Origins and problems of classroom-centered research on language learning and teaching are surveyed, tracing the development of both the concerns and the research tools used. The development of a productive controversy over objective versus subjective methods is described. (MSE)

Provides a historical view of child language research, showing that investigations of child language have come full circle in their approach to gathering data. Discusses implications for teachers in encouraging children's progression to adult-like conversation. (HTH)

Explores the validity of Labov's (1969) "Observer Paradox," and the five axioms describing the problems involved in linguistic research, for interlanguage research. Methodological remedies are suggested. (AM)

Compares the use of sentence weight and the T-unit in measuring the oral language of 32 adolescents. Indicates the relative merits of the T-unit as a measure of oral language, because the two measures appeared to give much the same information about the speech samples examined. (RL)

Reported is a method for the analysis of qualitative data, based on the linguistic device of systemic networks used to represent a structure of possibilities. Some initial applications are described, and work in progress, including a computing system, is outlined. (Author/HM)

Notes that the grading and development of reading texts could be improved through the pinpointing of some linguistic landmarks in language development, discusses the selection and testing of language landmarks, and describes a study that tested children's knowledge of structures involving the word "although." (GT)

Experiments in eliciting true/false judgments from young children aged 3-5 used a "talking doll," a toy panda with a speaker installed. The procedure has been used in studies of language comprehension, communication skills, and free conversation experiments. (CHK)

Presents observations on designing and implementing replications of applied linguistics research, focusing on a selection of research to be replicated, evaluation of the feasibility of replication, and benefits of replication. (CB)

Reviews the theoretical and methodological background of specific research in gesture analysis. An argument is made for a functional approach to the study of gesture, pointing out that gestures may have several functions simultaneously. (41 references) (MDM)

Multiple regression analysis is discussed as useful for studying the effect of a variable while controlling for the effects of others and for estimating the total effect of all predictor variables together. It is suggested that in English-as-a-Second-Language proficiency measurement, regression coefficients should not be the basis for judging…

Two types of verbal-report data (concurrent and retrospective) and four major introspective methods used in second-language research (L2) (thinking-aloud, questionnaires, interviews, diary-keeping) are described in a discussion of introspective L2 research studies. It is argued that, though incomplete, verbal reports from informant-learners offer…

Reports on two experiments comparing the adequacy of naturalistic procedures in emotion-display research with standard procedures. The first experiment explored samples of naturally-occurring emotional speech with free-choice emotion labels, and later with labels from a standard set. The second compared valency ratings of words presented…

In this article, I explore some of the epistemological, technical, and ethical challenges in doing research on instructed second language (L2) learning in Canadian school settings. I examine these challenges from the viewpoint of classroom research that has been influenced by cognitive-interactionist theories of learning. This includes my own…

In discourse analysis, connectives have been widely suggested as linguistic markers to indicate the logical linkage between utterances. However, the understanding of the interactions among various kinds of connectives in discourse has been limited. A method of quantifying the overall correlation between different kinds of connectives occurring on…

This sourcebook is intended to provide researchers and users of natural language computer systems with a classification scheme to describe language-related problems associated with such systems. Methods from the disciplines of artificial intelligence (AI), education, linguistics, psychology, anthropology, and psychometrics were applied in an…