Research Methods in Language Policy and Planning: A Practical Guide

Language policy and planning (LPP) is one of the fastest growing sub–disciplines of applied linguistics. This book is the first volume that is exclusively devoted to research methods in language policy and planning. As in other areas of applied linguistics, LPP scholars have drawn upon an array of research methods from a range of disciplines. This book is designed as a practical roadmap for those methods. Each chapter is written by a leading language policy expert and provides a how–to guide to planning studies, gathering data, and engaging with data analysis. In addition to this accessible structure, the book includes a series of guidelines for public engagement to help researchers as they endeavor to incorporate their work into public policy. Research Methods in Language Policy and Planning: A Practical Guide will serve as both a foundational methods text for graduate students and novice researchers and a useful methodological reference that experienced LPP researchers will find themselves returning to time and again.

Francis M. Hult is Associate Professor at the Lund University Centre for Languages and Literature. He is the co–editor (with Kendall A. King) of Educational Linguistics in Practice (2011), editor of Directions and Prospects for Educational Linguistics (2010), and co–editor (with Bernard Spolsky) of The Handbook of Educational Linguistics (Wiley, 2008). David Cassels Johnson is Assistant Professor of Language Education at the University of Iowa. He is the author of Language Policy (2013).