research topics in tesol

TESOL Research Topics

What Are the Problems With Teaching English as a Second Language?

The United States has been a land of immigrants since its inception--but for years, the way newcomers learned English was simply through trial and error. Today, teaching English to speakers of other languages (known in education circles as TESOL) embraces not just language education, but many of the social and cultural issues associated with working with speakers of other languages. Research topics in TESOL encompass an array of issues as diverse as the populations it is trying to reach. For researchers in this field, TESOL is as much a sociological endeavor as it is an educational one.

NCLB Testing

With federal education law like "No Child Left Behind" putting emphasis on learning standards and tests to assess achievement, it’s still unclear how ESL students fit into this model. Although some assessments are provided in students’ native languages, not all tests are. Is a talented math student who speaks another language really not meeting math standards if she cannot understand written-word problems? Is a student not a good reader because he reads in Mandarin instead of English? State education departments are trying to address these issues in different ways, but ESL students are counted along with all other students when it comes to the federal and state funding tied to these exams.

Non-Native Teachers

Like any subject matters, one has to know English to teach it. Does it matter if the teacher spoke another language first? Most high school graduates had foreign language teachers who spent a great deal of time studying Spanish or French but relatively few who grew up speaking it at home. Yet there is controversy around non-native speakers teaching new English language learners (ELLs). Are they at a disadvantage to not have English as their native tongue, or do they bring a different expertise, having gone through the ELL process themselves?

Impact of Age on Learning

ESL students are not just in the public school system; there are plenty of adults coming into the United States who need English instruction. This poses challenges for educators. Cognitive development theory shows that children have the greatest capacity for learning a new language; but educators are struggling to reach the parents and grandparents of those children. They’re not in school; they may not have the know-how to reach a community organization that offers ESL instruction. Their needs are also different; adults need language skills that help them on the job or conduct daily business. This is very different from the language of academics that children get from TESOL.

Adult ESL Cross-Cultural Issues

Once you can get adults into the ESL classroom, keeping them there may be a challenge. Not only are students being pulled in several directions – parenting, job, and so on – but there may be cultural issues that potentially interfere with instruction. Customs and norms may be harder to translate than words. Cultural norms about gender can also play into this dynamic; male students from a strictly patriarchal culture may have difficulty answering to a female teacher, while female students may be uncomfortable learning from a male teacher.

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Child Vs. Adult Learning

Problems Faced With Stanford Achievement Testing

Andrea Kearns is an award-winning broadcast journalist whose work has aired across New York State. After nearly a decade of covering the events and people who make history, she is now sharing her knowledge and experience in the classroom as a high school history and government teacher.

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New Research Trends in TESOL: An introduction

Rining (Tony) WEI is a tenured Associate Professor in Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China’s largest Sino-foreign institution. He directs the MA TESOL Programme at his university. He has supervised to successful completion nearly 30 MA and PhD dissertations, which cover three areas: English Education, Bilingualism, and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). He serves as Associate Editor for TESOL International Journal and Co-Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of EAP: Research and Practice .

Xuesong (Andy) GAO is Professor in Language and Literacy Education at the School of Education, University of New South Wales. He has published extensively on topics including language learning strategy, language teacher education and language education policy.

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About the authors

Acknowledgments.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the anonymous reviewers for their hard work and to the authors for their fine contributions. Our sincere thanks also go to Professor Qiufang Wen, Editor-in-Chief of CJAL for providing constructive feedback on each of the accepted papers and to Dr Xiangdong Liu (Managing Editor) for the prompt feedback and patience in several rounds of editing.

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Journal and Issue

Articles in the same issue.

• Develop a Topic
• Find Sources
• Search Effectively
• Evaluate Sources
• TESOL 6100 (Durham)
• TESOL 6299: Research

Need an Idea?

A great idea can come from many places. Here are some suggested places to start:

• Class discussions
• Assigned readings
• Topics in the news
• Browse journals in the field
• Personal interests

Develop Your Topic

• Explore Your Topic
• Refine Your Topic

Before you develop your research topic or question, you'll need to do some background research first.

Some good places to find background information:

• Your textbook or class readings
• Encyclopedias and reference books
• Credible websites
• Library databases

Try the library databases below to explore your topic. When you're ready, move on to refining your topic.

Find Background Information:

• GALE EBOOKS This link opens in a new window Gale Virtual Reference Library's powerful delivery platform puts your reference content into circulation. Researchers will have the power to Search and share results, Create mark lists, Track research through search history, Share articles using InfoTrac InfoMarks and more.
• GALE IN CONTEXT, Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window A full-text resource covering today's hottest social issues, from Terrorism to Endangered Species, Stem Cell Research to Gun Control. Drawing on the series published by Greenhaven Press and other Gale imprints, Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center brings together information that's needed to understand an issue: pro & con viewpoint articles, reference articles that provide context, full-text magazines, academic journals, and newspapers, primary source documents, organizational statistics, & more.

Now that you've done some background research, it's time to narrow your topic. Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be. Here are some suggestions for narrowing and defining your topic:

• Is there a specific subset of the topic you can focus on?
• Is there a cause and effect relationship you can explore?
• Is there an unanswered question on the subject?
• Can you focus on a specific time period or group of people?

Describe and develop your topic in some detail. Try filling in the blanks in the following sentence, as much as you can:

I want to research ____ (what/who) ____

and ____ (what/who) ____

in ____ (where) ____

during ____ (when) ____

because ____ (why) ____.

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Why Look for Articles

Core journals in tesol, education and linguistic databases for tesol topics, multidisciplinary and linguistics databases for articles on tesol topics, theses and dissertations on tesol topics.

