1. Greg Kessler Ohio University HOW TO CONDUCT CALL RESEARCH IN YOUR OWN CLASSROOM

2. WHY DO RESEARCH IN YOUR OWN CLASSROOM? Develop Better Understanding of Your Students’: Progress Over Time Noticing of your Feedback Uptake of your Feedback Autonomous Learning Abilities Intercultural Communicative Competence Turn Taking Behaviors Negotiation of Meaning Group Work Practices Anything Else That Might Inform Your Future Practice and Their Future Success

3. WHY DO RESEARCH IN YOUR OWN CLASSROOM? Develop Better Understanding of Your: General Instructional Practices Approaches to Providing Feedback Lesson Design Task Design Materials Design Assessment Practices Learning Environment Design Group Work Practices Share your Findings with the World (e.g. Become Rich and Famous)

4. UNIQUE CHALLENGES IN RESEARCHING YOUR OWN CLASSROOM Establishing Boundaries Avoiding Interference Critical Distance Maintaining Objectivity Maintaining Credibility Maintaining Honest Curiosity Transferability Designed Intentionally Tasks, Materials and Activities not so Unusual Utilizing Generally Available Resources

5. UNIQUE CHALLENGES IN CALL RESEARCH Complex Academic Ancestry Varying Theoretical and Methodological Models Dynamic Nature of CALL Infinite New Opportunities Unfamiliar or Untested Contexts, Materials, Activities, Procedures Potential Distractions Moving Target Shelf Life Varied Potential Topics Temptation to Focus on Gadgetry

6. ACTION RESEARCH Focused on Better Understanding Your Context Classroom School Department Focused on Contextual Understanding Focused on Data Validation of Anecdotal Observation Focused on Intervention Focused on Authentic Improvments Cyclic Potential Handout

7. WHAT TO DO FIRST Become Familiar with the Existing Literature Identify a Topic That is: Observable Accessible Interesting Worthwhile Inadequately Addressed Not too Personal Consider Broader Conceptual Studies Consider Aspects that Transfer to Other Tools & Contexts Consider Longevity

8. WHAT TO DO NEXT Design Studies that Align with: Student Behavior Language Production Language Development Cultural Awareness Observation Monitoring Tracking Progress Gather Everything you Can Imagine Might Inform your Understanding Triangulate the above with surveys, interviews and focus groups

9. WHAT NOT TO DO Studies that Prove you are the Perfect Teacher Studies that Prove your Students are the Best (or Worst) Ever! Novelty Studies Tool-Centric Studies Redundant Studies Irrelevant Studies “Everything is Awesome” Studies Repeat Previous Past Mistakes Too Much Reliance on Surveys Oversimplification of Results Overly Optimistic

10. THANKS! Questions? Kessler@ohio.edu Slides: Gregkesslerphd.com/tesol15a