The book presents most recent investigations into foreign language teaching and learning discussed by prominent scholars in the field. A wide variety of topics ranges from theoretical approaches to foreign language instruction to a discussion of findings of empirical research in language learning and pedagogy. The theoretical part of the volume tackles issues which constitute the backbone to the understanding of the processes involved in language development, learning and teaching and thus contribute to applied research. The empirical articles in Parts Two and Three of the volume report on studies focusing on such important issues as various dimensions of awareness (language, cross-cultural competence or affectivity) and specific methodologies implemented in different educational settings (such as, for instance, dyslexic learners) or in teacher training programmes.

This volume presents the first collection of work on research synthesis in applied linguistics. It introduces readers­ ­to a cutting-edge approach for reviewing and summarizing exactly what accumulated research has to say about theoretical and practical subjects. John Norris and Lourdes Ortega first elucidate the value and practice of synthesis, and they challenge all members of the research community to adopt a “synthetic ethic”. The book then features seven empirical syntheses, each modeling rigorous synthetic practice in definitively reviewing the state of knowledge and research quality in important domains. Included are five meta-analyses on: Universal Grammar; Task-Based Interaction; Corrective Feedback; Instructed Pragmatics Development; and Reading Strategy Training. Also included are a qualitative meta-synthesis on Effective Teaching for English Language Learners, and a historiographical synthesis of Proficiency Assessment practices. Rounding out the collection are commentaries by two renowned experts in language learning and teaching research: Nick Ellis and Craig Chaudron.

Methods in current instructed second language acquisition research range from laboratory experiments to ethnography using non-obtrusive participant observation, from cross-sectional designs to longitudinal case studies. Many different types of data serve as the basis for analysis, including reaction times measurements, global test scores, paper and pencil measures, introspective comments, grammaticality judgements, as well as textual data (elicited or naturalistic, oral or written, relating to comprehension or production). Some studies rely on extensive quantification of data, while others may favour a more qualitative and hermeneutic analytic approach. Many of these issues and methods are exemplified by the contributions to this volume. Data-based studies included here deal with the acquisition of specific linguistic phenomena (e.g. verb and noun morphology, lexicon, clause structures) in a range of target languages (e.g. English, French, German, Russian) from a variety of settings involving different instructional approaches (e.g. traditional foreign language classes, immersion classes, intensive ESL classes, content and language integrated language classes). Collectively, the chapters in this book illustrate the productivity and diversity of current research on instructed second language acquisition. As such they serve as a valuable resource for researchers in SLA, psycholinguistics, linguistics, and language education.

This book explores theories and pedagogies in the L2 classroom that have led to an understanding of how non-native languages are taught and learned. Featuring a diverse set of perspectives from researchers and language educators from around the globe, this book highlights important theoretical and practical underpinnings of the L2 classroom—discussions on what has worked and why. Some examples of these topics include: online and nonverbal communication, peace literacy, learning behaviors, high-impact practices, pragmatic awareness, study abroad, implicit and explicit teaching, motivation, and more. One mission of this book is to appreciate a diverse array of L2 teaching practices with sound theoretical underpinnings and universal implications for L2 classrooms. The chapter contributions are the result of an open call for studies that highlight practical innovative approaches in L2 teaching and learning and expand the avenues of exploration available within their theoretical frameworks. More specifically, the call for proposals sought to gather a diverse set of perspectives from researchers and language educators from various parts of the world in order to provide practical and thought-provoking insight on innovative approaches to L2 teaching. As such, the studies in this book all share a common goal that demonstrates the applicability of L2 teaching practices across languages, cultures, and regions. The book is intended to act as a valuable reference for language educators, practitioners, specialists, and anyone studying or wishing to gain an overview of successful teaching practices and learning nuances in the L2 classroom that cross all languages, cultures, and regions.

This book is the first to bring together a collection of recent empirical studies investigating languaging, an important construct first introduced by Swain in 2006 but which has since been deployed in a growing number of L2 studies. The contributing authors include both established and emerging authors from around the globe. They report on studies which elicited languaging in oral or written form, via a range of individual and group tasks, and from a diverse range of student populations. As such these studies extend the scope of extant research, illustrating different and novel approaches to research on languaging. The findings of these studies provide new insights into the language learning opportunities that languaging can afford language learners in different educational and linguistic contexts but also the factors that may impact on these opportunities. As such the book promises to be of relevance and interest to both researchers and language teachers.

