Developing intentionality and researching multilingually: An ecological and methodological perspective

Abstract

This paper uses an ecological perspective to understand a researcher's developing intentionality vis‐à‐vis her multilingual engagement with research processes, namely, ‘researching multilingually’. The paper discusses ecological thinking in Applied Linguistics, ecological themes present in the literature addressing aspects of researching multilingually, and the particular understanding of intentionality we have employed. The potential of intentionality as an heuristic for understanding researching multilingually is explored with reference to a recent research experience of one of the authors – Xiaowei Zhou. This includes analyses of Xiaowei's developing awareness of linguistic possibilities, associated research‐relevant affordances, and her articulation of the intentionality of researching multilingually. We suggest that the combination of an ecological perspective and a focus on intentionality provides a unique methodological understanding of researching multilingually.

The impostor syndrome: language barriers in organizational ethnography

“…Incorporating language in their diversity agendas may favour the adoption of initiatives that are more inclusive of foreign students and faculty members providing equal opportunities to everyone. Further, this could also encourage the recognition of the possibilities afforded by multilingual research (Stelma et al, 2013).…”

Researching multilingually in applied linguistics

“…A selection of the issues arising from those conversations follows. Stelma, Fay and Zhou (2013) drew on ecological theory and the concept of intentionality to reflect on the influences on researchers' choices as being disciplinary fashions or conventions which lead to researchers' own considered action in engaging in researching multilingually. The authors conclude that further thinking on how researchers reach decisions on linguistic choices available to them in their research would be valuable.…”

An Ecological Perspective for Critical Action in Applied Linguistics

“…Our ecological perspective on critical action has developed from a number of recent contributions, by the authors and colleagues, working to understand the intentional ecology of both language education and related AL situations. This includes understanding the development of shared intentionality in language classroom interaction (Kostoulas & Stelma, 2016;Stelma, 2014), how socio-professional intentionalities shape L2 curricular innovation (Kostoulas, 2018;Kostoulas & Stelma, 2017), the impact of socio-political intentionalities on primary English language education (Stelma, Onat-Stelma, Lee, & Kostoulas, 2015), the development of researcher intentional action (Stelma, 2011;Stelma & Fay, 2014), and understanding the intentional dynamics of researching multilingually (Stelma, Fay, & Zhou, 2013). Recently, we extended our ecological thinking to critical action (Fay & Stelma, 2016), suggesting that becoming more intentional was central to critical action.…”