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Part of
Instructed Second Language Acquisition Research Methods
Edited by Laura Gurzynski-Weiss and YouJin Kim
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 3] 2022
► pp. 355–378

Chapter 15
Contributing to the advancement of the field:

Collaboration and dissemination in ISLA

| Georgia State University
| Indiana University

In this final chapter, we share suggestions for developing ISLA research that informs pedagogy and vice-versa, particularly focusing on the importance of training ISLA researchers, promoting collaboration among various stakeholders, and disseminating ISLA research to a larger audience. First, we highlight the importance of connecting ISLA research and L2 pedagogy. We argue for the benefits of collaboration between ISLA researchers, program directors, teacher trainers, and classroom teachers, and share practical guidelines for promoting mutual benefits. Second, we share insights into how to disseminate ISLA research meaningfully both within and beyond academia. In terms of washback of ISLA research, we discuss answers to the “so what?” question, which include steps to follow after conducting ISLA research. We also provide detailed guidance with examples on how to write up ISLA research manuscripts and discuss various venues to share your research with the purpose of making an impact in the real world. We end the chapter and thus the volume with future directions for ISLA research in terms of different research methodologies and ways to maximize the robustness of your design and therefore the impact of your ISLA research on L2 pedagogy, our ultimate aim in the field.

Keywords: instructed second language acquisition, research methods, teacher-researcher collaborations, research report
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Suggestions for developing ISLA research that informs pedagogy and vice-versa
    • 2.1Facilitate collaboration among ISLA researchers, language program directors, and classroom teachers
      • 2.1.1Longitudinal collaboration example #1: Developing task-supported course curriculum in a Korean as an L2 context
      • 2.1.2Longitudinal collaboration example #2: Designing tasks for elementary level learners
    • 2.2Build in collaborations during teacher training programs
      • 2.2.1Conduct a classroom replication study as part of a teacher training program
      • 2.2.2Conduct an action research project as part of a teacher training program
    • 2.3Conduct research on teachers’ awareness of and engagement with research-grounded ideas
  • 3.Dissemination of ISLA research
    • 3.1Writing a research report: Parts of an empirical ISLA study report
      • (1) Abstract
      • (2) Introduction
      • (3) Literature review
      • (4) Research questions and hypotheses (explicit or unarticulated)
      • (5) Methods
        • a.Research design
        • b.Participants and context
        • c.Materials/instruments
        • d.Procedures
        • e.Data coding and analysis
      • (6) Results
      • (7) Interpretation, discussion, and implications
      • (8) Limitations and future directions
      • (9) Conclusions
      • (10) References
      • (11) Appendices
      • (12) Tables and figures
      • (13) Supplemental and online only materials
    • 3.2Sharing ISLA research with diverse stakeholders
  • 4.Future directions for ISLA research
    • 4.1Conduct practice-based research
    • 4.2Conduct a replication study
    • 4.3Expand our conceptualization of the instructional contexts
  • 5.Conclusions
  • 6.Further reading and additional resources
    • 6.1The research-pedagogy connection
    • 6.2Sharing your work within academia
    • 6.3Sharing your work beyond academia
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 8 December 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.3.15kim
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