research in language studies. why, what and how
TRANSCRIPT
Research in language studies: why, what and how?
Arman Abednia
Islamic Azad University, Bandar-Abbas Branch
Wednesday, Khordad, 3, 1391 (23/5/2012), 8 am-1 pm
As a recent graduate and a newcomer to teaching graduate courses of TEFL1 and
supervising theses in Iran, I have observed that, more often than not, MA and PhD
students in this area regard research, in general, and their theses, in particular, as a
necessary evil to get rid of or, at best, an apparatus for padding out their CVs and
making them look more “impressive” in the eyes of prospective employers, rather than
an enjoyable opportunity to learn, discover, and contribute to society. In other words,
an “apparently” silent but growing epidemic of researcher identity crisis has recently
struck our community and afflicted not only students but also (very naturally and even
before students) university teachers. Even in the case of many of those who do not seem
to suffer from this crisis, there still remains the problem of how to do research. Simply
put, they do not know (and/or have not been taught) what steps to take to, for example,
generate ideas, review literature, adopt a research approach, etc.
This workshop will provide a forum for us to reflect on and discuss why we should do
research, what major steps it involves, and how we should take those steps, i.e. the ABC
of research which many graduate students tend to ignore. Hopefully this workshop will
help the participants develop a proper understanding of research which enhances their
enthusiasm for carrying out research in a self-motivated and purposeful manner.
1 TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language