HOW TO CONDUCT CALL RESEARCH IN
YOUR OWN CLASSROOM
Greg Kessler
Ohio University
WHY DO RESEARCH IN YOUR OWN CLASSROOM?
•
Develop Better Understanding of Your Students’:
• Progress Over Time
• Noticing of your Feedback
• Uptake of your Feedback
• Autonomous Learning Abilities
• Intercultural Communicative Competence
• Turn Taking Behaviors
• Negotiation of Meaning
• Group Work Practices
• Anything Else That Might Inform Your Future Practice and Their Future Success
WHY DO RESEARCH IN YOUR OWN CLASSROOM?
•
Develop Better Understanding of Your:
• General Instructional Practices
• Approaches to Providing Feedback
• Lesson Design
• Task Design
• Materials Design
• Assessment Practices
• Learning Environment Design
• Group Work Practices
•
Share your Findings with the World (e.g. Become Rich and Famous)
UNIQUE CHALLENGES IN RESEARCHING YOUR OWN
CLASSROOM
•
Establishing Boundaries
•
Avoiding Interference
•
Critical Distance
• Maintaining Objectivity
• Maintaining Credibility
• Maintaining Honest Curiosity
•
Transferability
• Designed Intentionally
• Tasks, Materials and Activities not so Unusual
• Utilizing Generally Available Resources
UNIQUE CHALLENGES IN CALL RESEARCH
•
Complex Academic Ancestry
•
Varying Theoretical and Methodological Models
•
Dynamic Nature of CALL
• Infinite New Opportunities
• Unfamiliar or Untested Contexts, Materials, Activities, Procedures
• Potential Distractions
• Moving Target
• Shelf Life
•
Varied Potential Topics
•
Temptation to Focus on Gadgetry
ACTION RESEARCH
•
Focused on Better Understanding Your Context
• Classroom
• School
• Department
•
Focused on Contextual Understanding
•
Focused on Data Validation of Anecdotal Observation
•
Focused on Intervention
•
Focused on Authentic Improvments
•
Cyclic Potential
•
Handout
WHAT TO DO FIRST
•
Become Familiar with the Existing Literature
•
Identify a Topic That is:
• Observable
• Accessible
• Interesting
• Worthwhile
• Inadequately Addressed
• Not too Personal
•
Consider Broader Conceptual Studies
•
Consider Aspects that Transfer to Other Tools & Contexts
•
Consider Longevity
WHAT TO DO NEXT
•
Design Studies that Align with:
• Student Behavior
• Language Production
• Language Development
• Cultural Awareness
• Observation
• Monitoring
• Tracking
• Progress
•
Gather Everything you Can Imagine Might Inform your Understanding
•
Triangulate the above with surveys, interviews and focus groups
WHAT NOT TO DO
•
Studies that Prove you are the Perfect Teacher
•
Studies that Prove your Students are the Best (or Worst) Ever!
•
Novelty Studies
•
Tool-Centric Studies
•
Redundant Studies
•
Irrelevant Studies
•
“Everything is Awesome” Studies
•
Repeat Previous Past Mistakes
• Too Much Reliance on Surveys
• Oversimplification of Results
• Overly Optimistic
THANKS!
Questions?
[email protected]
Slides: Gregkesslerphd.com/tesol15a