Submitted to Submitted by:Anamika B. S LUBAINA M Lecturer ENGLISH OPTIONALEnglish Optional F. M. T. College, Mylapur

INTRODUCTION

Language education is the teaching and learning of a foreign or second language. It is a branch of applied linguistics. It may take place as a general school subject or in a specialized language school. However it may take place, it is necessary that apt and efficient methods are employed by the instructor keeping in mind the standard and requirement of the students. An educator may make use of existing methods of conventional teaching or devise new ones as per the need of the time. It includes critical reading, inquiry, thought, and debate. Through conferences, working groups, seminars, speaker series, literary readings and other modes, students are challenged to study and learn, to extend the boundaries of our knowledge, to hone our comprehension and expressive skills, and to strengthen our imaginations.

Language education and second language pedagogy

Need for language education

Increasing globalization has created a large need for people in the workforce who can communicate in multiple languages. The uses of common languages are in areas such as trade, tourism, international relations, technology, media, and science. Many countries such as Korea (Kim Yeong-seo, 2009), Japan (Kubota, 1998) and China (Kirkpatrick & Zhichang, 2002) frame education policies to teach at least one foreign language at the primary and secondary school levels. However, some countries such as India, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Philippines use a second official language in their governments. According to GAO (2010), China has recently been putting enormous importance on foreign language learning, especially the English Language.

Teaching foreign language in classrooms

Language education may take place as a general school subject or in a specialized language school. There are many methods of teaching languages. Some have fallen into relative obscurity and others are widely used; still others have a small following, but offer useful insights. While sometimes confused, the terms "approach", "method" and "technique" are hierarchical concepts.

Different ways:

Online and self-study coursesHundreds of languages are available for self-study from scores of publishers for a range of costs, using a variety of methods.

Audio recordings and books

Audio recordings use native speakers, thus helping learners improve their accent.

Internet and softwareAn interaction with learners in ways that book and audio cannot.

WebsiteIt provides various services geared toward language education. Some sites are designed specifically for learning languages.

Research in EnglishIntroduction:Research is the process of solving problems and finding facts in an organized way. Research is done by using what is known (if anything), and building on it. Additional knowledge can be got by proving (or falsifying) existing theories, and by trying to better explain observations. Research should be systematic, organized and objective.

Research in the English Department involves the study of literary subjects, of

language and the various expressions of a culture.   Our methodology includes

critical reading, inquiry, thought, and debate. Through conferences, working

groups, seminars, speaker series, literary readings and other modes, we challenge

ourselves to study and learn, to extend the boundaries of our knowledge, to hone

our comprehension and expressive skills, and to strengthen our imaginations.  The

results of our research are books, journals, films, essays, poems, stories, and

lectures. 

It is relatively a new dimension in the field of research. Traditionally, it was believed that educational research is the province of the well trained research

experts only. But now the approach of action research emphasizes encouragement to the practitioner, school teachers, administrators and others to do research in order to improve their own work and functioning of schools. Various thinkers have tried to define the term action research.According to Good, "Action research is research used by teachers, supervisors and administrators to improve the quality of their decision and actions."

APPLIED RESEARCHApplied research refers to scientific study and research that seeks to solve practical problems. Applied research is used to find solutions to everyday problems, cure illness, and develop innovative technologies. Psychologists working in human factors or industrial fields often do this type of research. Applied Research, a form of systematic inquiry involving practical application of science; accesses and uses some part of research communities' accumulated theories, knowledge, methods, techniques, for a specific purpose; deals with solving practical problems and generally employs empirical methodologies; focused on a particular problem or application; targeted research that applies results to a specific problem; data used in real world and often asks questions raised by policy makers.Applied research deals with solving practical problems [2] and generally employs empirical methodologies. Because applied research resides in the messy real world, strict research protocols may need to be relaxed. For example, it may be impossible to use a random sample. Thus, transparency in the methodology is crucial. Implications for interpretation of results brought about by relaxing an otherwise strict canon of methodology should also be considered. Since Applied Research has a provisional close to the problem and close to the data orientation it may also use a more provisional conceptual framework such as working hypothesis or pillar questions.Due to its practical focus, applied research information will be found in the literature associated with individual disciplines. The military is an organization that performs a lot of applied research. For example, they may want to know about the efficacy of soldier training, how well recruitment practices work, how best to deal with host nationals in times of war, how to use the internet to reduce home grown terrorists, and the effectiveness of operational styles. 

FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH"Fundamental research means experimental or theoretical work under taken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any direct practical application or use in view."

Reference:Swain, M& Johnson, R.K (1997). Immersion education: A category within bilingual education.

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