Concretizing Applied SLA: Design-based research as a methodological starting point

Abstract

Almost a decade after Han’s (2016) proposal to delineate Applied Second Language Acquisition (ASLA) as a subfield distinct from Fundamental (FSLA) and Instructed SLA (ISLA), it appears that little research has yet claimed to be ASLA. This raises the questions of whether the boundaries between the sub-fields are too blurred and whether research is ready to embrace the ecological commitments that ASLA entails. 
In this presentation, we argue that Design-Based Research (DBR) (The DBR Collective, 2003) offers an interesting example of methodological response to Han’s call. Its cycles of design, implementation, and refinement allow researchers to remain grounded in local classroom realities while also tracing broader individual, structural and ideological forces at play. As such, DBR concretizes Han’s agenda for ASLA by supporting research that not only addresses real classroom needs but also contributes to inform theory. This is especially relevant at a time when education is increasingly taking the AI turn, a shift that invites a broader research agenda rooted in ASLA: context-aware, critically engaged, and responsive to the evolving needs of learners, teachers, and institutions. Put differently, rather than examining innovations in isolation or through narrowly defined metrics in lab-like settings, DBR could allow researchers to examine the integration of AI in complex environments.