Inaugural Event of BAAL’s Research Synthesis in Applied Linguistics SIG
Date: 21st October 2022 (Friday)
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. (BST)
Platform: Microsoft Teams
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. (BST)
Platform: Microsoft Teams
Dr. Hamish CHALMERS
University of Oxford
Hamish Chalmers is lecturer in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford. His research interest centres on evaluation of pedagogical approaches to teaching children who use English as an Additional Language (EAL). In particular, his research focuses on the use of the first language as a pedagogical tool for multilingual learners in English medium classrooms. His methodological interest is in randomised trials, systematic reviews, and co-creation of research with practitioners. He was a primary school teacher for the best part of two decades in both UK state schools and overseas in the International School sector. He is Vice Chair of NALDIC, the UK’s subject association for EAL, and Director of IDESR.org, an organisation that curates information about systematic review in education and publishes prospective registrations for planned and ongoing systematic reviews.
Methodological and reporting rigour of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in language education. Findings from the International Database of Education Systematic Reviews (IDESR)
Systematic reviewing in language education has enjoyed significant and sustained growth, particularly over the last decade. With very little related activity prior to the turn of the millennium, Norris and Ortega’s (2000) seminal review Effectiveness of L2 Instruction: A research Synthesis and Quantitative Meta-Analysis marked the beginning of serious interest in evidence syntheses in the field. In the following two decades the number of systematic reviews in language education has grown to more than 300 published reports, more than half of these being published in the period 2016-2020. Systematic reviews are considered by many to occupy the apex of the research hierarchy. But if this accolade is to stand, reviewers must adhere to widely agreed methodological and reporting standards. To assess whether they do, my team at IDESR (the International Database of Education Systematic Reviews) and I conducted an audit of these reviews against PRISMA 2009, a checklist of items that should be included in any report of this kind of research. In this keynote, I will describe how we assembled the most complete publicly available collection of systematic reviews in language education, how we assessed the methodological and reporting quality of those reviews, and what our findings tell us about the state-of-the-art in systematic reviewing in this field. In addition, I will present information about what topics have been the subject of synthesis, where systematic reviews have been published, and what the implications are for ongoing activity in the field. As well as providing a dedicated repository for the bibliographic information about published reviews, IDESR provides a mechanism for the prospective publication of the protocols for planned and ongoing reviews in education – the only such protocol registry dedicated to education. By some way, protocol registration was the least well represented methodological characteristic of reviews in the database. I will describe the importance of prospective registration and explain how this can promote better reporting and conduct, and how IDESR plays a role in this.
BAAL Research Synthesis SIG - Slides for methodological and reporting rigour - Lessons from IDESR - Dr. Hamish Chalmers
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Dr. Luke PLONSKY
Northern Arizona University
Luke Plonsky (PhD, Michigan State) is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Northern Arizona University, where he teaches courses in SLA and research methods. His work in these and other areas has resulted in over 100 articles, book chapters, and books. Luke is Editor of Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Managing Editor of Foreign Language Annals, Co-Editor of De Gruyter Mouton's Series on Language Acquisition, and Co-Director of the IRIS Database (iris-database.org). In addition to prior appointments at Georgetown and University College London, Luke has lectured in China, Japan, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Puerto Rico.
Research synthesis in applied linguistics: Core concepts and future directions
Research synthesis and meta-analysis (RS/MA) comprise a powerful means of aggregating empirical findings and advancing knowledge within a given research domain. RS/MA also provide secondary researchers with a number of benefits that improve upon traditional reviews. In order to maximize these benefits, synthesists must understand a set of core principles that guide the synthetic approach. This talk will begin by laying out these principles as a foundation for the SIG. I will then provide a very brief overview of different types of research synthesis available to applied linguists which will be illustrated with sample findings from several different domains of AL research. The talk will conclude by outlining several synthetic techniques that have yet to be fully integrated into applied linguistics but which have great potential to inform theory, future research, and practice.
BAAL Research Synthesis SIG - Slides for research synthesis in applied linguistics: Core concepts and future directions - Dr. Luke Plonsky
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