• Searching ERIC
• Locating TESOL Books
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Scholarly journal articles are great for learning more about narrow and focused topics within a discipline, will present research findings and identify specific issues within the field of study. Professional trade publications are written for practitioners in a field and provide timely and practical articles for their audience. More general newspaper and magazines are an excellent source for general readers about current topics.

• ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) Provides access to education literature and resources. The database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. The database contains more than 1.6 million records and links to more than 337,000 full-text documents dating back to 1966. For tips on using ERIC, please visit visit this tab from the TESOL InfoGuide.
• Education Full Text Subject coverage includes adult education, special education, multicultural/ethnic education, and teaching methods.
• Chronicle of Higher Education This link opens in a new window Presents news and information for college and university faculty and students.
• MLA International Bibliography Coverage is international and includes literature, language and linguistics, folklore, literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts, as well as the historical aspects of printing and publishing. more... less... In addition, the MLA Directory of Periodicals and their proprietary thesaurus used to assign descriptors within the Bibliography are included.

Provides full text coverage to peer-reviewed titles in the social sciences, humanities, general science, multi-cultural studies, education and more.

• Communication & Mass Media Complete Content from CommSearch and Mass Media Articles Index along with other peer-reviewed journals in communication, mass media, and related fields of study.
• JSTOR Archive of interdisciplinary journals and books, covering the Arts, Business & Economics, History, Humanities, Law, Science & Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Religion.

Full-text current and archival articles from scholarly journals covering literature and criticism, history, performing arts, cultural studies, education, philosophy, political science, gender studies, and more.

The American Psychological Association’s (APA) resource of peer-reviewed articles in psychology, behavioral science and mental health.

Abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed scientific journals, books and conference proceedings covering fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.

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Research Paradigms in TESOL and Language Education

• First Online: 13 January 2022

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• Salah Troudi 3  

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In conducting and evaluating research in the areas of applied linguistics, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) or language education in general it is common practice to focus on the content and methodology of the study. Content locates a research study in a particular area such as writing, assessment, professional development or curriculum evaluation whereas methodology addresses issues of research design, sampling, data collection instruments, data analysis and ethical dimensions.

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Brown, J. D. (2014). Mixed methods research for TESOL . Edinburgh University Press.

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Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process . Sage.

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Howell, K. E. (2013). The philosophy of methodology: An introduction . Sage.

Pring, R. (2015). Philosophy of educational research (3rd ed.). Bloomsbury.

Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2010). Sage handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research . Sage Publications.

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Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, Exeter, England

Salah Troudi

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European Knowledge Development Institute, Ankara, Türkiye

Hassan Mohebbi

Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), Dubai Men’s College, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Christine Coombe

The Research Questions

Why does research in TESOL need to be informed by philosophical perspectives?

Do you think researchers in TESOL will benefit from the discourses of research paradigms? How?

Which particular research paradigm, if any, do you think represents your views on reality and knowledge? And why?

Can one be informed by more than one paradigm at the same time?

Which area in philosophy deals with the nature of reality?

Which area in philosophy deals with the nature of knowledge and learning?

With which research paradigm or approach would you associate confirmatory methodology? Why?

For what research purpose will you use an exploratory methodology?

Do researchers state what paradigms inform their studies when publishing their research?

When reading a published research study how can you tell which ontological and epistemological positions inform the study?

Suggested Resources

Pring , R. (2015) . Philosophy of educational research (3rd ed.). London: Bloomsbury .

The third edition of this book introduces readers to key theoretical concepts in educational research as well as a number of practical considerations such as methods of data collection. Perhaps the most salient feature of this book is the way it explains philosophical concepts and terms in an accessible way. Chapter two stresses the importance of thinking philosophically about key concepts in education as learning, teaching, personal development, human flourishing, and educational discourse. Pring acknowledges that there is poor educational research out there when compared to research in other fields and that a fair amount of research in education is seen as worthless because of its irrelevance to practice, inaccessibility or the inability of schools to use results of studies in their decision-making processes. The sections on the different research paradigms, methodologies and associated terminologies are based on a premise stated by the author on page 9 explaining that in order to produce worthwhile research we need to “start by getting clear the nature of what is to be researched into”.

Crotty, M. (1989). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. London: Sage .

In this book Crotty provides a substantial description and analysis of a number of major research perspectives in education. If the reader is new to the discourse of paradigms then perhaps a shorter and lighter publication on the topic is advisable. By introducing the research process in the first chapter the author delineates key terms that need to be understood in order to be able to navigate through the philosophical discourses of each research perspectives. Crotty uses the term “perspective” rather than paradigm. Epistemology, ontology, methodology, and methods are explained and Fig. 1 on page 4 shows the relationship between these terms and how one informs the other. Of particular use to those new to this discourse is Table 1 on page 5 which takes each of these terms and associates it with corresponding or appropriate terms. For example, under epistemology, the term objectivism is associated with positivism and post-positivism. Ethnography and phenomenological research are in the column of methodology and are associated with constructivism as an epistemology. Starting with the second chapter Crotty traces the historical development of each major theoretical perspective, explains the nature of its epistemological and ontological assumptions and refers to major works of philosophers associated with that perspective. For example, readers are introduced to August Comte and Carl Popper with positivism. Max Weber and Herbert Mead are associated with interpretivism, Charles Peirce and John Dewey with Pragmatism and Jurgen Habermas with critical enquiry.

Howell, K. E. (2013). The philosophy of methodology: An introduction . London: Sage .