Mixed methods research (MMR), where quantitative and qualitative methods are combined in the collecting and analysing of research data, is gaining increasing prominence and utility across a range of academic disciplines including applied linguistics and language teaching and learning. This volume is the first to examine MMR in language teaching and learning and how such a methodology works in practice. The book brings together all the main topics related to MMR in one place and attempts to elaborate on and discuss them in plain language to help researchers better understand and use the methodology. In addition to detailed discussion of the theoretical (for example, the worldviews underlying MMR) and practical (purposes, designs, data collection and analysis), the book presents a framework for analyzing MMR (FRAMMR) studies. In the third section of the book where FRAMMR is presented, eight published MMR articles addressing different topics in language teaching and learning are analysed and eight more are suggested to be analysed by the readers using FRAMMR. Another salient feature of the book is Chapter 7 in which writing MMR proposals is discussed. The chapter should be of particular interest to postgraduate and doctoral students as well as early career researchers who will be preparing thesis and/or research proposals. Given the scarcity of resources on MMR in applied linguistics in general, and language teaching and learning in particular, the current volume can fill this gap to a great extent. Attempt has been made to present a coherent and transparent discussion of sometimes confusing MMR issues and topics. As a newly developed research methodology, MMR poses its own challenges to researchers. These challenges are also discussed in different chapters of the book so that researchers can consider them when planning for and implementing MMR projects.

This volume encompasses the range of research questions on language-related problems that arise in language teaching, learning and assessment. The [150] chapters are written by experts in the field who each offer their insights into current and future directions of research, and who suggest several highly relevant research questions. Topics include, but are not limited to: language skills teaching, language skills assessment and testing, measurement, feedback, discourse analysis, pragmatics, semantics, language learning through technology, CALL, MALL, ESP, EAP, ERPP, TBLT, materials development, genre analysis, needs analysis, corpus, content-based language teaching, language teaching and learning strategies, individual differences, research methods, classroom research, form-focused instruction, age effects, literacy, proficiency, and teacher education and teacher development. The book serves as a reference and offers inspiration to researchers and students in language education. An important skill in reviewing the research literature is following a study’s “plan of attack.” Broadly, this means that before accepting and acting upon the findings, one considers a) the research question (Is it clear and focused? Measurable?), b) the subjects examined, the methods deployed, and the measures chosen (Do they fit the study’s goal and have the potential to yield useful results?), and c) the analysis of the data (Do the data lead to the discussion presented? Has the author reasonably interpreted results to reach the conclusion?). Mohebbi and Coombe’s book, Research Questions in Language Education and Applied Linguistics: A Reference Guide, helps budding researchers take the first step and develop a solid research question. As the field of language education evolves, we need continual research to improve our instructional and assessment practices and our understanding of the learners’ language learning processes. This book with its remarkable 150 topics and 10 times the number of potential research questions provides a wealth of ideas that will help early career researchers conduct studies that move our field forward and grow our knowledge base. Deborah J. Short, Ph.D., Director, Academic Language Research & Training, Past President, TESOL International Association (2021-22) As a teacher in graduate programs in TESOL I frequently come across the frustration of students at centering their research interests on a particular topic and developing research questions which are worth pursuing so as to make a contribution to the field. This frustration stems from the fact that our field is so vast and interrelated, that it is often impossible to properly address all that interests them. Hence, I wholeheartedly welcome this most relevant and innovative addition to the research literature in the field of TESOL and Applied Linguistics. Coombe and Mohebbi have created a real tour de force that stands to inform budding researchers in the field for many years to come. Additionally, the cutting-edge depiction of the field and all it has to offer will no doubt update the research agendas of many seasoned researchers around the world. The 150 chapters are organized in a most powerful, yet, deceptively simple way offering a positioning within the topic, suggesting questions that might direct inquiry and offering a basic set of bibliographic tools to start the reader in the path towards research. What is more, the nine sections in which the chapters are organized leave no area of the field unexplored. Dr. Gabriel Díaz Maggioli, Academic Advisor, Institute of Education, Universidad ORT del Uruguay, President, IATEFL