Goal:
- Propose tentative research plans to think of a direction for our graduate research.
- Learn some useful techniques for keeping records of books and papers you have read.
- Review the differences between qualitative and quantitative research.
- Practice analysis of learner interaction.
Ayano and Ted Reports
Ayano:
Area of interest: How to teach environmental issues to students in English
- Paper 1: Treatment of ecological issues in EFL course books (Asia: China?, Indonesia?)
- RQ: What kind of environmental issues appear in Asian EFL textbooks?
- Background: Unesco gives environmental learning materials to developing countries
- Method: How they answer the question
- How is this paper related to Ayano’s research: An example of how to research environment issues in EFL in a country.
- Paper 2: Effective and practical critical thinking enhanced EFL instruction
- Background: Previous literature shows the effect of presentation and writing instruction on students’ English ability but there is nothing about the effect of critical thinking instruction on students’ world views.
- Reason for choosing this paper: Many super science high schools might have an element of critical thinking in their English programs. CT is necessary for reviewing different solutions to a problem.
Teddy:
Area of interest: testing
- Paper: Backwash effect, from testing to teaching (ELT Journal)
- Previous research: The effect of positive and negative backwash (wash back) is under researched.
- RQ: What is the effect of testing on teaching?
- Method: (How to collect data, type of data, how to analyse)
Quantitative vs. qualitative research
Quantitative research
- Numbers, numeric measurement of some sort
- Purpose 1: Description, explaining the ‘state of things’
- Purpose 2: Relational, how two or more variables are related
- Purpose 3: Causation
- Experimental, quasi experimental
- How various factors influence learning over time
Qualitative
- Words, verbal description of something
- “How does something get done?”
- For education, we can observe, ask, or use trial and error to determine how something gets done.
Useful Links
Next Week
1. Next week, read chapter 2 and do tasks
- A1.1
- A2.1
- A2.2
- B1.1
- B1.2
- B1.3
- B2.1
- B2.2
- B2.3
2. Download Mendeley