One of the main features of this book is that each chapter includes a definition box to provide an explanation of the main concepts being addressed by the chapter. A reflection box is also provided to engage the reader in thinking about some theoretical and methodological concepts and how they can be applied to understand human action, interaction and learning. Some of the 14 chapters also come with a question section. This is another interactive feature of the book whereby the reader is invited to read the text again with a specific purpose in mind. The questions serve also as a comprehension check opportunity which is a useful exercise, especially for novice researchers and readers who are new to the literature on educational and research philosophy. On page 42, readers are asked to “identify the difficulties for social sciences when dealing with immutable laws, prediction and objectivity”. These are important issues for TESOL researchers whether at the level of design or the application of research findings in classrooms. Howell also provides a good number of tables which present the main concepts and associated authors in a clear and accessible way. The first five chapters are rich with theoretical explanations while the rest of the chapters provide a good link between theories and research methodologies.

Paltridge, B. & Phakiti, A. (2010) (Eds.). Continuum to research methods in applied linguistics . London: Continuum .

Researchers in applied linguistics, TESOL and language education will find this volume useful and practical. While the three above books deal with the theories informing research traditions, this book is mainly practical in nature. The chapters are written by very established researchers in the field. As stated by Paltridge and Phakiti at the start of the book, the chapters are meant for beginning researchers and students such as those embarking on doctoral studies. The eight chapters of the first part represent positivism, interpretive research and critical enquiry. In each chapter the authors start by explaining the philosophical assumptions behind their study then move to a description of the specifics of their chosen methodology such as experimental design, case study, ethnography or critical research. A particularly useful feature is the section of a sample study which illustrates to the reader how a study in a particular methodology is designed. This section is short and does not report on the study in its entirety, so readers are encouraged to read the full version of the study. In the second part of the book, 13 chapters are dedicated to different research areas in applied linguistics covering a wide range of topics such as grammar, vocabulary, pragmatics, assessment and language and identity. The chapters are more or less organised in the same way as in the first part. They all include a section on resources for further readings which introduces the reader to relevant publications about the topic of the chapter.

Brown, J.D. (2014). Mixed methods research for TESOL . Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

For researchers interested in mixed methods research (MMR) in TESOL Brown’s book is clearly an essential resource. The book is not heavy on theoretical explanations, but it does provide a rationale for using mixed methods designs in the first chapter. Divided into three sections the 10 chapters of the book take the reader through the major phases of a MMR design. In the first section, Brown starts with a focus on balancing the quantitative and qualitative elements, on avoiding misconceptions about triangulation and on writing good research questions. The second section is dedicated to analysing quantitative, qualitative and MMR data. The last section deals with presenting the research results, writing the reports and disseminating research. Guided readings are offered throughout the book to help the reader understand research concepts, techniques and procedures through extracts from published MMR studies in the field of TESOL.

Gournelos, T. Hammonds, J. R. & Wilson, M. A. (2019). (1st ed.). Doing academic research: A Practical guide to research methods and analysis . New York: Routledge .

This is a useful research reference and a practical guide to how to plan, design and conduct research. For early researchers in disciplines such as education and social sciences in general. The book offers practical tips and strategies on successfully completing research projects. It also demystifies research and presents it in an encouraging way. For those interested in publishing their research, the authors provide straightforward and accessible information on presenting academic research and the skill of persuasion. The book comes in twelve chapters covering both quantitative and qualitative research, and all the steps and procedures involved, along with many examples and illustrations. A useful glossary is also provided at the end of the book.

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Troudi, S. (2021). Research Paradigms in TESOL and Language Education. In: Mohebbi, H., Coombe, C. (eds) Research Questions in Language Education and Applied Linguistics. Springer Texts in Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79143-8_132

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Waheeb S. Albiladi University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA

Waheeb S. Albiladi is a PhD candidate in the TESOL program at the University of Arkansas. He has 8 years of experience in teaching English as a second/foreign language. His research interests include technology in English teaching and learning, bilingual education, and teachers’ use of data.

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RESEARCH IN TESOL: A SYSTEMATIC INVESTIGATION OF TRENDS AND TYPES OF RESEARCH IN ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE LAST TEN YEARS

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Flores, N., & Aneja, G. (2017). "Why Needs Hiding?" Translingual (Re) Orientations in TESOL Teacher Education. Research in the Teaching of English, 51(4), 441.

King, K. A., & Mackey, A. (2016). Research methodology in second language studies: Trends, concerns, and new directions. The Modern Language Journal, 100(S1), 209-227.

Lai, C., Hu, X., & Lyu, B. (2018). Understanding the nature of learners’ out-of-class language learning experience with technology. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 31(1-2), 114-143.

Mckinley, J. (2019). Evolving the TESOL teaching–research nexus. TESOL Quarterly. 1-8

Mirhosseini, S. A. (2018). Mixed Methods Research in TESOL: Procedures Combined or Epistemology Confused?. TESOL Quarterly, 52(2), 468-478.

Newton, J. M., & Nation, I. S. P. (2020). Teaching ESL/EFL listening and speaking. Routledge.

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Rahman, M. S. (2015). The contribution made by qualitative research to TESOL. International Journal of English Language Teaching, 3(2), 1-14.

Rezaee, A. A., Abidin, M. J. B. Z., Issa, J. H., & Mustafa, P. O. (2012). TESOL In-Service Teachers' Attitudes towards Computer Use. English Language Teaching, 5(1), 61-68.

Sharifian, F. (2013). Globalisation and developing metacultural competence in learning English as an International Language. Multilingual Education, 3(1), 1-12.

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19 Interesting Research Projects For ESL Students

Project-based learning is an excellent means of acquiring and developing new language skills. Teachers of ESL students can use research projects to make lessons fun, interactive, and engaging. As such, interesting research projects can be used to practice the concepts that a teacher wishes to reinforce.

