much the observed variation in vocabulary knowledge might affect academic outcomes.

Abstract

Despite an abundance of studies that address the fundamental issue of the relationship between students’ IELTS results and their academic performance, findings remain inconclusive. One reason for this are variations in research design, notably in how researchers collect, analyse, and interpret data, and report their findings. The present study constitutes a critical methodological synthesis of 32 published IELTS predictive validity studies. The results revealed a number of efficacious design practices, and also some concerning tendencies, including: (a) dependency on linear models of causality, (b) small sampling frames situated in Anglo-Australian contexts, (c) a lack of thoroughness in describing contexts, samples, and approaches to academic performance measurement, and (d) where qualitative data was generated through interviewing and observation, a tendency to overlook ‘quality’ issues, such as confirmability, dependability, and trustworthiness. Recommendations are made for enhancing research designs along with suggestions for novel investigations to address gaps in the predictive validity literature.

Abstract

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has increasingly been used in an Asian context. However, research into its implementation in Vietnam remains scarce. This study aims to investigate the effects of a task-based intervention on learners’ performance of listening, reading, speaking and writing tasks compared to the effects of a more traditional teaching method (TTM), which is based on form-focused instruction in combination with the Presentation-Practice-Production method. Through a pretest-posttest design, the researcher can measure the effects of the two settings on learners’ progress. The results show that the participants in the TBLT setting outperformed the participants in the TTM setting for speaking, listening and writing, but not for reading. The results of this study will encourage more research in the field of TBLT implementation in Vietnam.

This article reviews Research methods for complexity theory in applied linguistics978-1-78892-573-0

This article reviews Key Questions in Language Teaching