Research Methods and Tools for Applied Linguistics

Description

Synopsis: Discover the Tools Behind Linguistic Research! Curious about how linguists turn everyday language into powerful insights? This module gives you hands-on experience with the tools and techniques used in real-world linguistic research. You’ll explore how to collect and analyze language data using cutting-edge methods like: • Basic statistics – learn how numbers can reveal linguistic trends • Corpus analysis – uncover patterns in large collections of texts • Transcription and annotation – make sense of audio and video data Whether you're interested in how people speak, write, or interact, this module sets you up to confidently design and carry out your own research projects. It’s the perfect foundation for your final-year independent work—and a great way to see linguistics in action. Notes: Available to visiting and exchange students Taught in English (no Welsh equivalent) Syllabus: The syllabus typically includes - good research questions and how to collect data to address them - concepts and tools for researching language - language corpora and how to use them - statistics: concepts, software, and reporting results Delivery: Primarily on Campus Contact Hours: 22 hours of lectures 11 hours of practical stats classes Learning Outcomes: By the end of this module the student should be able to: 1. employ a range of applied linguistics research tools 2. select appropriate tools for specific fields of enquiry 3. create a language corpus and compute corpus queries 4. prepare language data for analysis and run simple statistics tests 5. apply appropriate research tools to an applied linguistics research question Transferable Skills: Graduate Attribute 1) Professional/Disciplinary Competent: Apply systematic analytical and research skills to examine language data, deciding on appropriate methodologies to collect data, ask suitable research questions and plan and execute a research project. Graduate Attribute 3) Effective Communicators: Communicate complex linguistic concepts and research questions clearly in an academic contexts, and present linguistic data professionally in words and tables or figures. Graduate Attribute 4) Innovative Thinkers: Apply evidence-based understanding and problem-solving to language learning, teaching, and other contexts, demonstrating intellectual curiosity, resilience, and entrepreneurial thinking in developing solutions for diverse educational and professional contexts. Assessment Method: Coursework 1, Coursework 2, Online Class Test