Luke Plonsky

Northern Arizona University | NAU · Department of English

This volume contributes to ongoing discussions of ethics in Applied Linguistics scholarship by focusing in depth on several different sub-areas within the field. The book is comprised of four sections: methodological approaches to research; specific participant populations and contexts of research; (language) pedagogy and policy; and personal and i...

This volume contributes to ongoing discussions of ethics in Applied Linguistics scholarship by focusing in depth on several different sub-areas within the field. The book is comprised of four sections: methodological approaches to research; specific participant populations and contexts of research; (language) pedagogy and policy; and personal and i...

We examine the language capabilities of language models (LMs) from the critical perspective of human language acquisition. Building on classical language development theories, we propose a three-stage framework to assess the abilities of LMs, ranging from preliminary word understanding to complex grammar and complex logical reasoning. Using this fr...

As an umbrella term, research synthesis refers to the use of systematic, comprehensive, and transparent methods to identify, select, and aggregate insights pertaining to bibliographic information, research designs and practices, and findings. Drawing on the notion of “evidence ecosystem” by Shepherd (2014), we first illustrate the values of researc...

This volume, featuring 14 chapters from some of the most forward-thinking scholars applied linguistics, seeks to provide and equip readers with an in-depth and field-specific understanding of OS principles and practices. As evident in the table of contents, the chapters cover a range of topics related to OS. Some are largely conceptual, seeking to...

In this response to Diamond is a scientist's best friend, Plonsky extends the call for DOA-Journals to the context of book publishing in academia.

This forum piece reports on a brief survey of current quantitative research ethics training materials in Applied Linguistics (AL). This survey was conducted as a step towards an increased understanding of the ways in which we, as a field, train students and researchers to conduct quantitative research ethically. The survey was carried out in the pr...

What is quality in the context of applied linguistic research? Addressing this question is both an intellectual and ethical imperative for the field. Toward that end, I propose a four-part framework for understanding and evaluating study quality: Quality research is (a) methodologically rigorous, (b) transparent, (c) ethical, and (d) of value to so...

This study evaluated the reading and listening proficiency levels of 245 English language learners who completed the Basic content (through Common European Framework of Reference for Languages [CEFR] level A2) of one of the following three Duolingo English courses: English for Japanese, Spanish, or Portuguese speakers. Participants self-reported ha...

It is healthy and normal for an academic discipline to reflect on its publication conventions and practices, its incentive structures, and so forth. As social scientists, it is also natural for us to want to do so in a manner that is systematic and that employs well-established empirical methods, that is, by engaging in bibliometrics (see brief his...

The importance of academic journals in second language (L2) research is evident on at least two levels. Journals are, first of all, central to the process of disseminating scientific findings. Journals are also critical on a professional level as most L2 researchers must publish articles to advance their careers. However, not all journals are perce...

Instructed second language (L2) research has frequently addressed the effects of spacing, or, alternatively, the distribution of practice effects. The present study addresses Rogers and Cheung’s (2021) concerns about the ecological validity of such work via a natural experiment ( Craig et al., 2017 ). Learners’ self-determined exposure and in-app b...

This article presents reflections from 12 experts on language learners strategy (LLS) research. They were asked to offer their reflections in one of their domains of expertise, linking research into LLS with successful language learning and use practices. In essence, they were called upon to provide a review of recent scholarship by identifying are...

Secondary research is burgeoning in the field of Applied Linguistics, taking the form of both narrative literature review and especially more systematic research synthesis. Clearly purposed and methodologically sound secondary research contributes to the field because it provides useful and reliable summaries in a given domain, facilitates research...

As in many other social sciences, second/additional language (Lx) researchers are often interested in generalizing their findings beyond the samples they collect data from. However, very little is known about the range of learner backgrounds and settings found in Lx research. Moreover, the few papers that have addressed the range of settings and de...

