Indirectly Speaking / EFL research: Fact and objectivity

[Francis Hult]

Daily Yomiuri Online

 

Indirectly Speaking / EFL research: Fact and objectivity

 

Commentary by Mike Guest

 

Facts are simple and facts are straight, 

Facts are lazy and facts are late, 

Facts all come with points of view, 

Facts don't do what I want them to. 

 

[...]

 

OK, I guess I have issues with some those EFL/ESL research journals that seem to consist largely of citations of other works. In fact, it can be difficult to make even the most innocuous, generalized statement in many journals without providing "support." 

 

"The English language is a valuable tool for communication worldwide," you write. "SUPPORT THIS," comes the editor's note. So, you find somebody else who said the same thing: "The English language is a valuable tool for communication worldwide" (Spezza & Heatley, 2003). With this support, your point has suddenly become more valid--simply because somebody other than yourself has made the claim. Now established, it becomes sacrosanct. 

 

Sometimes, this emphasis upon piling up citations can lead to very specific claims: "Juggling mice produces better cleft constructions:" being derived from extremely general support: "Thornton & Marleau" (2004) noted that using a variety of stimulating resources improves language acquisition." Of course, support is important in any academic field. Citations like, "Japanese people don't need to learn English" (Drunk guy on a train, 2007) don't exactly help to establish credibility. But unnecessary citations can often obscure the point being made ("Since the dawn of man, people have sought to increase knowledge"--see Bible [God], although, hey, it looks more academic. 

 

Charts and numbers can have some effect. You might want to write something like, "Over 75 percent of the students polled felt that the presence of a ceramic duck in the classroom helped to improve their performance." But that won't do. You will need a chart (preferably two or three) to turn this into real research. You will need to represent the 75 percent as a pie chart, a graph, and as a Venn diagram. You will need to triangulate your results with a standard deviation, a margin of error, means and medians, calories per serving, and team batting averages. 

 

Full story:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20080429TDY18003.htm

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