Research in Applied Linguistics ─ Becoming a Discerning Consumer

Now in its 3^rd edition, this popular introduction to the foundations of research methods is designed to enable students and professionals in the field of applied linguistics to become not just casual consumers of research who passively read bits and pieces of a research article, but discerning consumers able to effectively use published research for practical purposes in educational settings. All issues important for understanding and using published research for these purposes are covered. Key principles are illustrated with research studies published in refereed journals across a wide spectrum of applied linguistics. Exercises throughout the text encourage readers to engage interactively with what they are reading at the point when the information is fresh in their minds. Intended for and been field tested in courses in M.A.-TESOL/TEFL and applied linguistics programs, curse instructors will find that this text provides a solid framework in which to promote student interaction and discussion on important issues in research methodology

Changes in the Third Edition: Chapter 2 revised to reflect formatting changes made by ERIC; the topic of meta-analysis integrated more fully where appropriate; corpora research given more attention; many studies older than 2000 replaced with more recent studies; Companion Website [insert URL] with list of journals related to Applied Linguistics, full research studies that are key examples cited in the text, teacher section with advice on how to use the text effectively, a space for students and/or teachers to interact with the author.

Fred L. Perry Jr. is Professor Emeritus, Applied Linguistics, American University in Cairo, Egypt