Research methods in applied linguistics and language education: current considerations, recent innovations, and future directions

Abstract

The field of applied linguistics, which frequently overlaps with and borrows from the fields of education, psychology, psycholinguistics, linguistics, and language teacher education, is an example of increasing interdisciplinarity and diversity in research. As the field advances, significant growth in the quality, quantity, and diversity in research perspectives is attested by the increasing number of publications in research methods in applied linguistics (e.g. Paltridge and Phakiti 2015; Riazi 2016) and second language studies (e.g. Mackey and Gass 2015). As suggested by McKinley and Rose in the first book in this review, we now face new problems and linguistic needs that are not solvable by a single disciplinary or epistemological approach. These new demands in research come as a result of continuous globalization, increasing migration, and evolving technology worldwide which are reflected in politics, society, and education. Even though the field involves broad and complex issues, there is a collective effort to identify a systematic approach to research methods. Independently of the focus of each of the publications in this review, they all attempt to help us design solid research by following methodological rigour and quality.