Research projects for ESL students should be based on relevant topics that interest them. Topics can range from creating comic strips, preparing a dish in class, dramatization, creating short podcasts, planning an itinerary, and debating significant issues.

The projects should be appropriate for the ESL student’s proficiency, whether beginner, intermediate or advanced and can be done individually or in a group.

The research project’s purpose should align with the curriculum and be clear to the students. Read on to discover some exciting research projects for the different proficiency levels of ESL students.

The Focus Of Interesting Research Projects For ESL Learners

Learning a new language can be meaningful and fun with the right teacher and lessons. However, ESL students might also be shy to speak in the presence of other students, so they must be made to feel welcome and accepted.

Additionally, if students know what the purpose of the project is, they can focus on that instead of becoming overwhelmed with other areas.

When assigning a research project to ESL students, the teacher should first assess what the students’ interests are. They will be more likely to benefit from the research project if it intrigues them or if there is an incentive.

Then, when assigning the project, the teacher should tell the students the point of the assessment, so they know what the focal point for preparation should be.

Examples of focus points or purposes of research projects can include the following:

• Dialogue or speaking practice,
• Situational terminology,
• Team communication, or

Also try: 15 Engaging Speaking Activities For Online Classes

Interesting Research Projects For Beginner ESL Students

Beginner ESL students can differ in age, ability, and maturity, so the teacher must choose the research projects wisely and adapt them accordingly.

Below are some great ideas for exciting research projects for beginner ESL students.

1. Research Your Family Tree

Students can research their family tree as far back as possible and create a presentation with pictures. In addition to the family tree, the students can add a short biography of two or more family tree members to add extra weight to the project.

2. Plant A Vegetable Garden

A research project on planting can be modified according to the age and group size of an ESL class. Students can work individually or in groups and research what vegetables they want to grow and what is needed for each plant to thrive.

The project can be done practically, and students can document the growth of their plants. As an extension activity, the vegetables can be used to make a salad or a soup for other research projects, including following recipes.

Alternatively, the students can create a business plan and market their products for another project.

3. Create A Comic Strip

Creating a comic strip can be done individually, as a group, or as a nonsense game (for practice). First, each student can create their own superhero and write a synopsis of the superhero’s powers and weaknesses.

Then, they can make a short comic strip using simple illustrations where their superhero fights a crime or saves the day.

As a fun practice activity, students can do the first strip of a comic at the top of a page. Then they can swap pages with other class members who must continue the cartoon, a row at a time. The result should be pretty hilarious and give the students some good ideas for their research project.

4. Research A Culture Or Tradition

Students can be given the task of researching a culture or tribe. At a beginner level, ESL students can work in groups to research a culture and then present their findings. They can explore different aspects of their chosen culture, for example:

• Traditions,
• Traditional foods,
• Languages spoken, and
• Where the culture lives, e.g., country or types of dwellings.

When presenting their project, the students should be encouraged to show as many examples of their findings as possible. They can even dress up and play some of that culture’s music, for example.

Recommended for you: 15 Speaking Projects For ESL Students

5. Plan A Vacation

Another fun research project for beginner ESL students is to plan a vacation. The students can pick any destination they wish to visit and plan their trip accordingly.

They can research activities they’d like to do, their mode of travel, where to stay, and what they will eat. Then, depending on the difficulty level, the teacher can give them a ‘budget’ they should stick to.

6. Real Estate Listing

In this research project, students can pretend they are an estate agent selling a property. They can create an advert and use descriptive language to describe the characteristics and selling points of the property.

7. Dramatization

Students can work in small groups and act out a short story or scene from a favorite book or movie. The teacher can suggest a fun story the class can read or watch and discuss in a lesson.

Students can then be allowed time to prepare their skits, or they can do improvisations. This activity will encourage them to memorize their cues, but they can also use cue cards.

Interesting Research Projects For Intermediate ESL Students

As ESL students advance to an intermediate level, their research projects can increase in difficulty and expectations. Again, the teacher should always inform the students of the outcomes, so they know the project’s focus. Below are some ideas for interesting research projects for intermediate ESL learners.

8. Create A Short Podcast

Podcasts are a popular way of sharing information through speaking. Thus, they make a good assessment tool for various speaking activities in the classroom. For example, the teacher can assign a topic. The students can research and record a podcast as if they were reporting for the news or other channel.

An advantage of using podcasts as a form of assessment is that the students can re-record their podcast if they have made too many mistakes before submitting it to the teacher.

9. Create A Neighborhood

Students can create a neighborhood with various characters as a group research project, much like the game Sims. Then, the students can research the characters and their roles in the community. For example, there could be a handyman, a pet sitter, a grocer, families, a librarian, and a pharmacist.

Each character can have a name and description of features. In addition, the neighborhood, streets, shops, and other community elements can also have names and descriptions.

Also try: Fun Language Games For Middle School Students

10. Research Different Types Of Sustainable Energies

Sustainable and green energy are current topics that make good research projects, as there is a lot of information on the internet. This research project can be done in a group or as individuals, and the students can present their research to the class in a PowerPoint presentation.

11. Write A Biography Of A Famous Person

For this research project, students can choose a famous person and write a biography on them. The teacher can give pointers as to what should be covered, for example:

• Why the person is famous,
• Where they were born,
• If they are still alive,
• Significant events in their life,
• Where they grew up, and
• How they have influenced the world or their community.

