REVIEWSTESOL Quarterly welcomes evaluative reviews of publications relevant to TESOLprofessionals.

Edited by MARGARET HAWKINSUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison

Research in Applied Linguistics: Becoming a Discerning Consumer.Fred L. Perry, Jr. Mahwah, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005. Pp. xi–258.

� A decade ago, few volumes (e.g., Hatch & Lazaraton, 1991; Johnson,1992; Nunan, 1992) dealt specifically with how to conduct research inapplied linguistics. Typically, applied linguists turned to the fields ofeducation (e.g., Cohen & Manion, 1994) or social sciences (e.g., Denzin& Lincoln, 2000) for advice. Since then, researchers working in languagecontexts have become better served (e.g., Porte, 2002; Brown & Rodgers2002; Richards, 2003). Perry’s volume is a welcome addition to this bodyof work.

The title reflects Perry’s overall perspective and purpose. He aims toassist “teachers, administrators, students and others working in appliedlinguistics to understand research in the field” (p. xi) because of thedramatic impact of research in recent years. Being able to evaluate re-search, he argues, means that consumers are better equipped to makedecisions about its relevance to their own situations, as well as to under-take research themselves.

The book is organised into two parts. Part 1 covers the fundamen-tals—understanding the nature of research, why it is carried out, and thequestions that drive it (chapter 1); and locating research (chapter 2).Chapter 2 is particularly useful because Perry provides a step-by-stepguide to sources of primary research as well as a walk-through exampleof using an electronic database (ERIC). This hands-on approach, notalways found in such books, is a very helpful device for novice research-ers.

In part 2, Perry breaks down the major research components, treatingthem in six separate chapters and following their typical order in pub-lished articles. In each chapter, criteria for evaluating good research arehighlighted and readers are encouraged to develop skills in applyingthem. Chapter 3 considers the function of the title, abstract, and intro-duction. Chapters 4–6 take aspects of methodology—sampling, researchdesign, and data gathering—and subject them to critical scrutiny.

TESOL QUARTERLY Vol. 42, No. 1, March 2008 157

Chapter 4 deals with data sources and issues that arise in determiningsamples for different kinds of studies. Having introduced key terms suchas cases, participants, objects, and corpora, Perry discusses two major sam-pling paradigms, information-rich and representative, proposing criteria andstrategies to consider in selecting samples appropriate to overall design.He also briefly addresses ethical considerations. Chapter 5 discusses re-search design, the “blueprint” for “constructing the strongest and mostefficient structure to provide the most useful data to answer the researchquestion(s)” (p. 71). Perry notes that selecting appropriate designs canbe challenging and confusing. Thus, his goals are to provide a concep-tual framework to classify types of design, to give detailed descriptions ofhow designs respond to the what and why of research, and to increaseunderstanding of factors contributing to internal validity. Data gatheringis the focus of chapter 6. First, different methods for data collection arepresented, with analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Then thequalities of good data gathering are discussed, with particular emphasison reliability (“the consistency of the data results,” p. 130) and validity(“the ability of an instrument or observational procedure to accuratelycapture data needed to answer a research question,” p. 137). Perry ar-gues that because validity depends heavily on reliability, reliability shouldbe considered first. The various terms used to distinguish concepts ofvalidity (face validity, content validity, etc.) are, he argues, essentially facetsof construct validity and he discusses them in relation to this global title.

Chapter 7 focuses on results, where researchers must be able to showhow findings respond to the research questions. Perry’s goal is for read-ers to evaluate “whether appropriate procedures have been used andcorrect interpretations have been made” (p. 147). He deals with thepresentation and analysis of verbal and, then, numerical data. The finalcomponent, discussion and conclusion, is the focus of chapter 8. Perrycautions against the “lazy” (p. 191) practice of jumping from abstract toconclusion, warning that “the consumer will never be able to evaluatewhether proper conclusions have been made based on solid research,which in turn will lead to faulty applications” (p. 191). To strengthenreaders’ skills in making such judgements, he provides questions to pose(pp. 192–193).

Three useful appendices conclude the book: “Constructing a Litera-ture Review” (pp. 199–206); “Going to the Next Level of Statistics” (pp.207–228); and “Journals Related to Applied Linguistics” (pp. 229–242).

The volume is not without its limitations. Despite references to differ-ent research paradigms, the author shows a perceptible preference forexperimentally oriented research, evidenced in the articles selected fordiscussion and the relative amount of space devoted to types of research.Occasionally, distinctions between qualitative and quantitative ap-proaches could be signalled more obviously for novice researchers. Some

158 TESOL QUARTERLY

statements appear simplistic: “The difference between an interview anda questionnaire . . . is that an interpersonal connection is formed be-tween the interviewer and interviewee” (p. 119). The book also containsinfelicities of expression, for example: “This is a simple procedurewhereby the order of the treatments are varied across participants” (p.104). Although the article component format is a useful structuringdevice to introduce consumers to research, simply presenting it may nothelp TESOL graduate students to write about their research. Doctoralcandidates would certainly need complementary sources of assistance.

Nevertheless, the book has notable strengths. Throughout, Perry usesrecent research articles from accessible, major journals to illuminate thediscussion. This strategy offers excellent, concrete illustrations of whatcould otherwise remain abstract concepts. He stresses that he and hisstudents have road-tested these examples in his courses, thus introducingan appealing, personalised feel into the discussion. He provides down-to-earth asides, nicely aimed at deconstructing the overwhelming feeling,especially for new researchers, that research is all too hard: “I need towarn you that Fig. 1.2 could be misleading if we are not careful” (p. 17);“You might ask ‘What is so important about a sample of participants thatwe have to spend a whole chapter on the topic?’” (p. 55). Interestingexercises are dotted throughout that teachers and students could use ina research course to explore concepts further and apply them to otherrelevant studies. In sum, Perry’s book is an accessible and useful startingpoint for aspiring practitioners who want to be discerning rather thancasual consumers of applied linguistics research.

REFERENCES

Brown, J. D., & Rodgers, T. S. (2002). Doing second language research. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press.

Cohen, L., & Manion, L. (1994). Research methods in education (4th ed.). London:Routledge.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of qualitative research. Thou-sand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Hatch, E., & Lazaraton, A. (1991). The research manual: Design and statistics for appliedlinguistics. Rowley, MA.: Newbury House.

Johnson, D. M. (1992). Approaches to research in second language learning. WhitePlains, NY: Longman.

Nunan, D. (1992). Research methods in language teaching. New York: Cambridge Uni-versity Press.

Porte, G. K. (2002). Appraising research in second language learning. Amsterdam: JohnBenjamins.

Richards, K. (2003). Qualitative inquiry in TESOL. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave.

ANNE BURNSMacquarie UniversitySydney, New South Wales, Australia

REVIEWS 159