This paper examines three research approaches — quantitative, qualitative, and action research — as frameworks for investigating the relationship between intensive vocabulary instruction and reading motivation among English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESOL) students. Each scenario is outlined with a research question, study goals, researcher and participant roles, data types, and collection instruments. The paper recommends the qualitative case study method as most practical for typical ESOL classroom settings, arguing that in-depth interviews with young learners can surface new theoretical insights. A proforma semi-structured interview guide and a supporting literature review of five relevant sources are also provided.
The paper demonstrates comparative methodological analysis — the ability to apply the same research problem across multiple paradigms and then justify a final recommendation. This technique is especially valuable in education research courses, where students must show they understand not just one method but how and why different approaches yield different kinds of evidence.
The paper opens with a brief introduction establishing the ESOL reading problem, then devotes a section each to quantitative, qualitative, and action research scenarios. Each section follows an identical internal structure. A recommendation section synthesizes the comparison and justifies the preferred approach. The paper closes with an annotated literature review of five supporting sources, followed by a full reference list.
For many educators in general, and many English as a second or foreign language (ESOL) educators in particular, it is axiomatic that reading is essential in helping young learners gain improved fluency. It is reasonable to suggest that a lack of motivation to read in another language may be attributable to comprehension problems that result from a lack of intensive vocabulary instruction. Because resources are by definition scarce, it is important to allocate ESOL resources where they will achieve the optimal academic outcomes. Studying this issue from several perspectives — including qualitative, quantitative, and action research — can provide fresh insights and new observations that might otherwise go undetected. These approaches are discussed in turn below.
According to Neuman (2003), quantitative research is simply research involving "information in the form of numbers" (p. 542). A straightforward quantitative approach to investigating the effect of intensive vocabulary instruction on ESOL students' motivation to read age- and fluency-appropriate English-language books is described below.
Quantitative Research Question: How many English-language books do ESOL students read on average during a semester that are not required reading?
Hypothesis: English as a foreign language or second language students who have received intensive vocabulary instruction will read more books than their counterparts who did not.
Research Goal: To identify the extent to which intensive vocabulary instruction contributes to outside reading among ESOL students.
Importance of the Study: Wiley and Hartung-Cole (1999) emphasize that "because language is central to all learning, policies and expectations regarding how to use it appropriately are operative across the curriculum, even in schools that are relatively linguistically homogenous" (p. 205). For ESOL educators, these are especially important issues that require the use of evidence-based practices to promote reading motivation (Wiley & Hartung-Cole, 1999).
Role of the Researcher: In the quantitative scenario, the researcher will survey ESOL students at the beginning of the semester to determine how many have already received intensive vocabulary instruction (Group A) and how many have not (Group B). Near the end of the semester, the researcher will survey the students again to determine how many English-language books they read during the semester that were not required reading. The researcher will then tabulate the results and present and interpret the study findings.
Role of the Participants: The role of the participants in the quantitative scenario will be to complete their required academic coursework.
Data collection will focus on two variables: (a) the number of ESOL students who received prior intensive vocabulary instruction, and (b) the number of English-language books read during the semester that were not required reading.
An Excel spreadsheet will be used to aggregate the survey data and calculate relevant percentages. The results of the quantitative analysis will be presented in both tabular and graphic formats, with the findings interpreted in a narrative fashion.
In order to evaluate the effect of intensive vocabulary instruction on ESOL student motivation in a qualitative research scenario, researchers must rely on measures that are not necessarily quantifiable but which can be interpreted using qualitative methods (Neuman, 2003). According to Neuman (2003), qualitative research involves "information in the form of words, pictures, sounds, visual images, or objects" (p. 542).
Qualitative Research Question: Are ESOL students' reading habits influenced by their knowledge of English vocabulary or by their desire to achieve academically?
Problem Statement: Many ESOL students are not motivated to read in the English language because they lack the vocabulary needed to understand what they read, thereby diminishing the pleasure of reading as well as the academic benefit of their efforts.
Research Goal: To evaluate the extent to which intensive vocabulary instruction affects reading for enjoyment among ESOL students.
Importance of the Study: Many ESOL students are not motivated to read English-language content for enjoyment because they lack the vocabulary needed to fully comprehend what they are reading.
Role of the Researcher: The qualitative researcher can use a number of approaches, including historical methodology, ethnography, phenomenology, hermeneutics, case study, grounded theory, and action research (Burton & Steane, 2004). According to Zikmund (2000), the case study methodology is "an exploratory research technique that intensively investigates one or a few situations similar to the researcher's problem situation" (p. 722). One of the primary advantages of the case study approach is that a topic of interest can be investigated in depth and with great attention to detail (Leedy, 1997). Based on these attributes, the qualitative case study was deemed most appropriate for the purposes of this scenario.
Role of the Participants: In this field-based case study, ESOL students participate in semi-structured interviews designed to identify their primary motivation for outside English reading.
The semi-structured interviews will ask ESOL students questions designed to elicit their motivations for reading for pleasure as well as for academic achievement, following the guidance provided by Neuman (2003). According to Neuman (2003), there are several advantages to using face-to-face interviews for case studies, including the researcher's ability to employ nonverbal and visual aids when communicating with interviewees and the opportunity to observe the surroundings in which respondents answer. Neuman notes that "interviewers can ask all types of questions, can ask complex questions, and can use extensive probes" (p. 290).
Based on the findings of a thorough literature review, a questionnaire would be developed to guide the semi-structured interview process. Following completion of the interviews, the researcher would evaluate interview summaries to identify key themes, recurring metaphors, and other relevant issues that might otherwise go undiscerned (Noblit & Hare, 1988).
Neuman (2003) reports that action research is "a type of applied research in which the purpose is to facilitate social change or a political-social goal" (p. 529). Action research can adopt both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In this case, a qualitative action research paradigm will be used, guided by the research question and hypothesis described below.
How can ESOL teachers motivate young learners to read English for pleasure by changing curricular offerings to include more intensive vocabulary instruction in the early stages?
Many ESOL students lack the motivation to read for pleasure because of a lack of prior intensive vocabulary instruction (Wiley & Hartung-Cole, 1999; Szecsi & Giambo, 2004).
You’re 53% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 3 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.