The course will introduce students to the principles and practices of qualitative research and their application to research problems in the domains of social institutions, multilingualism, and learning and development, including the development of language and professional competencies. The course pursues two aims: (1) to develop students’ ability to critically appraise reports of qualitative (L2) research and (2) to prepare students to conduct a qualitative study on an applied linguistic topic of their choice, or to further develop a study that is already under way. In order to meet both of these goals, particular emphasis will be given to the articulation of theory and methodology, i.e., the coherent transformation of theory into method. Students will get first-hand experience with accessing or generating data for qualitative analysis, and with the analysis of talk, visual materials, digital interaction, and documents. Course requirements will include reading and discussion of methodological texts, reviews of reports on qualitative studies, and practical activities.
Department of Second Language Studies
University of Hawaii at Manoa