12. Do A Cooking Demonstration

Recipes are instructive and introduce a different type of vocabulary. Students can demonstrate a recipe or cooking lesson in class as part of a fun research project. Ideas for cooking demonstrations include making soup, baking cookies, preparing pasta, or making a salad.

Afterward, the students can enjoy a meal together after a few presentations during class. However, the teacher should determine if anyone has allergies before sharing the meals.

13. Career Research Project

Intermediate ESL students can do a research project on potential careers they’d like to pursue. Whether they choose one or more professions, the students can research what the job entails, the potential income, and the pros and cons.

Additionally, the students can explore the qualification requirements to pursue their chosen careers.

Interesting Research Projects For Advanced ESL Students

Advanced ESL students are likely to be older and more mature, so the teacher must choose topics that are not embarrassing or ‘below’ them. The students’ cultures must also be kept in mind, as some Western traditions are frowned upon by Eastern cultures.

Next are some research project ideas for advanced ESL students.

14. Make A Short Film

Making a short film can be successful if planned and managed correctly. An example could be creating a documentary or enacting a story.

Whatever the topic, it is wise to plan each filming session ahead of time. It would be an ongoing project that requires the skills of a movie-making app or a willing student who is savvy in that department.

15. Argumentative Research Paper Or Debate

In an argumentative research paper, a teacher can list controversial topics from which the students can choose. The students would then need to write an argumentative essay with the pros and cons or choose for or against the topic.

As an extension of this activity, one topic can be selected, and the class is split into two groups. Then, students on the same teams can collaborate and debate the topic in class.

16. Describing Famous Artworks

In this project, students can choose a few famous artworks created by different artists using various media. The students can research and describe each artwork and its history. This project will undoubtedly introduce them to new vocabulary and help them practice using descriptive language.

17. Critical Book Review

A critical book review project requires a student to read a suitably challenging book and write a critique on it. The ESL teacher can use a setwork book or allow the students to choose their own books. The students can discuss the characters, the plot, the author’s writing style, and their opinion of the book.

18. Creating A Business Plan

Advanced ESL students who learn English for business purposes will benefit from this interesting research project. They can write a business plan for a company or entrepreneurial venture.

In their business plan, they can set goals, projected expenses, income, ideas for growing the business, and other related topics within their plan.

19. The Apprentice – You Are Fired

Students may well have seen the television show ‘The Apprentice’ and you can replicate this process over a number of weeks with real groups of students and fun challenges.

You can come up with a series of tasks for the students to complete in or outside of class and then groups are judged by the teacher or a student.

The losing group then has to argue/defend their performance and contribution to the task with the weakest student being fired.

There is potential for so much language to be used in this series of activities so it requires some preparation to ensure that they do have the vocabulary and structures to be able to successfully participate in this process.

Classroom-based activities that work well for this include:

• Coming up with a new household product idea and diagram of it.
• Branding, logo, and a short advert of the product previously invented in the last task.
• Creation of a new family-friendly board game.
• Create and present a virtual tour around a particular holiday destination/city.
• Create an entertaining podcast for children.

There is an endless string of tasks that you could do all involving lots of language points. Ideal for advanced students.

Whether beginner, intermediate or advanced, ESL students will likely benefit from a more hands-on approach when learning a new language.

So, the teachers of ESL students can use interesting research projects to reinforce concepts taught in the class. The research projects chosen should be relevant and intriguing to the students for their benefit and enjoyment.

Recommended reading: 7 Ways To Use Newspapers To Teach Grammar

Image Credits

Broccoli Fir0002 , GFDL 1.2 , via Wikimedia Commons

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10 Trending Professional Development Topics in ELT

• Advancing Your Career

When the school year comes to a close, it’s a great time to look at some of the trends, key topics, and themes in teacher professional development (PD). The term “trending” can have a negative connotation, suggesting that an idea is simply a passing fad—but the intention in this article is to recognize the great responsiveness and energy in our wide global TESOL community and to remark on how flexible and forward-thinking our profession is. In so many ways, PD topics in our field are years ahead of other fields, and in so many institutional contexts, the English language teaching (ELT) professionals are the vanguard of change and positive growth. This progressive dynamic within the field of ELT means that PD is continually evolving and offers educators extensive opportunities to learn and grow professionally and personally. From accessing ideas via the printed word via blogs, newsletters, books, and journal articles to sharing information and ideas in videos, webinars, and online conferences, there is an abundance of PD available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Many topics continue to surface year after year, as these relate to ever-relevant topics, such as developing materials, integrating content and language objectives, or addressing the needs of young learners. Apart from these familiar topics, and in no particular rank order, here are 10 topics that have appeared frequently in the TESOL community. To arrive at the list, I reviewed a number of publications, including the program books from several ELT organizations, news and blog posts, and English language teacher newsletters. (Note: Accessing the conference program book after a conference is completed can be a useful strategy to keep your finger on the pulse of what is of high relevance to educators in any given year.) Following are the topics that appeared quite often

10. Overcoming Teacher Burnout

PD in this area focuses on recognizing the stress teachers are living in on a daily basis, approaches to self-care, and finding ways to create better structures within schools so that teachers can address dilemmas that are within their locus of control.

To learn more, read:

8 Reasons Teachers Are Burned Out (And 4 Ways to Help) ,  by Judie Haynes

3 Ways to Get From “Burned Out” to “On Fire” ,  by Laura Baecher

9. Mindfulness

PD in this area focuses on social-emotional learning; student, teacher, and staff well-being; and intentionally creating space in the curriculum for learning about ourselves and implementing routines and practices that promote self-awareness and positive ways to collaborate with others.

