Seminar | Quasi-experimental research and individual differences: Overview of key issues
Seminars / Lectures / Workshops
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Date
07 Jul 2026
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Organiser
Department of English and Communication
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Time
16:00 - 17:00
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Venue
HHB105, 1/F, PolyU Hung Hom Bay Campus / Online via Zoom
Speaker
Prof. Mirosław Pawlak
Summary
The talk will focus on the ways in which individual difference (ID) factors can be incorporated into quasi-experimental research and the methodological challenges involved in planning and implementing such studies. First, some background information on research into IDs in SLA will be provided and the limitations of such research will be highlighted. Second, two types of relevant studies will be discussed: (1) studies that examine the mediating effects of an ID factor (e.g., working memory) on the effectiveness of instructional options (Type 1), and (2) studies in which the experimental treatment is delivered to bring about changes in a specific ID factor (e.g., motivation) and, in some cases, the effect of these changes on L2 attainment is also explored (Type 2). Emphasis will be placed on the conceptualization and measurement of ID factors, the design of such intervention-based studies, as well as issues related to teacher training, monitoring, administrative requirements and ethics. Examples of specific empirical investigations will be provided and guidelines for including ID factors in quasi-experimental studies will be offered. Finally, the need for more quasi-experimental research targeting IDs, particularly those that are relevant to everyday instructional practices, will be emphasized.
Keynote Speaker
Prof. Mirosław Pawlak
Professor, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
Mirosław Pawlak is Professor of English at Department of English Studies, Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland, and Department of Language and Communication, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, Konin, Poland. His main areas of interest are form-focused instruction, corrective feedback, pronunciation teaching, learning strategies, motivation, willingness to communicate, grit, emotions and study abroad. His most recent publications include Boredom in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Micro-Perspective (with Joanna Zawodniak and Mariusz Kruk, 2020, Springer), Exploring the Interface Between Individual Difference Variables and the Knowledge of Second Language Grammar (2021, Springer Nature), Understanding Emotions in English Language Learning in Virtual Worlds (with Mariusz Kruk, 2022, Routledge), Individual Differences in Computer Assisted Language Learning Research (with Mariusz Kruk, 2022, Routledge), Teachers Reflecting on Boredom in the Language Classroom (with Mariusz Kruk and Joanna Zawodniak, 2024, Equinox), and Investigating the Effects of Grammar Learning Strategies Instruction in CALL with Mirosław Pawlak (with Mariusz Kruk, 2025, Routledge). He is Editor of the journal Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching and the book series Second Language Learning and Teaching, published by Springer.
