We are delighted to begin our term as editors with a stimulating special-feature article by Anne Burns on action research. While the term ‘action research’ is not new in the wider field of research methodology, it remains a relatively recent phenomenon in the field of language teaching, but one which is increasingly the subject of much debate. Anne Burns takes a critical look at the origins, purpose, scope and impact of action research in the area of English language teaching, and describes both the challenges to its status as a research methodology and the issues which need to be addressed by language teachers if it is to remain a sustainable methodology. In addition to being an authoritative overview of the paradigm, the article provides excellent background for a state-of-the-art article on the development of the language teacher written by Steve Mann, which will appear in the next issue of this journal.

Action research is a relatively recent phenomenon in the field of English language teaching, having emerged in the literature predominantly since the late 1980s. In this article, I discuss the antecedents, definitions, processes, and purposes of action research in the field of English language teaching. Action research is also considered in relation to more established notions of basic and applied research. The current scope and nature of action research studies found in the literature are then analysed. The article concludes with a consideration of some of the challenges to the status of action research as a research methodology and the issues that will need to be addressed if action research by language teachers is to be sustainable.

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05–132Wilberschied, Lee (Cleveland State U, USA) & Berman, Peiyan M., Effect of using photos from authentic video as advance organisers on listening comprehension in an FLES Chinese class. Foreign Language Annals (Alexandria, VA, USA) 37.4 (2004), 534–540.

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05–135Armstrong, Kevin (Leicester U, UK; [email protected]), Sexing up the dossier: a semantic analysis of phrasal verbs for language teachers. Language Awareness (Clevedon, UK) 13.4 (2004), 213–224.

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05–146Fernández Toledo, Piedad (Murcia U, Spain; [email protected]), Genre analysis and reading of English as a foreign language: genre schemata beyond text typologies. Journal of Pragmatics (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 37.7 (2005), 1059–1079.

05–147Fisher, Linda, Evans, Michael & Esch, Edith (U of Cambridge, UK; [email protected]), Computer-mediated communication: promoting learner autonomy and intercultural understanding at secondary level. Language Learning Journal (Rugby, UK) 30 (2004), 50–58.

05–148Gass, Susan & Alvarez Torres, Maria José (Michigan State U, USA; [email protected]), Attention when? An investigation of the ordering effect of input and interaction. Studies in Second Language Acquisition (Cambridge, UK) 27.1 (2005), 1–31.

05–149Hawkins, M. (U of Wisconsin, USA), Becoming a student: identity work and academic literacies in early schooling. TESOL Quarterly (Alexandria, VA, USA) 39.1 (2005), 159–182.

05–150Hosali, Priya (CIEFL, Hyderabad, India), Butler English. English Today (Cambridge, UK) 21.1 (2005), 34–39.

05–151Jackson, Jane (Chinese U of Hong Kong, China; [email protected]), Language and cultural immersion: an ethnographic case study. RELC Journal (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) 35.3 (2004), 261–279.

05–152Kintsch, W. (Colorado U, USA), An overview of top-down and bottom-up effects in comprehension: the CI perspective. Discourse Processes (Mahwah, NJ, USA) 39.2/3 (2005), 125–128.

05–153Koyama, Jill P. (Columbia U, USA), Appropriating policy: constructing positions for English language learners. Bilingual Research Journal (Tempe, AZ, USA) 28. 3 (2004), 401–423.

05–154Lambacher, Stephen G. (Aizu U, Japan; [email protected]), Martens, William, L., Kakehi, Kazukiko, Marasinghe, Chandrajith, A. & Molholt, Garry, The effects of identification training on the identification and production of American English vowels by native speakers of Japanese. Applied Psycholinguistics (Cambridge, UK), 26.2 (2005), 227–247.

05–155McDonough, Kim (U of Illinois, USA; [email protected]), Identifying the impact of negative feedback and learners' responses on ESL question development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition (Cambridge, UK) 27.1 (2005), 79–103.

05–156Meara, Paul (U of Wales Swansea, UK; [email protected]), Lexical frequency profiles: a Monte Carlo analysis. Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK) 26.1 (2005), 32–47.

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05–158Richardson, John T. (Open U, UK; [email protected]), Instruments for obtaining student feedback: a review of the literature. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education (Abingdon, UK) 30.4 (2005), 387–415.

05–159Savage, Robert (Institute of Education, London U, UK) & Carless, Sue, Learning support assistants can deliver effective reading interventions for ‘at-risk’ children. Educational Research (Abingdon, UK) 47.1 (2005), 45–61.

