Conducting Genre-Based Research in Applied Linguistics: A Methodological Guide

This collection is a comprehensive resource on conducting research in applied linguistics involving written genres that is distinctive in its coverage of a multiplicity of interdisciplinary perspectives.

The volume explores the central approaches, methodologies, analyses, and tools used in conducting genre-based research, extending the traditional focus on a single framework for defining genres by explicating the major approaches that have been invoked in applied linguistics. Chapters address a mix of commonly used methodologies (e.g., case studies, ethnographic approaches), types of analyses (e.g., metadiscourse, rhetorical move-step analysis, multidimensional analysis, lexical bundles and phrase frames, CALF measures, multimodal analysis), and studies that focus on other areas of second language (L2) teaching and learning (e.g., multilingualism, the Teaching and Learning Cycle). Taken together, the volume provides a theoretically and methodologically diverse introduction to foundational topics in genre-related research, supported by detailed discussions of the challenges and practical considerations to take into account when conducting research involving written genres.

This book is a valuable resource for graduate students, faculty, and researchers in applied linguistics, particularly those working in second language acquisition, L2 writing, and genre theory and pedagogy.

Matt Kessler is an Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of South Florida, where he teaches in the MA Applied Linguistics and PhD Linguistics and Applied Language Studies programs. Matt’s research focuses on issues pertaining to second language writing, genre-based teaching and learning, and computer-assisted language learning. His work has appeared in journals such as Journal of Second Language Writing, Language Learning, System, TESOL Quarterly, and more.

Charlene Polio is a Professor in Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, where she teaches in the MA TESOL and PhD Second Language Studies programs. Her research focuses on methods used in second language writing research, and she is the co-author of Understanding, Evaluating, and Conducting Second Language Writing Research (publisher: Routledge). She is also the co-editor of the journal TESOL Quarterly.