Exploring the research-pedagogy link in second language teaching

The relationship between second language (L2) acquisition research and L2 pedagogy can be contentious. On the one hand, teachers may resent ivory tower researchers who do not address issues that teachers feel are relevant to real classroom instruction (e.g., Medgyes, 2017). On the other hand, researchers may feel frustrated that teachers do not pay attention to research findings that could facilitate L2 learning (Larsen-Freeman, 2015). However, rather than adopting adversarial positions, many researchers call for a good-faith dialogue between researchers and teachers, in order to facilitate research that is relevant for teachers and that produces evidence-based implications for the classroom (e.g., Paran, 2017; Sato & Loewen, 2019). To create and facilitate the dialogue, it is equally important that researchers and teachers together create a community where teachers evaluate evidence-based suggestions by researchers. With such a dialogue in place, we can ensure that both L2 research and instruction will be at its best. The current talk will explore some of the reasons why it is difficult for researchers and teachers to share their concerns about L2 classroom instruction. For example, L2 research may not be accessible to teachers (e.g., Marsden & Kasprowicz, 2017). The presentation will provide an overview of some of the evidence-based practices that research suggests may be beneficial for the classroom. These practices include setting goals regarding the types of L2 knowledge, whether implicit or explicit, that teachers and learners would like to develop through classroom instruction. Furthermore, specific evidence-based challenges related to learning grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and pragmatics in the classroom will be explored.