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APPL8020 – Research Methods in Language Study

2022 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff APPL8020 Unit Convenor and Lecturer
Associate Professor Peter Roger
peter.roger@mq.edu.au
Contact via e-mail
12 Second Way (12SW) Level 5, Room 505
Flexible - please e-mail for an appointment
Applied Linguistics and TESOL Course Director
Associate Professor Philip Chappell
philip.chappell@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MAccComm or MAppLing or MAppLingTESOL or MTransInter or MConfInt or MAdvTransInterStud or MTransInterMAppLingTESOL
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit focuses on general principles of research and the use of research methods in language studies. It covers the whole process of research from choosing a topic, searching the related literature on the topic, and formulating research questions, to collecting and analysing data and writing up research reports. The exploration of quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, discourse analysis and corpus linguistics methodologies develops students' research literacy to understand research reports and to design research projects. Research ethics and writing up a formal research proposal are two other components of this unit.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO2: Critically review and synthesise published literature related to the topic of your proposed research and communicate with a professional audience
  • ULO1: Identify and communicate a research topic to a professional audience
  • ULO3: Explain the basic underlying principles of five broad research approaches in applied language studies: quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed-methods research, discourse analysis, and corpus linguistics
  • ULO4: Conceive, formulate and operationalise research questions/hypotheses relating to an area of language-related research
  • ULO5: Creatively design and present a formal written research proposal for an original small-scale study in an area of language study

General Assessment Information

  1. All assessment due dates and times refer to local time in Sydney, Australia
  2. Full instructions for each assignment, together with marking criteria and instructions for submission, will be available on iLearn
  3. Extensions for assignments can be sought by applying for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au - please advise the unit convenor as well if you have submitted a request for special consideration
  4. Assignments submitted late without an extension may be penalised at 5% of the total marks available for the assignment per day late

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Online Quiz 20% No Fri 01/04/2022 to Sat 02/04/2022
Research Question and Annotated Bibliography 30% No Thursday 12/05/2022 at 23.59 PM
Research Proposal 50% Yes Sunday 05/06/2022 at 23.59 PM

Online Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Fri 01/04/2022 to Sat 02/04/2022
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will complete an open-book online quiz with questions covering content from the first part the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the basic underlying principles of five broad research approaches in applied language studies: quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed-methods research, discourse analysis, and corpus linguistics
  • Conceive, formulate and operationalise research questions/hypotheses relating to an area of language-related research

Research Question and Annotated Bibliography

Assessment Type 1: Annotated bibliography
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Thursday 12/05/2022 at 23.59 PM
Weighting: 30%

 

Students will choose a topic and search databases and library resources to select relevant published articles to write an annotated bibliography that relates to their provisional research question.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically review and synthesise published literature related to the topic of your proposed research and communicate with a professional audience
  • Identify and communicate a research topic to a professional audience
  • Explain the basic underlying principles of five broad research approaches in applied language studies: quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed-methods research, discourse analysis, and corpus linguistics
  • Conceive, formulate and operationalise research questions/hypotheses relating to an area of language-related research

Research Proposal

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: Sunday 05/06/2022 at 23.59 PM
Weighting: 50%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

Students will write a formal written literature review and research proposal for a small-scale study in an area of language-related research.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically review and synthesise published literature related to the topic of your proposed research and communicate with a professional audience
  • Identify and communicate a research topic to a professional audience
  • Explain the basic underlying principles of five broad research approaches in applied language studies: quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed-methods research, discourse analysis, and corpus linguistics
  • Conceive, formulate and operationalise research questions/hypotheses relating to an area of language-related research
  • Creatively design and present a formal written research proposal for an original small-scale study in an area of language study

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

APPL8020 is delivered through a weekly two-hour on-campus seminar (lecture-workshop), which will be broadcast simultaneously by Zoom. The weekly session will be recorded and available through Echo 360.  It is essential for students to listen to the complete lecture recording each week if they are not able to attend on campus or virtually by Zoom.

There is no set textbook for this unit,  In some weeks there will be essential and optional accompanying reading to complete, and the articles/chapters will be made available through the Macquarie University Library via Leganto on the APPL8020 iLearn site.

Lecture slides and other materials will be posted weekly on the iLearn site.

Unit Schedule

APPL8020 and APPL7020 - Weekly Topics – S1 2022

(Any changes to this schedule will be publicised on iLearn)

Week

Topic

Leader

 

1

 

 

Introduction to Research Methods in Language Studies

 

 

Peter Roger

 

2

 

Primary Research: Overview of Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Approaches

 

Surveys and Correlational Studies

 

 

Peter Roger

 

3

 

Conducting Secondary Research

 

 

Cassi Liardet

 

 

4

 

Narrative Inquiry

Discourse Analysis

 

 

Peter Roger

 

5

 

Experimental Research Designs

Analysing Quantitative Data

 

 

Peter Roger

 

6

 

Case Study Research

Analysing Qualitative Data

 

 

Peter Roger

 

7

 

Corpus Linguistics Research

 

 

Adam Smith

 

 

 

MID-SEMESTER BREAK

 

 

 

8

 

Sociolinguistic Ethnography I

 

 

Ingrid Piller

 

9

 

 

Sociolinguistic Ethnography II

 

Ingrid Piller

 

10

 

Mixed Methods Research

Research Ethics

 

 

Peter Roger

 

11

 

 

Writing up Research

 

Cassi Liardet

 

12

 

 

Your Research Proposal I

 

Peter Roger

 

13

 

 

Your Research Proposal II

 

 

Peter Roger

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook