Epistemologies and Research Paradigms in Applied Linguistics: 10 Years of Published Research

Abstract

Pederson, Rod. (2006). Epistemologies and research paradigms in applied linguistics: 10 years of published research. English Teaching, 61(2), 171-197. Recent debates in applied linguistics focusing on the nature and viability of research paradigm and theory formation have raised questions regarding the epistemological primacy of the field (Block, 1996; Firth & Wagner, 1997). Specifically, these debates revolve around the question of whether the social aspects of language may be considered in applied linguistic research, or whether applied linguistics research should be a strictly cognitive enterprise. Following Shannon’s (1989) study on reading research, this study investigates the epistemological orientation of the field of applied linguistics through an inventory of the previous decade (1990-1999) of research articles published in the journals Applied Linguistics, TESOL Quarterly, and Studies in Second Language Acquisition.