Reflection

As partially discussed in my teaching competency reflection, I believe that one of the most important characteristics of an educator is to remain a lifelong learner. Specifically, it is important for teachers to observe, digest, critique as well as conduct their own research throughout their careers. Not only is it important for teachers to be involved in research, but it is also important for them to be thoughtful critics, as well as conduct specific action research (McKinley & Rose, 2020; Burns, 2005; Van Lier, 1994) for their own purposes. Action research is conducted with the goal to better one’s approaches for their learners’ needs, so it is important that teachers acquire these skills. I have demonstrated the relevant skills of critically evaluating research in my article critique from Second Language Acquisition (SLA), LING 444, as well as my proficiency in designing parts of action-research projects as demonstrated by my research proposal from Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, LING 530, and contributions to a program evaluation that was conducted by my entire cohort for LT 611. These artifacts demonstrate my newfound skills in the area of research, specifically through the lens of language learning and teaching. 

My article critique for SLA demonstrates my skills as a critical observer of knowledge, and as someone who will consider the usefulness of research according to my own needs. This is evident in the ways that I consider the ideas presented by Khajavy et. al. (2018) in regard to increasing willingness to communicate (WTC) (McCroskey & Baer, 1985). In this critique, I carefully consider the meaning of the research presented generally, and in more specific contexts. Specifically, I consider the weight of Khajavy et. al.’s findings across different contexts and how these might be useful to others. These skills make me a thoughtful critic, which is a strong indicator of an educator who will continuously pursue better methods to meet their students’ needs. This skill is also helpful for doing my own forms of “research” in the future into others’ findings and methods, as I will have the skills to determine how useful, relevant, or meaningful a finding is to my own purposes. 

Not only have I gained skills in evaluating others’ research, but I have also had the opportunity to design some of my own research processes in the Research Methods class and formally develop these into a preliminary, qualitative research proposal. In doing this, I further evaluated others’ research to gather resources that were applicable to what I had outlined as a goal for my research: to determine the relevant usage of honorifics, specifically humble form, in Japanese learners. The goal of this was to develop a clearer sense of how I might teach and frame honorifics in my future classes, making this a future action research project of mine. In this way I used my evaluation, synthesis, and design skills in order to frame a possible approach for research into this phenomena in Japanese foreign language (JFL) contexts. This research framework might help me to better inform and guide any teaching that I might do in this context, and it also may be helpful to other instructors in this same context. Creating this proposal in a low-stakes context helped me to develop a more robust understanding of research processes and the importance of developing one’s research in replicable, reputable ways. 

Further into the process of research, I also got several opportunities to analyze data from research tools that I and other members of our cohort had constructed. My peers and I, guided by our instructor, developed a program evaluation for the Oregon International Internship Program (OIIP). The purpose for this evaluation was to determine how students are currently doing in terms of preparedness for the program, how successful they are in it, and what might be done to increase both of these things. In this way, this evaluation represents what action research looks like in practice. In the process of this, we created many instruments for data collection. I was heavily involved in the creation of several instruments, but I was even more so involved in the analysis of several parts of this project, one of my largest responsibilities being analysis of interns’ journal submissions. I analyzed 28 out of 84 student journals alongside two peers for themes relevant to determining intern preparedness and success in the program. My peers and I then collaboratively identified and analyzed what we were looking at, and I synthesized and elaborated on these ideas in writing. This synthesis of information and data displays my ability to work with numbers and qualitative information to form meaningful analysis and uses for the data. This synthesis and analysis along with my experiences in collaboration are representative of a competence in the area of research, and I will be continuing to draw on these skills far into the future. 

These three artifacts demonstrate my skills in evaluating, designing, and analyzing research, which are important for any educator who intends to pursue ways to better serve their students. While there are many other parts of the research process that I wish to gain a stronger understanding of (conducting research, entering into an ethnography, changing/editing approaches and research), these skills are meaningful to me in that I am now better equipped to learn from others and identify useful parts of research for my own purposes. Not only this, but I am now more prepared to conduct and analyze my own research in future classrooms. I believe that it is in these newfound skills that are demonstrated in my artifacts that show my competency in the area of research, but I also recognize that as an educator and researcher I can always keep learning.

Artifacts