For many researchers in the social sciences, including those in applied linguistics, the term ethics evokes the bureaucratic process of fulfilling the requirements of an ethics review board (e.g., in the US, an Institutional Review Board, or IRB) as a preliminary step in conducting human subjects research. The expansion of ethics review boards into...

This study was motivated by Truscott's (1996, 2004) scarcely empirically tested claims that written corrective feedback (WCF) processing hinders fluency in subsequent rewriting owing to learners' purposeful avoidance of making mistakes by composing shorter texts at a higher speed. It examined the writing fluency of the texts produced by eighteen 10...

It is unknown whether and to what extent cognitive individual differences may play different roles in paper versus computer-based second language (L2) writing. This exploratory study is a first attempt to explore this issue, focusing on the effects of working memory and language aptitude on the quality of paper versus computer-based L2 writing perf...

Learner corpus research has a strong tradition of collecting metadata. However, while we tend to collect rich descriptive information about learners on directly measurable variables such as age, year of study, and time spent abroad, we frequently do not know much about learner characteristics that cannot be measured directly (and that thus need to...

Reproducible research is an important topic that has been discussed in many fields, including applied linguistics. It helps researchers to verify findings through attempts to re-create the numeric results reported in the original studies. Researchers can then evaluate the extent to which the analysis code is accurate, the statistical values are cor...

In this report, we reviewed Open Scholarship in Applied Linguistics: What, Why, and How, a two-day online symposium held in June 2022. The symposium was the inaugural event of Open Applied Linguistics, a newly established AILA research network dedicated to the promotion of open scholarship in applied linguistics. We started with the background agai...

Professor Michael H. Long (1945-2021) was one of the most influential scholars in the field of second language acquisition. This volume presents a set of chapters that honour some of his key contributions in language teaching and learning. Following a bibliometric analysis of the impact of his research to the field, the volume spans topics such as...

Reproducible research is an important topic that has been discussed in many fields, including applied linguistics. It helps researchers to verify findings through attempts to re-create the numeric results reported in the original studies. Researchers can then evaluate the extent to which the analysis code is accurate, the statistical values are cor...

Structural equation modeling (SEM) and meta-analysis (MA) are both powerful techniques employed frequently throughout the social and behavioral sciences, including applied linguistics. Although meta-analytic data are typically analyzed by calculating weighted means or correlation coefficients, other statistical models such as SEM can also be applie...

Language learning can be very emotional, as anyone who has ever tried to learn or use another language (L2) will attest. The range of emotions 1 varies widely in both type and intensity, from the thrill of successfully articulating yourself, for example, to the anxiety of navigating a high-stakes encounter in an L2. It is not surprising, therefore,...

Research on the effects of second language (L2) listening strategy instruction (SI) has gained momentum in recent years (e.g. Vandergrift & Tafaghodtari, 2010). However, the reported results have been inconclusive and varied across studies. Synthesizing the results of quantitative research in this domain, the present meta-analysis sought to determi...

Scientific progress depends on the integrity of data and research findings. Intentionally distorting research data and findings constitutes scientific misconduct and introduces falsehoods into the scientific record. Unintentional distortions arising from questionable research practices (QRPs), such as unsystematically deleting outliers, pose simila...

Duolingo is a commercial language-teaching platform that offers free courses on the web and on mobile apps. This study reports the ACTFL listening and reading proficiency levels of adult Duolingo learners who had completed beginning-level courses in Spanish or French. The participants (n = 225) were learners residing in the United States, had littl...

As a personality trait, second language (L2) grit—a combination of perseverance and passion for L2 learning—has recently been proposed as a meaningful predictor of learners’ motivational behavior and L2 achievement. The results of a growing body of empirical studies carried out in various L2 contexts have substantiated the power of L2 grit in predi...

The emerging interest in grit, referred to as sustained perseverance and passion for reaching long‐term goals and conceptualized as a facet of conscientiousness, has shown that language‐specific grit is positively linked to foreign language (FL) achievement. Evidence from recent studies on intended effort and academic buoyancy—constructs conceptual...

