Abstract

Online (i.e., web-based) experiments have become increasingly common across the psychological sciences, including in second language (L2) research. This trend will continue as technology advances and as more researchers become familiar with online platforms and the relative advantages they offer, such as convenience, increased diversity of research participants, and the potential to improve quantitative research practices (e.g., obtaining sufficient statistical power). However, it is only recently that L2 researchers have begun to examine the validity and potential of online experiments for L2 research.

In this talk, I will provide a (brief) overview of the research, including my own, that has aimed to validate the use of online experimentation in L2 research. This work has included close replications of in-person studies in online contexts, as well as direct comparisons between in-person and online experiments, among other methods. I will discuss key takeaways from this growing body of research, along with practical suggestions to help safeguard data quality when conducting experiments online.

Bio

John Rogers is an associate professor in the Department of English and Communication at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His main research interests include the role and distribution of practice in second language acquisition, as well as research methodology. Relevant to the current talk, he has co-edited (with Bronson Hui) a special issue of Research Methods in Applied Linguistics on Online Experimentation in Second Language Research.