Knowledge foundations for research-engaged language teachers : part 2

Abstract

This article is the second of a three-part series that examines some key concepts and approaches that teachers positioning themselves as research-engaged language teaching professionals might find useful to be familiar with. Research engagement involves either digesting published research or else conducting a study in one’s school. Part 2 enables language teachers to consider some of the main issues that inform the decisions researchers take in the initial phases of a study, especially anything of a qualitative nature. These include how a research topic is chosen, the purpose for reviewing the literature, the effects of the research context on how a study is designed, and the means by which researchers seek to enhance a study’s trustworthiness.