2020 Workshops

The Penn State Workshops in Research Methods for Applied Linguists responds to recent developments in the field concerning how we carry out our research projects: from considerations of research design and data collection to data analysis and interpretation. This increased scrutiny of how we accumulate knowledge has come to be known as the “methodological turn” (see Byrnes editorial in The Modern Language Journal, 2013). Of course, this is of no surprise. Research methods are at the heart of any research project and can have major consequences for the nature of a study’s findings and conclusions. At the same time, open science initiatives are encouraging us to be more transparent in how we plan, conduct, and share the outcomes of our research (e.g., sharing data collection materials, pre-registering analyses before data collection).Taken together, the field of applied linguistics is at an important turning point as we begin to think about how we carry out our research.

To contribute to this turning point in the field, the Penn State Workshops in Research Methods for Applied Linguists provide graduate students and faculty with hands-on training in cutting-edge research methods, including mixed method, qualitative, and quantitative approaches. The workshops are comprised of three sessions involving all stages of the research process. Our instructors are experts in their respective research methods:

Participants can choose to attend any number of workshops (e.g., all three, two). All workshops will take place online and are free to attend. We welcome you to learn more about the courses using the tabs at the top of this page. Spaces are limited and are reserved on a first come, first serve basis using the registration form. Links to attend each workshop will be provided as we get closer to the event.

Organizing team

Dr. Kevin McManus, Director of the Center for Language Acquisition, Penn State
Jialing Wang, Research Technologist, Center for Language Acquisition, Penn State