Social-Emotional Learning in the English Language Classroom: A Free Lesson on Mindfulness ,  by Luis Javier Pentón Herrera and Gilda Martinez-Alba

Mindfulness for ELT Professionals ,  by Trish Reilly

8. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy

PD in this area focuses on identifying our own biases and identities as teachers, and then learning more and celebrating students’ home cultures, languages, and experiences and seeing these as resources upon which to build curriculum and classroom community.

Practical Strategies for Culturally Relevant Lessons for ELs ,  by Chih-Hsin Hsu

Placing Identity at the Epicenter of Socially Just Classrooms ,  by Nancy Kwang Johnson and Nicole Brun-Mercer

5 Activities to Explore Cultural Diversity ,  by Naashia Mohamed

7. Translanguaging

PD in this area focuses on challenging monolingual assumptions (like English-only policies) and strategically and thoughtfully creating classrooms tapping into the research that shows that home languages are a powerful resource for learning content and developing English language skills.

How to Use English Learners’ Primary Language in the Classroom ,  by Valentina Gonzalez

2 Translanguaging Practices for Developing Biliteracy ,  by Sandra Mercuri and Vivian Pratts

PD in this area focuses on curricular, programmatic, and policy decisions that can support English learner students and educators who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, among other sexualities) community, to ensure their voices are heard and to address stereotypes, bias, and microaggressions to make for more inclusive classrooms and workplaces.

LGBTQ+ Identity in the TESOL Classroom ,  by Nicolas Gatz

Queering ESL Teaching: Pedagogical and Materials Creation Issues ,  by Joshua M. Paiz

5. Formative Assessment

PD in this area focuses on how to move away from a testing culture to one in which ongoing, low-stakes assessment informs teachers’ understanding of learners’ progress and the impact of their curriculum in order to make in-the-moment adjustments, with consideration of “ungrading” and other approaches that emphasize self-assessment over testing.

Fun Ways to Assess Speaking ,  by Elif Yasin Holocsi

3 Strategies for Formative Assessment and Feedback ,  by Hetal Ascher

4. Creativity

PD in this area focuses on how to spark creativity in learners by making classroom activities more language-rich through setting up tasks that are high engagement, open ended, novel, and use approaches from theater education and the arts.

Creative ELT Activities for Children and Children-at-Heart ,  by Laura Loder Buechel

Exploring Creativity in TESOL Professional Learning ,  by Laura Baecher

3. Technology for Communication

PD in this area focuses on using the availability and access of online conferencing and collaborative writing tools to connect English learners from different parts of the world.

3 Digital Tools to Increase Speaking Practice ,  by Weina Li Chen

Virtual Exchange: Collaborating to Create ,  by Margita Vojtkulakova

2. ChatGPT/AI

PD in this area focuses on how to understand the ways in which artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT are changing the nature of writing assignments and the assessment of writing in English learning contexts, with an emphasis on capitalizing on and incorporating these tools into teaching and student work rather than resisting them.

4 AI Chrome Plugins to Boost English Language Learning ,  by Brent Warner

ChatGPT in ELT: Writing Affordances and Activities ,  by Allessandra Elisabeth dos Santos, Larisa Olesova, Cristiane Vicentini, and Luciana C. de Oliveira

1. Teaching in the Postpandemic Era

PD in this area focuses on changes in workplace environments, use of curriculum and technology, applicability of previously adapted learning frameworks, and how to reengage both students and teachers in face-to-face instruction as well as continuing to utilize distance learning.

Rethinking Professional Development at Your School Post Pandemic ,  by Gary Johnston

ESL Teaching and Post-Pandemic: What Changed? ,  by Altiné Mni

Questions to Ask Yourself

As you plan your professional development for the upcoming school year, ask yourself these questions:

• Which topics do you want to learn more about?
• Which topic do you believe should be a focus of your institution’s PD agenda?

NOTE: A version of this article first appeared in the  TESOL Blog , 22 December 2022 .

Dr. Laura Baecher  is professor of TESOL at Hunter College, City University of New York. Her research interests and publications relate to teacher education, including educational technology in teacher learning, observation and coaching for English language teaching, and professional development in TESOL. Her recent books are  Using Video to Support Teacher Reflection and Development in ELT  and  Reflecting on Problems of Practice in TESOL . She has served as chair of TESOL International Association’s Teacher Education Interest Section, an English language specialist for the U.S. Department of State, and president of the New York State TESOL affiliate.

This article first appeared in TESOL Connections . Reprinted with permission.

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TESOL Research and Standards

Research Directions and Resources

What are your top research topics, contexts, challenges.

Download the full member survey report representing over 2700 data points from 639 members across the globe. Take a closer look at how we got here with 10 focus groups in 16 countries identifying 4 top directions for research. 

Research Education & Literacy

Here's what TESOLers say:

“We need to promote and value the ‘little r’ research we’re doing all the time—we’re constantly troubleshooting and renovating our practices.” -Shannon Dunn, Saudi Arabia

“The space for research is not obvious in primary and secondary school settings. It needs a support network.” -Nicole Bell, United States

Join the Research Education & Literacy conversation that started 5 December 2023. We look forward to your input.

Example Questions

• Am I already doing research?
• What kinds of research do teachers do in their classrooms?
• What research is already available in my context? On my topic? (see Research Resources below) 
• How can I find publications that include classroom-based research? Here are some tips for getting started .
• How can I disseminate my practitioner research other than in academic journals?

Emerging Educational Technologies

“In school, technology is integrated into methods but not addressed very much in teacher development.” -Judy Wong, United States

"We're doing research on online teaching of English to K-12 kids—some are in rural areas—how effective are those lessons? " -Jane Chien, Taiwan

Join the Emerging Educational Technologies conversation that started 5 December 2023. We look forward to your input.

