1. Conducting and Understanding Research in Relation to your Teaching
Greg Kessler
Ohio University

2. Quick overview Why do research in your own classroom?
How to do research in your own classroom
How to avoid common research mistakes
How to make sense of extant research
How to use previous research to inform your own teaching
Quick overview

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. What to do First Become Familiar with the Existing Literature
Consider Broader Conceptual Studies
Consider Aspects that Transfer to Other Tools & Contexts
Consider Longevity
Identify a Topic That is:
Observable
Accessible
Interesting
Worthwhile
Inadequately Addressed
Not too Personal

9. Design Studies that Align with:
Student Behavior
Language Production
Language Development
Cultural Awareness
Observation
Monitoring
Tracking
Progress
What to do Next
Gather Everything you Can Imagine Might Inform your Understanding
Triangulate the above with surveys, interviews and focus groups

10. 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

11. Understanding CALL Research to inform your own teaching
The ecological realities of your environment are more important to align with previous studies than any particular individual element.
Context is (almost) Everything
All technologies are not created equal
All wikis (or CMC tools) are not created equal
All classes are not created equal
All classrooms are not created equal
All teachers are not created equal

12. Thanks!
Questions? Slides: Gregkesslerphd.com/calico16