Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T19:16:55.815Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Research tasks on ethics in applied linguistics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 July 2020

Peter I. De Costa ,
Scott Sterling ,
Jongbong Lee ,
Wendy Li  and
Hima Rawal
Peter I. De Costa*
Affiliation:
Michigan State University, Michigan, USA
Scott Sterling
Affiliation:
Indiana State University, Indiana, USA
Jongbong Lee
Affiliation:
Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, Japan
Wendy Li
Affiliation:
Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, Japan
Hima Rawal
Affiliation:
Michigan State University, Michigan, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: pdecosta@msu.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The growing concern for ethics in applied linguistics may be attributed to attempts to stem the rising incidence of ethical lapses in order to ensure that the core ethical principles of (1) respect for persons, (2) yielding optimal benefits while minimizing harm, and (3) justice are preserved. Following a brief historical review of this topic, and building on the growing commitment to carry out ethical applied linguistic research, we map out seven research tasks that will enhance our understanding of how to extend this expanding research agenda. By inviting applied linguists to evaluate their methodological practices and those of their peers, we also argue for the need to develop the ethical dispositions of emerging applied linguists, with a view to create a more robust field.

Type
Thinking Allowed
Information
Language Teaching , Volume 54 , Issue 1 , January 2021 , pp. 58 - 70
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

AAAL Ethics Guidelines Task Force. (2017). AAAL ethics guidelines. Retrieved from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.aaal.org/resource/resmgr/AAAL_Ethics_Guidelines_-_App.pdfGoogle Scholar
Amdur, R., & Bankert, E. (2011). Institutional review board: Member handbook (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.Google Scholar
Arnbjörnsdóttir, B., & Ingvarsdóttir, H. (2017). Issues of identity and voice: Writing English for research purposes in the semi-periphery. In Curry, M. J. & Lillis, T. (Eds.), Global academic publishing: Policies, perspectives, and pedagogies (pp. 73–87). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, K. (2014). The semiperiphery of academic writing: Discourses, communities and practices. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berger, R. (2015). Now I see it, now I don't: Researcher's position and reflexivity in qualitative research. Qualitative Research, 15(2), 219–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bommarito, D. V., Matsuda, P. K., Liu, J., Racelis, J. V., Wu, T. T., Xia, J., & Yang, Y. J. (2017). Doing collaborative research: Challenges and opportunities. In McKinley, J. & Rose, H. (Eds.), Doing research in applied linguistics (pp. 65–76). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Bowern, C. (2010). Fieldwork and the IRB: A snapshot. Language, 86(4), 897–905.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
British Association for Applied Linguistics. (2016). Recommendations on good practice in applied linguistics report. Retrieved from http://www.baal.org.uk/goodpractice_full_2016.pdfGoogle Scholar
Brown, J. D. (1988). Understanding research in second language learning. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Copland, F. (2018). Reflecting on the ethics of researching communication in superdiverse contexts. In Creese, A. & Blackledge, A. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of language and superdiversity (pp. 73–88). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Copland, F., & Creese, A. (2016). Ethical issues in linguistic ethnography: Balancing the micro and the macro. In De Costa, P. I. (Ed.), Ethics in applied linguistics research: Language researcher narratives (pp. 161–178). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Curry, M. J., & Lillis, T. (2017). Global academic publishing: Policies, perspectives and pedagogies. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
de Bot, K. (2014). A history of applied linguistics: From 1980 to the present. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
De Costa, P. I. (2014). Making ethical decisions in an ethnographic study. TESOL Quarterly, 48(2), 413–422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Costa, P. I. (2015). Ethics in applied linguistics research. In Paltridge, B. & Phakiti, A. (Eds.), Research methods in applied linguistics: A practical resource (pp. 245–257). London, UK: Bloomsbury.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Costa, P. I. (2016). Ethics in applied linguistics research: Language researcher narratives. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
De Costa, P. I., Lee, J., Rawal, H., & Li, W. (2020). Ethics in applied linguistics research. In McKinley, J. & Rose, H. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of research methods in applied linguistics (pp. 122–130). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
De Costa, P. I., Park, J. S., & Wee, L. (2019). Linguistic entrepreneurship as affective regime: organizations, audit culture, and second/foreign language education policy. Language Policy, 18(3), 387–406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deygers, B., Zeidler, B., Vilcu, D., & Carlsen, C. H. (2018). One framework to unite them all? Use of the CEFR in European university entrance policies. Language Assessment Quarterly, 15(1), 3–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Duff, P. (2008). Case study research in applied linguistics. New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Duff, P., & Abdi, K. (2016). Negotiating ethical research engagements in multilingual ethnographic studies in education: Narratives from the field. In De Costa, P. I. (Ed.), Ethics in applied linguistics research: Language researcher narratives (pp. 121–141). