Students

APPL7020 – Designing and Conducting Language-related Research

2022 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Peter Roger
peter.roger@mq.edu.au
Philip Chappell
philip.chappell@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Acquiring advanced research knowledge and developing research skills is integral to and a core element of the Master of Research program. In this unit, you will be exposed to key research methodologies used in language-related research, including quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, corpus linguistics, and discourse analysis. You will also be involved with learning and assessment activities that prepare you to conduct your own research in the future. By completing this unit, it is anticipated that you will master critical concepts in research, enabling you to engage critically with published research of different types, and apply your knowledge of research methods to the preparation of original research proposals for your own future research endeavours.

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:

  • ULO1: Identify and communicate a research topic to a professional audience
  • ULO2: Critically review and synthesise published literature related to the topic of your proposed research and communicate this to a professional audience
  • ULO3: Explain the underlying principles of five broad approaches used in research in the field of applied language study: qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, corpus linguistics, and discourse analysis.
  • ULO4: Formulate and operationalise research questions/hypotheses relating to one area of language-related research
  • ULO5: Demonstrate your understanding of basic principles of research design in one area of language-related research through the presentation of a formal written research proposal.

General Assessment Information

For information on late submissions and applying for extensions, please see "Policies and Procedures" below.

Please be sure to consult the detailed instructions for each assessment task, which will be posted in the "Assessment" block on the iLearn site.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Online Quiz 20% No Week 6
Research Question and Annotated Bibliography 30% No Wednesday 12 October 2022 at 23.59 PM
Research Proposal 50% Yes Sunday 06 November 2022 at 23.59 PM

Online Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 20%

 

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

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the underlying principles of five broad approaches used in research in the field of applied language study: qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, corpus linguistics, and discourse analysis.
  • Formulate and operationalise research questions/hypotheses relating to one area of language-related research

Research Question and Annotated Bibliography

Assessment Type 1: Annotated bibliography
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Wednesday 12 October 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:
  • Identify and communicate a research topic to a professional audience
  • Critically review and synthesise published literature related to the topic of your proposed research and communicate this to a professional audience
  • Explain the underlying principles of five broad approaches used in research in the field of applied language study: qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, corpus linguistics, and discourse analysis.
  • Formulate and operationalise research questions/hypotheses relating to one area of language-related research

Research Proposal

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: Sunday 06 November 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:
  • Identify and communicate a research topic to a professional audience
  • Critically review and synthesise published literature related to the topic of your proposed research and communicate this to a professional audience
  • Explain the underlying principles of five broad approaches used in research in the field of applied language study: qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, corpus linguistics, and discourse analysis.
  • Formulate and operationalise research questions/hypotheses relating to one area of language-related research
  • Demonstrate your understanding of basic principles of research design in one area of language-related research through the presentation of a formal written research proposal.

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

APPL7020 is co-taught with APL8020, and APPL7020 students will have access to the APPL8020 iLearn site. The unit 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

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

 

Corpus Linguistics Research

 

Adam Smith

 

7

 

 

Case Study Research

Analysing Qualitative Data

 

 

Peter Roger

 

 

 

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

 

Note that any changes to the order of topics will be publicised on iLearn

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.

Late Submission of Assessments and Extension Requests

Requesting an extension to assignment due date

On occasion, you may be in a situation when you aren't able to submit an assessment task on time. Extensions are only given in special circumstances, by completing a Special Consideration request. For more information on Special Consideration, see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration  

Late submission of assignments

If you haven't been approved for an extension and you submit your assessment task late, penalties are applied. You should consult your unit convenor if you are in this position. Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty. If you submit the assessment task 10 days or more beyond the due date, without an approved extension, you will be awarded a maximum of 50% of the overall assessment marks. Weekends and public holidays are included.

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 2022.02 of the Handbook