Evolving the TESOL Teaching–Research Nexus

Mckinley, Jim

doi:10.1002/tesq.509

Cited by 164EFL/ESL Teaching and LearningSecond Language Learning and TeachingEducational Research and Methods

Evolving the TESOL Teaching–Research Nexus

Mckinley, Jim·2019·TESOL Quarterly

DOI 10.1002/tesq.509

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Abstract

TESOL research was traditionally led by researcher‐practitioners, who acknowledged real‐world English language teaching problems (in alignment with developments in establishing applied linguistics as a field of study) as the basis for research enquiries. Take, for instance, TESOL Quarterly's first two issues. Published in 1967, articles offer descriptions of and suggestions for actual classroom practices. Some include sample exercises, based on either the author's own practices (see, e.g., Arapoff, 1967) or on a combination of literature and personal experience (see, e.g., Ross, 1967). Over time, however, the focus moved away from anecdotes for teaching English towards empirical TESOL research, grounded in educational, linguistic, or psychological principles. This movement was part of a larger trend in educational research and has led to continued calls from some higher education scholars to refocus on the teaching–research nexus (see, e.g., Neumann, 1992). These changes have contributed to a teaching and research bifurcation, where studies conducted by researchers who are removed from teaching tend to be more highly valued by the TESOL research community than many of the practical classroom‐based, teaching‐led work done by researcher‐practitioners.

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The volume of published qualitative studies in language education has notably increased in the 25 years since Edge and Richards' (1998) landmark discussion.
“In the 25 years since the publishing of Edge and Richards ' (1998) landmark discussion of epistemological claims in qualitative applied linguistics research, the volume of published qualitative studies in language education has notably increased (Benson et al., 2009; Lazaraton, 2000; McKinley, 2019; Richards, 2006, 2009; Zhang, 2019).”
From How do language education researchers attend to quality in qualitative studies? (2025) · cites this paper as McKinley, 2019

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Background

Authors: Mckinley, J.
Affiliations: University College London (GB)
Corresponding author: Mckinley, Jim
ORCID: Mckinley, Jim
Venue: TESOL Quarterly
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2019-04-21
Volume: 53
Issue: 3
Pages: 875-884
ISSN: 0039-8322 (ISSN-L)
1545-7249
DOI: 10.1002/tesq.509
OpenAlex: W2938413357
Cited by: 164
References: 32
Citations by year: 2026: 16 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 4
FWCI: 55.52
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: TESOL Quarterly (publishedVersion)
UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Second Language Learning and Teaching
Social Sciences › Education › Educational Research and Methods
Keywords: integration of teaching and research, practitioner-researchers, empirical research, applied linguistics, English language teaching

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Evolving the TESOL Teaching–Research Nexus

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