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Dufon, M. (1993). Ethics in TESOL research. TESOL Quarterly, 27(1), 157–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulcher, G. (2004). Deluded by artifices? The Common European Framework and harmonization. Language Assessment Quarterly: An International Journal, 1(4), 253–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gass, S. M., & Mackey, A. (eds.) (2012). The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Gass, S. M., & Sterling, S. (2017). Ethics in ISLA. In Loewen, S. & Sato, M. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of instructed second language acquisition (pp. 577–595). New York, NY: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guillemin, M., & Gillam, L. (2004). Ethics, reflexivity, and ‘ethically important moments’ in research. Qualitative inquiry, 10(2), 261–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haggerty, K. D. (2004). Ethics creep: Governing social science research in the name of ethics. Qualitative Sociology, 27(4), 391–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hatch, E., & Lazaraton, A. (1991). The research manual: Design and statistics for applied linguistics. Boston, MA: Heinle and Heinle.Google Scholar
Hockly, N. (2017). Researching with technology in ELT. ELT Journal, 71(3), 364–372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holliday, A. (2007). Doing and writing qualitative research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hyland, K. (2016). Academic publishing and the myth of linguistic injustice. Journal of Second Language Writing, 31, 58–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, D. M. (1992). Approaches to research in second language learning. New York, NY: Longman.Google Scholar
Kacen, L., & Chaitin, J. (2006). ‘The times they are a changing’: Undertaking qualitative research in ambiguous, conflictual, and changing contexts. The Qualitative Report, 11(2), 209–228.Google Scholar
Kirkham, S., & Mackey, A. (2016). Research, relationships, and reflexivity: Two case studies of language and identity. In De Costa, P. I. (Ed.), Ethics in applied linguistics research: Language researcher narratives (pp. 103–120). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Kouritzin, S. (Guest Ed.). (2011). Ethics in cross-cultural, cross-linguistic research. TESL Canada Journal 28(2) (s1).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kouritzin, S., & Nakagawa, S. (2018). Toward a non-extractive research ethics for transcultural, translingual research: Perspectives from the coloniser and the colonised. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 39(8), 675–687.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kramsch, C., & Whiteside, A. (2007). Three fundamental concepts in second language acquisition and their relevance in multilingual contexts. The Modern Language Journal, 91(s1), 907–922.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kubaniyova, M. (2008). Rethinking research ethics in contemporary applied linguistics: The tension between macroethical and microethical perspectives in situated research. The Modern Language Journal, 92(4), 503–518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kunnan, A. J. (2014). Fairness and justice in language assessment. In Kunnan, A. J. (Ed.), The companion to language assessment (pp. 1098–1114). Oxford, UK: John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar
Lee, E. (2011). Ethical issues in addressing inequity in/through ESL research. TESL Canada Journal, 28(31), 31–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, W., & De Costa, P. I. (forthcoming). Problematizing enterprise culture in global academic publishing: Linguistic entrepreneurship through the lens of two Chinese visiting scholars in a U.S. university. Multilingua.Google Scholar
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2016). Second language research: Methodology and design. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Mann, S. (2011). A critical review of qualitative interviews in applied linguistics. Applied Linguistics, 32, 6–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mann, S. (2016). The research interview: Reflective practice and reflexivity in research processes. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Markham, A. (2009). How can qualitative researchers produce work that is meaningful across time, space, and culture? In Markham, A. N., & Baym, N. K. (Eds.), Internet inquiry: Conversations about method (pp. 131–155). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marsden, E., Mackey, A., & Plonsky, L. (2016). The IRIS repository: Advancing research practice and methodology. In Mackey, A. & Marsden, E. (Eds.), Advancing methodology and practice: The IRIS repository of instruments for research into second languages (pp. 1–21). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Marsden, E., & Plonsky, L. (2018). Data, open science, and methodological reform in second language acquisition research. In Gudmestad, A. & Edmonds, A. (Eds.), Critical reflections on data in second language acquisition (pp. 219–228). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKay, S. L. (2006). Researching second language classrooms. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKinley, J. (2017). Overcoming problematic positionality and researcher objectivity. In McKinley, J. & Rose, H. (Eds.), Doing research in applied linguistics: Realities, dilemmas, and solutions (pp. 55–64). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
McNamara, T., & Ryan, K. (2011). Fairness versus justice in language testing: The place of English literacy in the Australian citizenship test. Language Assessment Quarterly, 8(2), 161–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mirhosseini, S.-A., & De Costa, P. I. (2020). The sociopolitics of English language testing. London, UK: Bloomsbury.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ngo, B., Bigelow, M., & Lee, S. J. (2014). What does it mean to do ethical and engaged research with immigrant communities? Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 8(1), 1–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norris, J. M., Plonsky, L., Ross, S. J., & Schoonen, R. (2015). Guidelines for reporting quantitative methods and results in primary research. Language Learning, 65(2), 470–476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
