In this conceptual paper I discuss some ethical complexities in conducting classroom practitioner research on the psychology of language learning and I analyse the potential role of intuition in handling these complexities. I begin by developing the ethical argument for taking a "person-focused" rather than "systems-based"…

This article presents an autoethnographic exercise focused on exploring my history as a teacher educator and researcher in ELT. With this article, I try to show, starting from my life experiences as a teacher and the different concerns that arose during them, my transformation as a researcher. Likewise, I analyze how these transformations are also…

As Larsen-Freeman (2018) wrote in her own historical account of second language acquisition (SLA) 'it is important to understand ideas at the time they originated' (p. 56). This is certainly true of the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Rod Ellis adds that it is also important to understand how the ideas that motivated a field of enquiry…

Engaging in ethnographic sibling research, my brother and I intended to contribute to the knowledge of a multilingual learner's literacy practices via Zoom. We discuss agency and negotiated interaction between the ethnographer and sibling-participant. We examine data from field notes, interviews, and participant artifacts using a social semiotic…

Recent studies on language and migration have attempted to address the social injustices stemming from global disparities in wealth and opportunities. However, there's a risk of researchers unintentionally reinforcing traditional power dynamics, positioning themselves in power while reducing participants to mere data sources. Focusing on migrants…

This paper engages with the negotiation of insider and outsider researcher identities in the context of Welsh-English bilingualism in Wales. It aims to develop a reflexive approach to researching bilingualism, foregrounding the actions and experiences of doing bilingual research in a minority language context. Taking data from education and…

We report on research conducted during a language assessment literacy (LAL) project set up for employees at a university language centre. Teachers, students and an external accreditation body requested a revision of the end-of-course exams to increase comparability, transparency and alignment to course aims. We used a collaborative approach where…

In this paper we review Martin Lamb's (2016) publication when motivation research motivates: issues in long-term empirical investigations. We discuss his insightful arguments about the challenges and opportunities related to the engagement with longitudinal research. We begin with a discussion of the concept of context and unpack the complex…

In discussions about relationships between research and pedagogy, teachers and researchers are often characterized as facing each other across a "gap" that separates them. Teachers are described as having practical concerns about their own classrooms and little patience for "theoretical" issues. Researchers are described as…

This article explores ways in which a dialogue between researchers and practitioners can be bidirectional, effective, and beneficial for the two professional communities. We suggest concrete directions for second language (L2) research: (a) a collaborative mindset, (b) the nature of research, (c) venues for dialogue, and (d) institutional support.…

This academic article, utilizing an analytical literature review, aimed to explore the multifaceted roles of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) practitioners. It was found that there were five key roles responsible by the practitioners: (1) teaching; (2) course designing and material providing; (3) researching; (4) collaborating; and (5)…

Action research has been advanced as one way that second language (L2) teachers might raise their awareness of the complexities of their work. Yet, while the publication of action research into L2 learning and teaching has gained some traction in recent years, reports naturally tend to focus on research outcomes. In the current article, I argue…

In this paper, we use the lens of embodied language cognition and intersemiosis to argue for the importance of developing creative approaches to language work in classroom settings and we cite as an example some activities from a workshop that was developed for modern foreign languages (MFL) trainee teachers in London…

In this article, we discuss the discursive processes that surround storytelling of traumatic experiences in the case of minor asylum seekers involved in the recent migration flow to Italian ports. We argue that in order to understand not only how traumatic experiences are told but also how they are overcome, it is necessary to focus on the…

This conceptual paper examines the relationship between two academic areas: applied linguistics and Indigenous language revitalization. While the two domains have shared interests, they tend to operate separately. This paper examines: 1) possible reasons for this separateness; 2) mutually beneficial reasons to be in closer conversation and 3)…