Elicited imitation tasks (EITs) have been proposed and examined as a practical measure of second language (L2) proficiency. This study aimed to provide an updated and comprehensive view of the relationship between EITs and other proficiency measures. Toward that end, 46 reports were retrieved contributing 60 independent effect sizes (Pearson’s r )...

Why do people differ so much in the processes and outcomes of second language (L2) learning? The field of second language acquisition (SLA) has long since attributed such differences, at least in part, to a variety of psychological factors. In other words, psychological aspects have occupied a central stage in the studies of L2 learning (Dörnyei, 2...

Secondary research is burgeoning in the field of Applied Linguistics, taking the form of both narrative literature review and especially more systematic research synthesis. Clearly purposed and methodologically sound secondary research contributes to the field because it provides useful and reliable summaries in a given domain, facilitates research...

Secondary research in the form of literature reviews facilitates consolidation and transfer of knowledge. In the field of TESOL, the majority of secondary research is conducted in the form of narrative reviews, which rely on the author’s selection and interpretation of primary studies and findings. Systematic reviews, which can be broadly categoriz...

Meta-analysis overcomes a number of the limitations of traditional literature reviews (Norris & Ortega, 2006). Consequently, the use of meta-analysis as a synthetic technique has been applied across a range of scientific disciplines in recent decades. This paper seeks to formally introduce the potential of meta-analysis to the field of bilingualism...

The basic premise underlying second-language (L2) strategy instruction (SI) is quite straightforward: Researchers or teachers instruct learners on strategies to help them become more effective and efficient learners and users of the target language.

Quantitative research methods in applied linguistics are currently undergoing a period of reform. There are several causes or conditions that have led us here. For one, as the field began to apply meta-analysis in the last two decades as a means to understand empirical evidence in its aggregate form, many syntheses uncovered—whether by design or mo...

In Learner Corpus Research (LCR), a common source of errors stems from manual coding and annotation of linguistic features. To estimate the amount of error present in a coded dataset, coefficients of inter-rater reliability are used. However, despite the importance of reliability and internal consistency for validity and, by extension, study qualit...

The present article aims to introduce structural equation modeling, in particular measured variable path models, and discuss their great potential for corpus linguists. Compared to other techniques commonly employed in the field such as multiple regression, path models are highly flexible and enable testing a priori hypotheses about causal relation...

Judgment tasks (JTs, often called acceptability or grammaticality judgment tasks) are found extensively throughout the history of second language (L2) research. Data from such instruments have been used to investigate a range of hypotheses and phenomena, from generativist theories to instructional effectiveness. Though popular and convenient, JTs h...

Although most research into grit – an individual difference that encompasses perseverance and passion for achieving long-term goals – has taken a domain-general perspective (e.g., Duckworth et al., 2007 ), emerging interest in a domain-specific approach to grit (e.g., Clark & Malecki, 2019 ) provides the groundwork for research into language learni...

‘Grit’ has been identified as an important predictor of success in a number of academic and non-academic domains (Duckworth, A. L., C. Peterson, M. D. Matthews, and D. R. Kelly. 2007. “Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92: 1087–1101. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087). The present study...

Success in academia requires more than an understanding of discipline-specific literature and an ability to teach and do research. It is also necessary to develop an understanding of a range of professionally-oriented skills such as how to identify and apply to doctoral programs, how to make the most of conferences, how to achieve a semblance of wo...

Success in academia requires more than an understanding of discipline-specific literature and an ability to teach and do research. It is also necessary to develop an understanding of a range of professionally-oriented skills such as how to identify and apply to doctoral programs, how to make the most of conferences, how to achieve a semblance of wo...

Collaborative writing (CW) has received much attention in recent decades. To help elucidate the existing scope of inquiry and guide future research efforts, this study presents a methodological and substantive review of 94 quantitative primary studies on collaborative second language (L2) writing implemented in face-to-face settings. Each study was...

