Pardon the language… but it’s an interesting one. Isn’t it part of the problem? That as teachers we want concrete answers, but researchers can’t give us them? I notice that the ELT Journal debate at the IATEFL conference this year is “Research in ELT is too often not done for the benefit of teachers or learners - it is for the resaerchers”.
I suspect that they will decide research is wonderful and necessary, but resaerchers just need to get their messages across better and practitioners need to get more involved. All that is lovely and true….. but sometimes *whisper it* I do wonder if there isn’t a little be too much out there that serves the researcher’s budgets, reputation and cv rather than the greater good….
Devil’s advocate, of course ; D
