Applied Linguistics Research and Methodology

Kristina Cergol Kovačević/Sanda Lucija Udier (eds.)

Applied Linguistics
Research and Methodology

Proceedings from the 2015 CALS conference

Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kovacevic, Kristina Cergol, 1981- editor. | Udier, Sanda Lucija, editor.

Title: Applied linguistics research and methodology : proceedings from the 2015 CALS conference / Kristina Cergol Kovacevic ; Sanda Lucija Udier (eds.).

Description: Frankfurt am Main ; New York : Peter Lang, [2017] | The topic of the conference is "Applied Linguistic Research and Methodology", Proceedings from the 2015 CALS conference, took place in Zadar, 24-26 April 2015. Keynote speakers are Kees de Boot, Damir Horga, Ursula Stickler, David Singleton and Simone E. Pfenninger.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016057732| ISBN 9783631717233 (Print) | ISBN 9783631717486 (E-PDF)

| ISBN 9783631717493 (EPUB) | ISBN 9783631717509 (MOBI)

Subjects: LCSH: Applied linguistics—Research—Methodology—Congresses. | Language acquisition—Research—Congresses. | Language acquisition—Age factors—Congresses.
Classification: LCC P129 .A687 2017 | DDC 418.0072—dc23 LC record available at

https://lccn.loc.gov/2016057732

This book was published with financial support of the Croatian Applied Linguistics Society (CALS).

Consultant for the German Language: Manuela Karlak

ISBN 978-3-631-71723-3 (Print)

E-ISBN 978-3-631-71748-6 (E-PDF)

E-ISBN 978-3-631-71749-3 (EPUB)

E-ISBN 978-3-631-71750-9 (MOBI)

DOI 10.3726/b10830

© Peter Lang GmbH

Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften

Frankfurt am Main 2017

All rights reserved.

Peter Lang Edition ist ein Imprint der Peter Lang GmbH.

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This publication has been peer reviewed.

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About the editors

Kristina Cergol Kovačević is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb (Croatia). Her research interests include applied linguistics research methodology, ethics in applied linguistics research, bilingual language processing, and second language acquisition.

Sanda Lucija Udier works at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb (Croatia). Her research interests include Croatian as a second language teaching, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis and standard language theory.

About the book

This book offers a selection of sixteen papers presented at the 29th international annual conference of the Croatian Applied Linguistics Society held in 2015. The papers in this book tackle an array of applied linguistics research concerns and provide methodological solutions to many a related problem. The authors’ contributions fall into three main strands of research focus: 1) methodological issues in second language teaching and learning research, 2) experimental research in applied linguistics and 3) spoken and written corpus studies. Almost each individual paper focuses on a different methodological issue in applied linguistics research, treading the path to new related studies.

This eBook can be cited

This edition of the eBook can be cited. To enable this we have marked the start and end of a page. In cases where a word straddles a page break, the marker is placed inside the word at exactly the same position as in the physical book. This means that occasionally a word might be bifurcated by this marker.

Contents

Kristina Cergol Kovačević – Sanda Lucija Udier

Preface

Methodological issues in second language learning and teaching research

Simone E. Pfenninger – David Singleton

Second language acquisition and age effects: The research conundrum

Ursula Stickler

Qualitative and mixed methodology for online language teaching research

Višnja Pavičić Takač – Gabrijela Buljan

Exploring EFL learners’ lexical competence: What numbers tell us about words

Leonard Pon – Vesna Bagarić Medve

Methoden zur Analyse und Bewertung von Kohärenz in schriftlichen Lernertexten

Renata Šamo

Does English hurt? Learning diaries – another step towards better qualitative research in applied linguistics

Tamara Sladoljev-Agejev – Višnja Kabalin Borenić

Examining reading comprehension of expository texts in L2: Graphic organizers vs. multiple choice questions

Anna Martinović

L2 motivation and L2 anxiety among non-language university majors

Lovorka Zergollern-Miletić

French and Croatian students’ acquisition of English determiners

Sanda Lucija Udier – Nives Mikelić Preradović – Damir Boras

Verbal prefixes in teaching Croatian as a second language ←5 | 6→

Experimental research in applied linguistics

Ida Raffaelli

Conventionalized patterns of colour naming in Croatian

Maja Miličević – Tihana Kraš

Anaphora resolution in L1 Serbian by trainee translators from L2 English

Ines Carović

Ultrasound study: Difference in coarticulation resistance between Croatian fricatives /s/ and /ʃ/

Spoken and written corpus studies

Ivana Škevin – Antonia Jazidžija

Linguistic and social-identity aspects of code-switching: The case of Zadar’s speakers of the Venetian dialect

Branka Barčot

Umfrage zu Assoziationen in der Phraseologie

Mirjana Borucinsky

Korpusansätze in der Sprachforschung: Mit besonderer Rücksicht auf korpusgebundene Untersuchungen der kroatischen Sprache

Ivana Bašić – Snježana Veselica Majhut

Explicit author reference in research articles in linguistics in English and Croatian ←6 | 7→

Kristina Cergol Kovačević – Sanda Lucija Udier

Preface

We are delighted to present this book of proceedings which brings together a selection of sixteen papers presented at the 29th international annual conference of the Croatian Applied Linguistics Society held from 24th to 26th April 2015 at the University of Zadar, Croatia. The conference was dedicated to the topic of applied linguistics research and methodology. Accordingly, this book addresses a growing tendency of applied linguists to bring forth and discuss methodological issues they are faced with in preparing, carrying out and disseminating their research. This “reflective turn” in research is crucial in ensuring that valid and reliable data are obtained so that the new knowledge in the field may be built on the basis of such information. No less important is the training of young experts, as it is imperative that they attain and apply appropriate and reliable methodology in their own work. The papers in this book tackle an array of applied linguistics research concerns and provide methodological solutions to many a related problem. The authors present various research methodologies by either describing them or using them in the research studies they present. The papers presented in this book fall into three strands of research focus: 1) methodological issues in second language teaching and learning research, 2) experimental research in applied linguistics and 3) spoken and written corpus studies. Almost each individual paper focuses on a different methodological issue in applied linguistics research, hopefully treading the path to new related studies.

The first and dominating strand focuses on methodological issues in second language teaching and learning research. The strand boasts two state-of-the-art papers by Simone Pfenninger and David Singleton, and Ursula Stickler.

Simone Pfenninger and David Singleton present applications of the mixed methods approach to second language teaching and learning research, focusing in particular on the discussion of age effects in second language acquisition. This cutting-edge approach based on the integration of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies is the future of the study of language acquisition and applied linguistics in general. The authors bring forth a discussion of methodological issues a researcher is faced with in an attempt to study and interpret age effects in second language acquisition. Pfenninger and Singleton specifically focus on the concept of generalizability of research as the applicability of findings collected on←7 | 8→ the sample level to the population that the sample is assumed to represent is crucial in allowing legitimate decisions on educational changes incited by research.

Renata Šamo presents the usage of learning diaries as a qualitative tool used in uncovering the mysteries of second language learning process as it provides insight into the learner’s psychology and metacognitive development. The author focuses on the usage of learner diaries in dealing with foreign language learning anxiety and describes the narratives of a focus group of five learners on their←8 | 9→ path to become confident learners. This paper is certain to benefit researchers, learners and teachers as it describes a modern methodology which can be used in researching, learning and teaching a second language.