Grit—“perseverance and passion for long‐term goals” (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007, p. 1087)—has attracted the attention of researchers in fields ranging from psychology to business to education (e.g., Robertson‐Kraft & Duckworth, 2014; Robins, 2019). Continuing the line of research that explores the domain specificity of grit (e.g.,...

As a personality trait, “grit” has been defined as a combination of perseverance and passion for long-term goals (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). Grit has been argued to be as important as talent in determining the success of students, adding incremental predictive validity for achievement criteria above and beyond natural or inheren...

Data from self-paced reading (SPR) tasks are routinely checked for statistical outliers (Marsden, Thompson, & Plonsky, 2018). Such data points can be handled in a variety of ways (e.g., trimming, data transformation), each of which may influence study results in a different manner. This two-phase study sought, first, to systematically review outlie...

Research in progress: Applied linguistics at Northern Arizona University, USA - Brett Hashimoto, Daniel Keller, Ekaterina Sudina, Katherine Yaw, Jesse Egbert, Luke Plonsky

First, we trace the history of second language acquisition (SLA) from early stages in the mid-twentieth century to today. We next consider the status of the field in today's research world with a particular focus on all aspects of methodology and, finally, we take a look at the future and discuss issues related to scientific rigor in light of Open...

While research has shown that provision of explicit pronunciation instruction (PI) is facilitative of various aspects of second language (L2) speech learning (Thomson & Derwing, 2015), a growing number of scholars have begun to examine which type of instruction can best impact on acquisition. In the current study, we explored the effects of percept...

Statistical tests carry with them a number of assumptions that must be checked. Failing to do so and to report the results of such preliminary analyses introduce a potential threat to the internal validity of a study and to our ability as consumers to put faith in study findings. This article systematically examines the reporting of checks on assum...

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions Second language researchers have focused increasingly in recent years on “heritage language learners,” or adult learners who wish to learn, relearn, or improve their linguistic proficiency in a family language they spoke while growing up. The present study examines this domain with a particular focus o...

SECOND LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND ACHIEVEMENT: A META-ANALYSIS – ERRATUM - Volume 41 Issue 2 - Yasser Teimouri, Julia Goetze, Luke Plonsky

We propose a new framework for conceptualizing measures of instructed second language (L2) pronunciation performance according to three sets of parameters: (a) the constructs (focused on global vs. specific aspects of pronunciation), (b) the scoring method (human raters vs. acoustic analyses), and (c) the type of knowledge elicited (controlled vs....

Second language (L2) anxiety has been the object of constant empirical and theoretical attention for several decades. As a matter of both theoretical and practical interest, much of the research in this domain has examined the relationship between anxiety and L2 achievement. The present study meta-analyzes this body of research. Following a compreh...

<><><><><><><><><><>See link & APA citaion below <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> This chapter provides an applied description of two key methods to evaluate the association between two research variables. First, we provide a conceptual view of the notion of non-directional linear correlation. Using small datasets, we discuss the various behaviors of t...

Statistical tests carry with them a number of assumptions that must be checked. Failing to do so and to report the results of such preliminary analyses introduce a potential threat to the internal validity of a study and to our ability as consumers to put faith in study findings. The importance of checking assumptions is reflected in standards for...

Null hypothesis testing has long-since been “the go-to analytic approach” in quantitative second-language (L2) research (Norris, 2015, p. 97). To many, however, years of reliance on this approach has resulted in a crisis of inference across the social and behavioral sciences (e.g., Rouder et al., 2016). As an alternative to the null hypothesis test...

Multiple regression is a family of statistics used to investigate the relationship between a set of predictors and a criterion (dependent) variable. This procedure is applicable in a variety of research contexts and data structures. Consequently, and similar to quantitative traditions in sister‐disciplines such as education and psychology (see Skid...

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