Synthesizing Research on Language Learning and Teaching

This volume presents the first collection of work on research synthesis in applied linguistics. It introduces readers­ ­to a cutting-edge approach for reviewing and summarizing exactly what accumulated research has to say about theoretical and practical subjects. John Norris and Lourdes Ortega first elucidate the value and practice of synthesis, and they challenge all members of the research community to adopt a “synthetic ethic”. The book then features seven empirical syntheses, each modeling rigorous synthetic practice in definitively reviewing the state of knowledge and research quality in important domains. Included are five meta-analyses on: Universal Grammar; Task-Based Interaction; Corrective Feedback; Instructed Pragmatics Development; and Reading Strategy Training. Also included are a qualitative meta-synthesis on Effective Teaching for English Language Learners, and a historiographical synthesis of Proficiency Assessment practices. Rounding out the collection are commentaries by two renowned experts in language learning and teaching research: Nick Ellis and Craig Chaudron.

Shawn Loewen, Michigan State University, in Studies in Second Language Acquisition 30(3): 393-394:
The strengths of this volume are two-fold: First, it is clear from many of the chapters that a well-written meta-analysis can provide a state-of-the-art picture of a given area of research.[...] The second, and perhaps most important, strength of this volume is a methodological guide for conducting research syntheses and meta-analyses. The volume begins with a detailed discussion of the reasons and methods for doing such research, and throughout the chapters, there is considerable additional information. In fact, the empirical studies go to great lengths to document the procedures used in their analyses, and, indeed, such methodological transparency is an important component of synthetic research. Thus, anyone who is interested in conducting a meta-analysis will find this an invaluable volume, both as an instruction manual and as an example of the final product. In the first chapter, Norris and Ortega state that "this first generation of syntheses should probably set more modest goals of staking out the territory and raising awareness" (p.45). This volume clearly attains these goals and provides a firm foundation for future generations of synthetic research in our field.