Research

Research is one competency area that I feel I learned through experience. Perhaps that's how one effectively learns aspects of research—by immersing oneself in it. When I began my undergraduate journey at UO, I had very little knowledge or experience with research and I felt like I was thrown into it without any preparation or support.  Throughout the LTS program, I became much more confident, and the research experience gave me a deeper understanding of the process of language learning and the design of curricula that assess learner progress to meet the diverse needs of a classroom. Studying effective teaching approaches, classroom management tactics, and learner motivation strategies has helped me design lesson plans, activities, and curricula that provide meaningful learning experiences. 

One common way to begin research is by reviewing existing literature, which serves as a foundation for further exploration. For example, my first artifact from the Second Language Acquisition course (LT544), titled “Assessment of Oral Proficiency in Online Language Courses: Beyond Reinventing the Wheel” by Fernando Rubio, represents one of my initial experiences in research through a detailed article critique.

In this, I explored the debate on whether technology directly supports language learning or merely serves as a teaching aid. Contrasting face-to-face (F2F) learning with online language courses, I highlight the distinct advantages of both, also emphasizing their capacity to elicit conversational exchanges and enhance instructor feedback. However, while acknowledging the potential of online courses, I critique the work of Rubio (2015) for its narrow focus on comparative factors. My critique highlights the exclusion of important considerations, such as the tools that facilitate reading and writing skills, and argues for a more comprehensive evaluation that equally recognizes the evolving capabilities of modern face-to-face courses, which can also utilize recording tools for oral exchange review and feedback. This artifact has enabled me to consider opposing perspectives and reminded me to maintain objectivity regardless of the views or beliefs presented by the author in articles, journals, or academic papers. Not only that, it also gave me the valuable knowledge I needed to apply when I moved forward and started conducting my own research projects.

This second artifact titled “Investigating Basic Locative Constructions in Spanish,” allowed me to do just that. In my Semantics course (LING515), I explored how these constructions describe spatial relationships, addressing questions such as ‘Where is x?’ Using the BowPed (Bowerman & Pederson, 1992) as an elicitation tool, I interviewed two participants–participant one, a native speaker, and participant two, a learner This approach allowed me to observe differences influenced by their proficiency levels in Spanish, rather than by various sociolinguistic factors such as ethnicity, gender, and age. It aimed to avoid reinforcing stereotypes and maintain objectivity. The main research question was “Does the basic locative construction of a Spanish language learner differ from an L1 speaker? And if this is the case, how so?” My paper includes sections on theoretical context, literature review, methods, results, conclusions, bibliography, and appendix to thoroughly explore this question. However, the main idea was to utilize 71 BowPed prompts to analyze data from the two participants (Bowerman & Pederson, 1992). Findings indicated cultural influences on vocabulary and constructions, with proficiency differences evident. The educational background was irrelevant since participant one did not study Spanish formally, and participant two was self-taught. In the end, my study suggested future research on external factors influencing Spanish locative constructions. 

For my third artifact, from the course Master’s Project 1 (LT611), my peer Artie Kotov and I conducted a research project to examine the connection between anxiety in foreign language classes, focusing on the impact of making mistakes and teacher support. We surveyed 22 students using an adapted version of the Horwitz et al. (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). The results indicated significant anxiety levels related to making mistakes, speaking unprepared, and interacting with native speakers. Confidence levels varied among students, with some feeling secure while others struggled. Teacher-related factors, such as methods of correcting errors, notably influenced anxiety. Despite these challenges, students expressed a commitment to continuing their language studies. The findings demonstrate the crucial need for supportive strategies to reduce anxiety and enhance classroom engagement. This research project significantly enhanced my academic writing skills, providing me with a deeper understanding of its complexities. Additionally, it equipped me with proficiency in numerical analysis, including interpreting survey results and coding data. Working closely with Kotov throughout the project also enhanced my collaborative skills in a research setting which fostered effective teamwork and a shared learning experience.