• What do I need to know about augmented reality and artificial intelligence?
• How can I ethically use these technologies as teaching tools? Is there a “right” way to use technology?
• How can AI tools help with everyday tasks to reduce my workload?
• What are the impacts of classroom technology and remote instruction on student learning?
• How have emerging educational technologies informed (or failed) teachers and classrooms in under-resourced contexts?

Teaching Methods

"Teaching methods depend on the learner, the learner's needs and experiences, and the context for teaching." -Nellie Deutsch, Canada

“We can read about teaching methods but we don’t read research carried out in our EFL context.” -Eliana Berardo, Argentina

Join the Teaching Methods conversation that started 5 December 2023. We look forward to your input.

• If I introduce a new method, does that count as research?
• How can research help me to understand the impact of teaching methods, including technologies?
• How can research help me to adapt teaching methods to my classroom or to teach young learners?
• What do we know about effective uses of translanguaging?
• How can we infuse EAL methods, such as using family languages, into EFL classrooms?
• How do I know whether a particular method is supported by research that is relevant to my teaching context?

Professional Learning

“Unless everyone in the school is included, our aims for diversity, equity, and inclusion will not be achieved.” -Drew Fagan, United States

"Teachers encounter many challenges in under-resourced schools, such as large classes and a lack of materials to teach with, so a research priority is teacher development." - Michel Gougou, Côte d'Ivoire

Join the Professional Learning conversation that started 5 December 2023. We look forward to your input.

• How can we educate new teachers in a way that safeguards their well-being?
• How can we build a professional culture of mentorship that helps people stay in the profession?
• What models for professional development build on teachers’ needs and aims?
• How do regional and local policies affect the consistency and inconsistency of access to professional development?

TESOL’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access includes a commitment to research by, for, and with current and future TESOL professionals and language learners worldwide. Check out the Research Directions 2023-2027 Final Report !  

Do these research directions resonate with you? Share your thoughts, email [email protected]  

The research directions are interrelated and situated -- that is, these directions inform one another, and they are understood differently across regional, historical, and cultural contexts for teaching and learning English. This interrelatedness and situatedness highlight the complexity of TESOL as a field in which inequities and resource gaps persist. We aim to pursue these conversations by encouraging local research while being informative about global trends.

Research Resources

TESOL members have asked about accessing research and research tools. Both can be a challenge without an affiliation with a university library. Here we suggest resources for engaging with (by reading) and engaging in (by implementing or doing) research. Multiple open access avenues are available to get started, whether you are new to research or looking for resources and tools. If you are new to research, we also recommend " Twelve tips for doing teacher research " (Borg, 2017). To delve into the scope of research in TESOL, check out the latest Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English from the NCTE  and the resources library of The International Research Foundation (TIRF) for English Language Education.

Open Access Databases and Plain Language Summaries

Open access databases link to published research, research tools, and plain language research summaries that are publicly available. What are plain language summaries ? These are abstracts of academic articles written in non-technical language. The growing number of journals that publish plain language summaries include Community College Journal of Research and Practice and Language Awareness .

Here are four examples of open access databases :

ERIC indexes education research in journal articles, books, reports, working papers, conference proceedings, and dissertations. The site is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

Iris: A Free Public Research Resource is a database of research tools for languages and language learning . Search by entering any text you wish or use filters to narrow your search. Filters include the type of material (such as assessment, coding, example interview guide, interactive task, role play), the language being used or learned, and participant type, among others. These research tools are used in studies of language development, of how languages are used and learned, and of the effectiveness of teaching interventions and strategies. For instance, entering the search term translanguaging produced five articles. Figure 2 provides an example of the types of materials (i.e., the research tools) available through one research article.

Oasis: Open Access Research Summaries in Language Studies . Oasis is a database of plain language summaries of language research, provided in English. Search by entering any text you wish or by area of research and other options. Although the database is free, Oasis will ask you for a bit of demographic information when you begin. Your downloaded summary will include a four-part breakdown of what the research is about , what the researchers did , what they found , and things to consider . Here is an example . This example includes the DOI location of the article, which will not necessarily be free. Plain language summaries of 240 TESOL Quarterly articles published since 2019 are included in this database. Here is an example . The site is funded by the University of York, U.K.

OpenAIRE Explore . OpenAIRE is a database of open access, published research that also includes options for accessing research data and research software . Because it does not focus on language studies alone, as do Iris and Oasis, using this database takes a bit more work. Selecting filters for publications, articles, within the past five years , and education yielded more than 2,000 open access articles. Other filter options include country and language . This article about remote learning published in English and Portuguese is an example. The site is funded in part by the European Union.

Open Access Publishers and Journals

Taylor & Francis   publish several open access journals in education. Search open access journals with the keyword education on the Taylor & Francis web site.

Sage publishes Sage Open , which includes articles covering topics in education. See the Sage Open October–December 2023 issue for examples.

SpringerNature publishes open access articles. Reading and Writing is an example of a Springer journal that is considered hybrid– that is, some articles are open access articles but not all. See the Reading and Writing December 2023 issue for examples.

Other examples of hybrid publications are Language and Education (Taylor & Francis), which publishes research on theory, practice, curricula, pedagogy and evaluation in primary and second-language education; and System (Science Direct/Elsevier), devoted to educational technology applied to foreign language teaching and learning. Attention is paid to learning and teaching of all languages (e.g., English, Chinese, and Arabic) as second or foreign languages. 

Peer-Reviewed Open-Access Journals

CELT: A Journal of Culture, English Language Teaching, and Literature is published by Soegijapranata Catholic University, Indonesia.

