Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Teaching and Researching Language Learning Strateg... - (PG 225 - 228)
Teaching and Researching Language Learning Strateg... - (PG 225 - 228)
Teaching and Researching Language Learning Strateg... - (PG 225 - 228)
210
Concept 7.3 Questions to ask about the internal validity of an experiment or a quasi-experiment, with possible L2
learning strategy research examples
Main question: To what degree is the study free of extraneous variables that could cloud the interpretation of
results? Subsidiary question: Are any potentially relevant variables not considered that should have been?
Column A Column B Column C
Name of possible Questions to ask about this possible Possible examples in L2 learning strategy
Oxford, R. L. (2011). Teaching and researching : Language learning strategies. ProQuest Ebook Central <a
interview) the first time affect the scores the second time.
the second time?
TEACHING AND RESEARCHING LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Instrumentation threat Was there any difference in how the The first time the strategy questionnaire was
instrument (e.g., questionnaire or used during the study, the directions were not
interview) was calibrated or employed clear enough, but the directions were much
between the first or second times it was clearer the second time. Results are therefore
used? Were there changes in the not comparable between time 1 and time 2.
observers or the rating scales?
Regression to the mean Did the groups chosen for extremely high The highest-proficiency students in the
(a statistical fact) threat scores or extremely low scores tend to strategy experiment tended to move toward
move toward the overall mean when they the proficiency mean when retested.
took the instrument again?
Selection threat Were groups selected in a way that would The better teacher’s classes were chosen
Oxford, R. L. (2011). Teaching and researching : Language learning strategies. ProQuest Ebook Central <a
and competing against the treatment group.
Procedural threat Are the statistical procedures misapplied? The researcher used the wrong statistical
procedure for nominal (categorical) data in
one of the analyses.
Threat to comprehensiveness Are any potentially important variables The researcher did not consider gender or
ignored or forgotten that might influence socialization as a factor in the strategy results.
A GUIDE TO CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON SELF-REGULATED
the results?
Source: R. Oxford’s (2008) research methodology course notes, University of Maryland.
211
212
Concept 7.4 Questions to ask about the external validity of an experiment or a quasi-experiment, with possible L2
learning strategy research examples
Main question: To what degree are the results of the experiment (or quasi-experiment) generalizable to a
larger population or to different environments, conditions, persons, and times?
Column A Column B Column C
Oxford, R. L. (2011). Teaching and researching : Language learning strategies. ProQuest Ebook Central <a
Ecological generalizability: To what extent can the results be Results of a single part of the strategy
threat from multiple generalized if the treatment actually instruction treatment, such as colour-coding
treatment interference included several sub-treatments? instruction, might not be generalizable
TEACHING AND RESEARCHING LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Ecological generalizability: To what extent can the results be In the experiment, the control group (not
threat from Hawthorne effect generalized if the study participants receiving strategy instruction) changed its
(effect of being observed) changed their behaviour simply because behaviour and paid more attention to learning
of being observed? because of being observed. This would limit
generalization of the results.
Oxford, R. L. (2011). Teaching and researching : Language learning strategies. ProQuest Ebook Central <a
strategies and proficiency.
Dependent measure threat To what extent can the results be If the dependent variable in a strategy
repeated if a different measure of the instruction experiment (or other strategy
dependent variable is used? study) is frequency of strategy use, the results
might be different if a different strategy
questionnaire were used.
Source: Typology in Columns A and B is adapted by R. Oxford from Martella, Nelson, and Marchand-Martella (1999). Column C (strategy
A GUIDE TO CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON SELF-REGULATED
applications) is original.
213