Research-Methods研究方法.ppt

8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversityIntroductionnWhat is research?nQualitative Vs. Quantitative researchnComponents of research papersnKey concepts in research8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University1. What is researchnResearch is a systematic approach to finding answers to questions. (Hatch and Farhady, 1982: 1)nResearch isqempiricalqsystematicqvalidqreliable8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University1.1 Research is empiricalnData in SLA researchqAll behaviors observable by the researcherqSounds, words, sentences or discourse uttered by learnersqOpinions or beliefsqnTypes of dataqPrimary dataqSecondary data8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University1.2 Research is systematic8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University1.3 Research is validnInternal validity The extent to which research results can be accounted for accuratelyqSubjects and sampleqTime for data collection or experimentsqComparability of subjectsqInstrumentsqHistory, attrition and maturation8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University受 试过 程测 试任务型教学法 英语专业一年级大学本科生A班 教师A进行10周任务型教学 结果表明A班学生的语言交际能力明显高于B班传统教学法 英语专业一年级大学本科生B班 教师B进行10周传统教学结论：任务型教学法优于传统教学法8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversitynExternal validity the extent to which that findings can be applied or generalized to situations outside the research contextqPopulation and subjectsqDescriptive explicitness of the variablesqContexts of researchqObservers paradoxqButterfly effectsqTime8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University1.4 Research is reliablenInternal reliabilityThe extent to which data collection procedure is consistent and accurateqInter-rater reliabilitynThe extent to which different raters agree on the data collected from observationqTest-retest reliabilitynThe extent to which the research procedure is stable over time.8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversityqParallel form reliabilitynThe extent to which two versions of the same procedure are really collecting the same data and in fact parallelqInternal consistency reliabilitynThe extent to which all the items in an measure instrument (eg. a questionnaire) elicit the same information.nCronach a8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversitynExternal reliabilityThe extent to which a research is replicable by other researchers8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University2. Qualitative Vs. Quantitative researchnInductionnUnderstanding social phenomenonnHypothesis-generatingnHeuristic probenContext-specificnResearcher involvementnDescriptive analysisnDeductionnRelation, effects and causesnHypothesis-testingnSpecific variablesnContext-free (universalities)nnoninvolvement nStatistical analysis LongitudinalethnographyQuasi-experimentssurveyexperiments8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversityqDiariesqRecord reviewsqJournalsqLettersqUnstructured interviewsqConversationsqOpen observationsnDataLow explicitness high explicitnessqStructured interviewsqSemi-structured questionnairesqMetalinguistic testsqGrammatical judgementsqstructured questionnairesqStructured observationsqDiscrete point tests8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University3. Components of research papersnTitlenResearchers informationnAbstract and Key wordsnMain bodyqIntroductionGeneral issue at hand; general objectivesqLiterature reviewPrevious studies; main contributors; existing problemsSpecific questions in the present research 8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversityqResearch designSubjects (participants); instruments (materials); detailed procedure of data collectionqResultsgraphs; numbers; language descriptionqDiscussionSummarize the findingsProvide possible explanation for resultsCompare results with the findings of previous studiesLimitationsqPedagogical implications8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversitynNotesnAcknowledgementsnReferencesnAppendixes8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University4. Key concepts in researchnVariablesnHypothesis, theory and modelnPopulation, sample and subjectsnMeasurement instruments 8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University 4.1 VariablesnHuman characteristics or abilities that differ over time or among individuals.nVariables Vs. ConstructsnOperationalization of variablesqHow each variable is being defined with respect to the construct in questionnBased on observable, testable, quantifiable characteristicsnUnique and exclusive8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversitynTypes of variablesqDependent variable(s)Variable(s) which changes or is influenced according to changes in one or more independent variables.qIndependent variable(s)Variable(s) selected by the researcher to determine their effect on or relationship with the dependent variable.qModerator variable(s)A special type of independent variable that the investigator has chosen to determine how, if at all, the relationship between the independent and dependent variables is effected8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversityqControl variable(s)Variable(s) which the investigator has chosen to keep constant, neutralize or otherwise eliminate so that thy will not have an effect on the studyqIntervening variable(s)An abstract, theoretical label that can be applied or relationship or process that links the independent and dependent variables 8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversityIndependent variable(s)Intervening variable(s)Dependent variable(s)Moderatorvariable(s)Controlvariable(s)The study8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University 4.2 Hypothesis, theory and modelnHypothesisqA declarative statement that describes the possible relationship between two or more variables.qA hypothesis is falsifiable.hypothesisNull hypothesisAlternative hypothesisPositive-directionalNegative-directionalNon-directional8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan Universityn HypothesisqChinese students with strong English learning motivation achieve the same level of English proficiency with those who are not strongly motivated to learn English.qChinese students with strong English learning motivation achieve higher English proficiency than those who are not strongly motivated to learn English.qChinese students with strong English learning motivation achieve lower English proficiency than those who are not strongly motivated.qLearning motivation is related to Chinese students English proficiency in some way.8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversitynTheoryqAn interrelated body of hypothesisqFalsifiable.nModelq(A graphic representation of) a theorynCriteria of evaluating a theory (model)qCompletenessqConsistenceqEconomy8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University4.3 Population, sample and subjectsnPopulationqThe entire group of entities or persons to which the results of a study are intended to applynSampleqA representative subgroup of the populationnNon-probability sampling (convenience or opportunity sampling; volunteer sampling; snowball sampling; quota sampling; purposive sampling)nProbability sampling (simple random sampling; systematic sampling; stratified sampling )8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversitynSubjectsqAll the entities or persons who are observed, surveyed or experimented in a researchqInformants, respondents, participants8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University4.4 Instruments of measurementnScales different ways of observing, organizing, and assigning numbers to datanTypes of scalesqNominal scalesqOrdinal scalesqInterval scalesqRatio scales8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversitynNominal scalesqScales used for naming and categorizing data in a varible (identifying groups)qCf. discrete scale; discontinuous scale; categorical scale dichotomous scalenOrdinal scalesqScales used to order, rank datanInterval scalesqScales that represent the ordering of things AND reflect the interval or distance between points in the rankingqIntervals between points are assumed to be equal.nRatio scales8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University8/10/2022Wood, College of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan UniversityThank you!