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05–161Sheard, Susan & Markham, Selby (Monash U, Australia), Web based learning environments: developing a framework for evaluation. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education (Abingdon, UK) 30.4 (2005), 353–368.

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05–164Timmis, I. (Leeds Metropolitan U, UK), Towards a framework for teaching spoken grammar. ELT Journal (Oxford, UK) 59.2 (2005), 117–125.

05–165Torres, Germán (Georgia State U, USA), Practical ways to integrate literature into Spanish for international business courses. Foreign Language Annals (Alexandria, VA, USA) 37.4 (2004), 584–591.

05–166Vandergrift, Larry (Ottawa U, Canada; [email protected]), Listening to learn or learning to listen?Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK) 24 (2004), 3–25.

05–167Vandergrift, Larry (Ottawa U, Canada; [email protected]), Relationships among motivation orientations, metacognitive awareness and proficiency in L2 listening. Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK) 26.1 (2005), 70–89.

05–168Webb, Stuart (Koran Women's Junior College, Japan; [email protected]), Receptive and productive vocabulary learning: the effects of reading and writing on word knowledge. Studies in Second Language Acquisition (Cambridge, UK) 27.1 (2005), 33–52.

05–169Wee, Lee (Singapore National U, Singapore; [email protected]), Intra-language discrimination and linguistic human rights: the case of singlish. Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK) 26.1 (2005), 48–69.

05–170Williams, Marion, Burden, Robert, Poulet, Gérard & Maun, Ian (U of Exeter, UK; [email protected]), Learners' perceptions of their successes and failures in foreign language learning. Language Learning Journal (Rugby, UK) 30 (2004), 19–29.

05–171Cumming, Alister (Toronto U, Canada; [email protected]), Kantor, R., Baba, Kyoko, Erdosy, Usman, Eouanzoui, Keanre & James, Mark, Differences in written discourse in independent and integrated prototype tasks for next generation TOEFL. Assessing Writing (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 10.1 (2005), 5–43.

05–172Green, Anthony (Cambridge ESOL Examinations, Cambridge, UK; [email protected]), EAP study recommendations and score gains on the IELTS Academic Writing test. Assessing Writing (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 10.1 (2005), 44–60.

05–173Harwood, Nigel (U of Essex, UK; [email protected]), ‘I hoped to counteract the memory problem, but I made no impact whatsoever’: discussing methods in computing science usingI. English for Specific Purposes (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 24.3 (2005), 243–267.

05–174Kanoksilapatham, Budsaba (Silpakorn U, Thailand; [email protected]), Rhetorical structure of biochemistry research articles. English for Specific Purposes (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 24.3 (2005), 269–292.

05–175Sharp, Alastair (Lingnan U, Hong Kong, China; [email protected]), Strategies and predilections in reading expository text: the importance of text patterns. RELC Journal (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) 35.3 (2004), 329–349.

05–176Stapleton, P. (Hokkaido U, Japan), Evaluating web-sources: Internet literacy and L2 academic writing. ELT Journal (Oxford, UK) 59.2 (2005), 135–143.

05–177Waring, H. (Teachers College, Columbia U, USA), Peer tutoring in a graduate writing centre: identity, expertise, and advice resisting. Applied Linguistics (Oxford, UK) 26.2 (2005), 141–168.

05–178Carrel, Patricia L. (Southern Illinois U, USA; [email protected]), Dunkel, Patricia A. (Georgia State U, USA; [email protected]) & Mollaun, Pamela (Educational Testing Service, USA; [email protected]), The effects of notetaking, lecture length and topic on a computer-based test of ESL listening comprehension. Applied Language Learning (Monterey, CA, USA) 14.1 (2004), 83–105.

05–179Cheng, Hsiao-fang (National United U, Taiwan, China), A comparison of multiple-choice and open-ended response formats for the assessment of listening proficiency in English. Foreign Language Annals (Alexandria, VA, USA) 37.4 (2004), 544–555.

05–180Grindsted, Annette (U of Southern Denmark, Denmark; [email protected]), Interactive resources used in semi-structured research interviewing. Journal of Pragmatics (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 37.7 (2005), 1015–1035.

05–181Huempfner, Lisa (Illinois State U, USA), Can one size fit all? The imperfect assumptions of parallel achievement tests for bilingual students. Bilingual Research Journal (Tempe, AZ, USA) 28.3), 379–399.

05–182Kondo-Brown, Kimi (U of Hawaii at Manoa, USA), Investigating interviewer–candidate interactions during oral interviews for child L2 learners. Foreign Language Annals (Alexandria, VA, USA) 37.4 (2004), 602–615.

