2002 research task force update

prepared by Richard Donato

Accomplishments

NVIA National Survey. The Research task force has engaged in several professional activities over the past year. Research task force members played a central role in advising on the creation of the New Visions in Action (NVIA) national survey that was made available electronically in the fall of 2002. Several task force members met personally with Julio Rodriguez, NVIA staff, to discuss important considerations in survey research, such as item construction, response types, online graphic interface, and data analysis.

Action Research Institute. From June 27 to July 3, 2002, an Action Research Institute was held at the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center at Iowa State University. This institute was co-directed by Dr. Richard Donato, chair of the Research task force, and Dr. Douglas Hartman, Research task force member. During the institute, ten participants representing various aspects of the foreign language profession (e.g., classroom teaching, supervision, administration, and teacher preparation) discussed action research and developed individual action research plans for the coming academic year. For a description of the Action Research Institute, photographs from the institute, and video clips introducing each of the research projects, visit: http://www.educ.iastate.edu/nflrc/inst.htm#2002.

Future Plans
NVIA Survey Results. The Research task force will work closely with NVIA staff to analyze the results of the national survey and report those results to the NVIA steering committee and task force chairs and to the profession.

Action Research Institute Cohort. During the course of the 2002-2003 academic year, the action research cohort will remain in contact with Research task force members as they carry out their projects. Plans for next summer include reconvening this cohort of action researchers to provide final reports on projects and plan an electronic publication for dissemination of action research project findings.

Publication Proposal. During the fall 2002 and spring 2003, the Research task force will develop a proposal to a professional journal for a special edition devoted to current research findings on topics of interest to language teachers. The special issue will include several succinct “state-of-the art” commentaries on a variety of topics written by task force members with expertise in these areas. Each section will conclude with suggestions from the authors on research questions that remain unanswered. It is hoped that a special issue will inform the profession of what research can tell us about classroom-based language learning, what issues still require research attention, and how research can be used in reasonable ways to assist instructional, program, and policy decision-making.

If you are interested in collaborating with the Research Task Force, please contact:

Richard Donato
University of Pittsburgh
D ept of Instruction and Learning
4A18 Posvar Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
TEL: 412-624-7248
donato+@pitt.edu