Advanced Research Seminar (October 29, 2015)

Goal:

  1. Propose tentative research plans to think of a direction for our graduate research.
  2. Learn some useful techniques for keeping records of books and papers you have read.
  3. Review the differences between qualitative and quantitative research.
  4. 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

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