Dialogues: An Interdisciplinary Journal of English Language Teaching and Research is published by North Carolina State University in the U.S.

ELT Echo: The Journal of English Language Teaching in Foreign Language Context publishes a range of conceptual, research, and best practice articles.

International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature (IJALEL) offers readers free access to new research and welcomes theoretical and practical submissions from all over the world. It is published by the Australian International Academic Centre.

International Journal of Multicultural Education (IJME) is a journal for scholars, practitioners, and students of multicultural education. The journal is committed to promoting equity in education.

Research Papers in Language Teaching and Learning (RPLTL) is dedicated to research in TESOL and applied linguistics. It is published in English and Greek by the Hellenic Open University, Greece. 

University of Sydney Journal of TESOL provides an online space for sharing research practice and theory.

Search the global Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) for updates.

Open Access Books and Book Chapters about Research in Language Teaching

Multilingual Matters (Channel View Publications) offers open access titles and book chapters that are downloadable by clicking on a button.

Examples of open access books include:

• A Panorama of Linguistic Landscape Studies (2023)
• Policy and Practice for Multilingual Educational Settings: Comparisons across Contexts (2023)
• Second Language Speech Assessment: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (2016)

Examples of open access book chapters include:

• Language Education in a Changing World (2020), Chapter 1: The Crucial Role of Language in Education
• Language Standardization and Language Variation in Multilingual Contexts (2021), Introduction: Language Standards and Variation in Multilingual Contexts – Asian Perspectives
• Pedagogical Translanguaging (2021), Chapter 8: (Trans)languaging Mathematics in Upper-Secondary School in Sweden

In addition, the FreeBook Series by Routledge and its partners offers the following collections of research:

• Global Research in Teaching and Learning English (2022) is co-published by the International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF) and Routledge and is publicly available as a downloadable PDF file.
• Research Methods is co-published by Guilford Press and Routledge. It covers research in a number of areas including education. You will be asked for demographic information before downloading your book; you can opt out of receiving future communications.

Resources from TESOL International Association

TESOL Journal 

The TESOL Journal is available at no cost to all TESOL International Association members by clicking the member access link on the TESOL website. For non-members, the journal (published by the Wiley Online Library) includes open access articles such as this research brief . Check out the current and past issues for examples of classroom explorations and empirical feature articles. 

TESOL Quarterly Open Access Articles and Research Guidelines

Open Access Articles . TESOL Quarterly features selected open access articles in each issue. In addition, it is very easy to read a plain language summary of each article by clicking on a graphical representation in the table of contents. Here are links to the most recent issues:

• December 2023 Issue (Volume 57, Issue 4)
• Special Issue (Volume 57, Issue 3), “ Teaching English in a time of resurgent nationalism ”

A list of open access special issues includes the 2022 Special Issue (Volume 56, Issue 3), “ Digital literacies in TESOL: Mapping out the terrain .” A list of recent open access articles is on the TESOL Quarterly home page.

Research Guidelines . We recommend this publicly available article (Mahboob et al., 2016) if you’re interested in submitting work to TESOL Quarterly . In addition to learning about the review process, the article outlines types of research that is done in TESOL. You can find a list of articles about doing research in TESOL here . Most are also publicly available, including these:

• “TESOL as a professional community: A half-century of pedagogy, research, and theory ” (Canagarajah, 2016)
• “Some guidelines for conducting quantitative and qualitative research in TESOL ” (Chapelle & Duff, 2012)

TESOL Research Agendas

TESOL’s work on research agendas includes bibliographies, research questions, and approaches to developing research questions.

The  TESOL Research Agenda (2000) includes sample research questions listed by topic and an annotated bibliography.

The  TESOL Research Agenda (2004) speaks to issues such as ethics and the interfaces between research and policy. It includes a list of topics and references for each; and a list of language education journals and their websites.

The  TESOL Research Agenda (2014) includes a discussion of considerations in language teaching research and examples of approaches to research questions that involve three steps: observe, question, and investigate (see tables on pages 9, 11, and 12).

Additional TESOL Resources

TESOL Research Professional Council (RPC) Short Research Communications

• RPC PK-12 Research Network Videos provide examples of teacher research summarized in 10 minutes.
• TESOL RPC Blogs of 500 words are reflective summaries of research and updates on research trends by RPC researcher-practitioners. We invite TESOL members to join us in writing their reflections, questions that arise, and research methods. 
• TESOL RPC Research Stories of 1,000 words focus on sharing the experience of doing research rather than the outcomes.

TESOL Interest Section Webinars

Interest Section Webinars located on TESOL International YouTube also feature short (less than 1 hour) inquiry-focused sessions. Here are three examples:

• MWIS Webinar: Using Neuroscience in Materials Design: Key Factors of Learning offers three ideas from neuroscience that teachers, especially materials writers, should be aware of: how emotion shapes learning, how language is stored, and how the brain predicts rather than processes.
• NNEST-IS Webinar: Identity Exploration in Teacher Inquiry Groups explores how a teacher inquiry group can provide a space for teachers to come together to explore their language teacher identities (LTIs). An LTI-focused inquiry can be a powerful tool for problematizing power dynamics in our classrooms and workplaces and generating local knowledge.
• SLWIS Webinar: Vocabulary, Second Language Writing and the Changing Field of TESOL  shares research about the role of vocabulary in language learning and L2 writing.

Are you new to research?

Check out these tips for getting started  as a writer and reporter of your research. A good way to begin is by writing for TESOL affiliate peer-reviewed publications --there are 20 to choose from--or international journals that welcome classroom-based research.

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