THE ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS IN HANDOUT 3

Activity 1
1) What does research in the psychometric tradition typically investigate?
The research in psychometric tradition typically investigates the quantitative
relationships between various classroom activities or behaviors and language
achievement.
2) What do you think is meant by: (a) context-product studies, (b) presage-product
studies, (c) process-product studies.
a) Context-product studies is the study which investigate the relationships between
context (something which accompanies the process) and product.
b) Presage-product studies is the study which investigates the relationships between
students background or quality and learning outcomes.
c) Process-product studies is the study which investigates the relationships between
process and products.
3) What has research in interaction analysis focused on, and how will the outcome be
useful?
The research of interaction analysis has focused on the observation and analysis of
classroom interaction in terms of social meanings and an inferred classroom climate.
The outcome of interaction analysis will be useful for researchers to adapt such
systems and analytical approach to the L2 classroom. Besides, this tradition which
views interaction as a chain of teacher and students behaviors is also useful to the
development of new tradition i.e. discourse analysis.
4) What is the main feature distinguishing discourse analysis and from interaction
analysis?
The main feature which distinguishes discourse analysis from interaction analysis is
the focus of study. Discourse analysis arose from a linguistic perspective as an attempt
to analyze fully the discourse of classroom interaction in structural-functional
linguistic terms (rather than inferred social meanings). Meanwhile, interaction analysis

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focuses on the observation and analysis of classroom interaction in terms of social

meanings and an inferred classroom climate.
5) Why is the ethnographic tradition said to be strictly qualitative?
Ethnography is a research tradition which attempts to interpret behaviors from the
perspective of the participants different understandings rather than from the
observers or analysts supposedly objective analysis. It is strictly qualitative as it
focuses on the observation of human behaviors and does not occupy the interpretation
of numerical data of research.
Activity 2
1. Why is the distinction between qualitative and quantitative approaches to research
considered to be an oversimplification?
The distinction between qualitative and quantitative approaches to research considered
to be an oversimplification because in analyzing actual research studies the method of
data collection, the type of data yielded and the type of data analysis are often
conducted mixed
2. Mention the two pure paradigms of research and distinguish them in terms of the
methods used, the type of data to be gathered, and the techniques of data analysis to be
adopted!
Differences
Methods used

Exploratory interpretive
Analytical nomological
Non
experimental Experimental or quasi

Type of data to be gathered

Techniques of data analysis

method
Qualitative data
Interpretative analysis

experimental
Quantitative data
Statistical analysis

3. What kind of research is at one end of selectivity continuum, and what type is at the
other?
Research is placed on the selectivity continuum according to the degree to which the
researcher prespecifies the phenomena to be investigated. A formal experiment in
which the researcher prespecifies the variables being focused on, would be placed at
one end of the continuum, while an ethnography portrait of a classroom in action
would occur at the other end of the continuum.
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4. What kind of research is at one end of interventionist continuum, and what type is at
the other?
Research is placed on the interventionist parameter according to the extent to which the
researcher intervenes in the environment. A formal experiment which takes place under
laboratory conditions would be placed at one end of on the interventionist continuum,
while a naturalistic study of a classroom in action would be place at the other end of
the continuum.
5. Explain (with examples) the difference between primary and secondary research!
Primary research is derived from the primary sources of information (e.g., a group of
students who are learning a language).
Secondary research consists of reviewing the literature in a given area, and
synthesizing the research carried out by others (e.g., books about students who are
learning about language)

Asih Nurakhir - Reg. No. 0204511051