North, B. (2014). Putting the Common European Framework of Reference to good use. Language Teaching, 47(2), 228–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norton, B., & Early, M. (2011). Researcher identity, narrative inquiry, and language teaching research. TESOL Quarterly, 45(3), 415–439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nunan, D. (1992). Research methods in language learning. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Oliver, R., & Azkarai, A. (2017). Review of child second language acquisition (SLA): Examining theories and research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 37, 62–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ortega, L. (Guest Ed.). (2005). Methodology, epistemology, and ethics in instructed SLA research. The Modern Language Journal, 89(3)(s1).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ortega, L. (2012). Epistemological diversity and moral ends of research in instructed SLA. Language Teaching Research, 16, 206–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paltridge, B., & Phakiti, A. (2015). Research methods in applied linguistics: A practical resource. London, UK: Bloomsbury.Google Scholar
Paris, D., & Winn, M. T. (2013). Humanizing research: Decolonizing qualitative inquiry with youth and communities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Pennycook, A. (2017). Posthumanist applied linguistics. New York, NY: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pérez-Milans, M. P. M. (2017). Reflexivity and social change in applied linguistics. AILA Review, 29, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phakiti, A. (2014). Experimental research methods in language learning. London, UK: Bloomsbury.Google Scholar
Rabbidge, M. (2017). Embracing reflexivity: The importance of not hiding the mess. TESOL Quarterly, 51(3), 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramanathan, V. (2005). Some impossibilities around researcher location: Tensions around divergent audiences, languages, social stratifications. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 4(4), 293–297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sarangi, S., & Candlin, C. (2003). Trading between reflexivity and relevance: New challenges for applied linguistics. Applied Linguistics, 24(3), 271–285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwandt, T. (2001). Dictionary of qualitative inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Seliger, H. W., & Shohamy, E. (1989). Second language research methods. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Shohamy, E. (2004). Reflections on research guidelines, categories, and responsibility. TESOL Quarterly, 38(4), 728–731.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shordike, A., Hocking, C., Bunrayong, W., Vittayakorn, S., Rattakorn, P., Pierce, D., & Wright-St Clair, V. A. (2017). Research as relationship: Engaging with ethical intent. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(3), 285–298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spiliotti, T., & Tagg, C. (Guest Eds.) (2017). The ethics of online research methods in applied linguistics. Applied Linguistics Review, 8(2–3) (s1).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Starfield, S. (2013). Researcher reflexivity. In Chapelle, C. A. (Ed.), The encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 1–7). Malden, MA: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Steneck, N., & Bulger, R. (2007). The history, purpose, and future of instruction in the responsible conduct of research. Academic Medicine, 82(9), 829–834.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sterling, S. (2018). Investigating the complexity of consent forms in ESL research. Journal of Research Design and Statistics in Linguistics and Communication Science, 4(2), 156–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sterling, S., & De Costa, P. I. (2018). Ethical applied linguistics research. In Phakiti, A., De Costa, P. I., Plonsky, L., & Starfield, S. (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of applied linguistics research (pp. 163–182). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sterling, S., & Gass, S. M. (2017). Exploring the boundaries of research ethics: Perceptions of ethics and ethical behaviors in applied linguistics research. System, 70, 50–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sterling, S., Winke, P., & Gass, S. M. (2016). Training in research ethics among applied linguistics and SLA researchers. In De Costa, P. I. (Ed.), Ethics in applied linguistics research: Language researcher narratives (pp. 15–37). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Tagg, C., Lyons, A., Hu, R., & Rock, F. (2017). The ethics of digital ethnography in a team project. Applied Linguistics Review, 8(2–3), 271–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tao, J., Shao, Q., & Gao, X. (2017). Ethics-related practices in Internet-based applied linguistics research. Applied Linguistics Review, 8(4), 321–353.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarone, E., & St. Martin, G. M. (1980). Research notes. TESOL Quarterly, 14(3), 383–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
TESOL International Association. (2014). TESOL international association research agenda 2014. Alexandria, VA: Author.Google Scholar
Warriner, D. S., & Bigelow, M. (Eds.). (2019). Critical reflections on research methods: Power and equity in complex multilingual contexts. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Whitaker, E. M., & Atkinson, P. (2019). Reflexivity. In Atkinson, P., Delamont, S., Cernat, A., Sakshaug, J. W., & Williams, R. A. (Eds.), SAGE encyclopaedia of social research methods (pp. 1–11). London, UK: Sage.Google Scholar
Winke, P., & Zhang, X. (2019). How a third-grade reading retention law will affect ELLs in Michigan, and a call for research on child ELL reading development. TESOL Quarterly, 53(2), 529–542.CrossRefGoogle Scholar