CTL3810H
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a foundation in the breadth of possibilities for researching the second language classroom. The course is structured to capture this breadth methodologically (primarily quantitative and qualitative social science approaches, but also research informed by humanities approaches); theoretically (cognitivist, socio-cultural, and critical approaches); contextually in terms of program models (both across bilingual, foreign, heritage, Indigenous, and multilingual mainstream contexts, but also in terms of K-12 and adult settings); and in terms of domain (e.g., research with varying foci on language itself, the teacher, learners, curriculum, policy, home-school connections, etc.). As much as possible, the course pairs "how-to" readings with exemplars of second language classroom research. The course also includes structured activities to support students in gaining direct experience with typical methods for doing research in and about language classrooms. Based on the interests of students enrolled in the course, we can agree to adapt the syllabus at the beginning of the semester to narrow or shift our focus. By the end of this course, participants are expected to: 1) Articulate the relationship between theoretical perspective, research design, and methods in the study of second language classrooms; 2) Use course and other readings to critique an exemplar of second language classroom research; 3) Formulate a research(-able) question of interest to the participant; 4) Use small-scale data collection techniques and reflect on their experience with them; 5) Use course and other readings to develop a research proposal.