Doing Research in Applied Linguistics

Jim McKinley is a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at the University of Bath, UK.Heath Rose is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Oxford, UK.

"This informative and scholarly book presents both challenges and solutions in current applied linguistics research. The 23 chapters range broadly and deeply across the diverse terrains of contemporary linguistics. The outcome is a set of highly authoritative accounts of ethically responsive and politically attuned strategies for researchers. Highly recommended!"Patrick Danaher, University of Southern Queensland and Central Queensland University, Australia"Students of applied linguistics are invariably frustrated by the gaping lacuna between the rosy, trouble-free picture painted by their methodology textbooks and the intractable messiness of real research they find themselves in. This excellent collection of contributions by seasoned applied linguists takes novice researchers behind the scenes and shares rarely heard stories of how thorny and often unexpected problems have been overcome in a creative, productive, and rigorous way."Hu Guangwei, National Institute of Education, Singapore"This book is an excellent introduction into the imperfect world of applied linguistics research. It offers advice and solutions to many problems that applied linguists face while conducting their research. It will be an essential point of reference for postgraduate research students and will make a worthwhile addition to the libraries of established academics."Oksana Afitska, University of Sheffield, UK

• Foreword Realities of doing research in applied linguistics Part I Responding to problems in the research planning stage Studying down versus studying up: Selecting whom to researchResponding to theoretical shifts in research designOvercoming problematic positionality and researcher objectivityDoing collaborative research: Challenges and opportunities Part II Responding to problems during data collection Dealing with data collection setbacks and reframing research questionsDealing with participant attrition in longitudinal studiesDealing with low response rates in quantitative studies Dealing with multilingualism in quantitative research Part III Researching vulnerable groups It isn’t child’s play: Conducting research with children as participants Conducting longitudinal fieldwork among adult refugeesResearching people with disabilities and illnesses: ethical dimensionsConducting research with deaf sign language usersResearching your own students: Negotiating the dual teacher-researcher rolePart IV Responding to problems during data analysis 15. Dealing with longitudinal quantitative designs and data analysis16. Managing the uncomfortable side of narrative data and analysis17. Grappling with originality and grounding in qualitative data analysis18. Negotiating the relationship between theory and practice in the fields of literacy and languagePart V Responding to problems in the reporting of research 19. Dealing with controversial findings20. Reporting on politically sensitive issues: The case of telling the truth about early L2 instruction21. Dealing with criticism when publishing qualitative research22. Representing the self honestly in published research23. Publishing from a dissertation: One book, or many articles?Afterword: Strategies for getting the study published