The Penn State Summer Workshops in Research Methods for Applied Linguists responds to recent developments in the field concerning how we carry out our research projects: from considerations of research design and data collection to data analysis and interpretation. This increased scrutiny of how we accumulate knowledge has come to be known as the “methodological turn” (see Byrnes editorial in The Modern Language Journal, 2013). Of course, this is of no surprise. Research methods are at the heart of any research project and can have major consequences for the nature of a study’s findings and conclusions. At the same time, open science initiatives are encouraging us to be more transparent in how we plan, conduct, and share the outcomes of our research (e.g., sharing data collection materials, pre-registering analyses before data collection). Taken together, the field of applied linguistics is at an important turning point as we begin to think about how we carry out our research. 

To contribute to this turning point in the field, the Penn State Summer Workshops in Research Methods for Applied Linguists provide graduate students and faculty with hands-on training in cutting-edge research methods, including mixed method, qualitative, and quantitative approaches. The summer workshops (May 18-21, 2020) are comprised of four full-day workshops involving all stages of the research process. Our instructors are experts in their respective research methods:

• Qualitative Research with Digital Tools (Trena Paulus)
• Researching Second Language Writing (Charlene Polio)
• Doing Replication Research in Applied Linguistics (Kevin McManus)
• Bayesian Research Methods in Second Language Research (Reza Norouzian)

Participants can choose to attend any number of workshops (e.g., all four, three). Spaces are limited and are reserved on a first come, first serve basis through registration.

We are also very pleased to offer two travel scholarships for students: One $500 scholarship for a student enrolled in a graduate program in the US and one $1000 scholarship for a student enrolled in a graduate program outside of the US.