Research methods in applied linguistics

In this unit, you will learn how to conduct and evaluate research in applied linguistics. Within the field of applied linguistics, research from diverse theoretical perspectives is conducted and applied to better understand real-world contexts and tackle real-world challenges relating to language in society. Understanding the nature and development of this research is critical (i) for designing your own research to align with your professional/personal interests, and (ii) for evaluating methods and insights from the existing research in addressing real problems in specific contexts and communities. In this unit, you will gain an understanding of how applied linguistic research proceeds from theory to research design, and how this connects to data collection and analysis. You will acquire the knowledge and skills to shape your own research projects in applied linguistics. This includes how to develop sound and ethical research questions, how to choose datasets and data collection methodologies, as well as how to draw on quantitative/qualitative approaches to analyse the data. You will also apply these skills to analyse case studies and to design a research project that aligns with your research and professional interests.