ERIC Number: EJ1416336
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0142-6001
EISSN: EISSN-1477-450X
Marrying Collective Wisdom: Researcher-Practitioner Collaboration in Developing ELT Textbooks
Dingfang Shu; Shanshan Yang; Masatoshi Sato
Applied Linguistics, v45 n1 p41-64 2024
The need for collaboration between researchers and practitioners to address the research-practice gap is a long-debated topic in applied linguistics. Little is known, however, about how researchers and practitioners can collaboratively develop teaching materials, as a potential venue to narrow the gap. This study explored how two groups of professionals in China worked together to develop textbook materials and achieved bi-directional knowledge flow. In addition, the textbooks were analyzed in light of how participants contributed to the co-authored product. Interviews with four researchers and three practitioners along with their written reflections revealed relatively equal and constructive collaborative relationships in which multi-directional knowledge flow, co-creation of new knowledge, and positive emotional interactions emerged. Though subtle, the collaboration was reflected on the nature of the developed textbooks. With a nuanced interpretation of the complexity of researcher-practitioner collaboration, we highlight the emotional dimension of collaboration and the need to pay attention to the person in the collaboration when examining a research-practice relationship.
Descriptors: Research and Development, Theory Practice Relationship, Applied Linguistics, Instructional Materials, Foreign Countries, Instructional Material Evaluation, Textbook Preparation, Cooperation, Partnerships in Education, English (Second Language), Language Teachers, Educational Researchers, Second Language Instruction
Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A