05–183Lokai Bischof, Deborah (Educational Testing Service, USA), Baum, David I., Casabianca, Jodi, M., Morgan, Rick, Rabiteau, Kathleen A. & Tateneni, Krishna, Validating AP modern foreign language examinations through college comparability studies. Foreign Language Annals (Alexandria, VA, USA) 37.4 (2004), 616–622.

05–184Mathews, Thomas J. & Hansen, Cheryl M. (Weber State U, USA), Ongoing assessment of a university foreign language program. Foreign Language Annals (Alexandria, VA, USA) 37.4 (2004), 521–533.

05–185Milton, James (U of Wales Swansea, UK; [email protected]), Comparing the lexical difficulty of French reading comprehension exam texts. Language Learning Journal (Rugby, UK) 30 (2004), 5–11.

05–186Shultz, Deborah, L (Mechanicsburg Middle School, USA) & Willard-Holt, Colleen, Promoting world languages in middle school: the achievement connection. Foreign Language Annals (Alexandria, VA, USA) 37.4 (2004), 623–629.

05–187Tan, Kelvin (Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore), Does student self-assessment empower or discipline students?Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education (Abingdon, UK) 29.6 (2004), 651–662.

05–188Comber, Barbara (U of South Australia, Australia; [email protected]), Making use of theories about literacy and justice: teachers re-searching practice. Educational Action Research (Oxford, UK) 13.1 (2005), 11–26.

05–189Gu, Qing (Nottingham U, UK; [email protected]), Intercultural experience and teacher professional development. RELC Journal (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) 36.1 (2005), 5–22.

05–190Heilbronn, Ruth (Institute of Education, U of London, UK; [email protected]), The National Strategy for KS3 and its application to modern foreign language teaching. Language Learning Journal (Rugby, UK) 30 (2004), 42–49.

05–191Orland-Barak, Lily (Haifa U, Israel), Portfolios as evidence of reflective practice: what remains ‘untold’. Educational Research (London, UK) 47.1 (2005), 25–44.

05–192Tsou, Wenli (National U of Taiwan, China; [email protected]), The effects of cultural instruction on foreign language learning. RELC Journal (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) 36.1 (2005), 39–57.

05–193Walkington, Jackie (Canberra U, Australia), Becoming a teacher: encouraging development of teacher identity through reflective practice. Asia Pacific Journal of Teacher Education (ATEA, Australia) 33.1 (2005), 53–64.

05–194Zacharias, Nugrahenny T. (Satya Wacana Christian U of Indonesia, Indonesia; [email protected]), Teachers' beliefs about internationally-published materials: a survey of tertiary English teachers in Indonesia. RELC Journal (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) 36.1 (2005), 23–37.

05–195Colina, Sonia & Sykes, Julie (Arizona State U, USA), Educating parents in the Spanish-speaking community: a look at translated educational materials. Bilingual Research Journal (Tempe, AZ, USA) 28.3 (2004), 299–318.

05–196Coupland, Nikolas, Bishop, Hywel, Willams, Angie, Evans, Betsy & Garrett, Peter (Cardiff U, UK; [email protected]), Affiliation, engagement, language use and vitality: secondary school students' subjective orientations to Welsh and Welshness. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (Clevedon, UK) 8.1 (2005), 1–24.

05–197Dickinson, D. K. (Education Development Centre, USA; [email protected]), Mccabe, A., Clark-Chiarelli, N. & Wolf, A., Cross-language transfer of phonological awareness in low-income Spanish and English bilingual preschool children. Applied Psycholinguistics (Cambridge, UK) 25.3 (2004), 323–347.

05–198Dixon, Quentin (Harvard U, USA; [email protected]), Bilingual education policy in Singapore: an analysis of its sociohistorical roots and current academic outcomes. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (Clevedon, UK) 8.1 (2005), 25–47.

05–199Hofstetter, Carolyn H. (California U, Berkeley, USA), Effects of a transitional bilingual education program: findings, issues, and next steps. Bilingual Research Journal (Tempe, AZ, USA) 28.3 (2004), 355–377.

05–200Mackay, I. R. A. (Ottawa U, Canada) & Flege, J. E., Effects of the age of second language learning on the duration of first and second language sentences: the role of suppression. Applied Psycholinguistics (Cambridge, UK) 25.3 (2004), 323–347.

05–201Papadopoulou, Despina (Aristotle U of Thessaloniki, Greece), Reading-time studies of second language ambiguity resolution. Second Language Research (London, UK) 21.2 (2005), 98–120.

05–202Tsokalidou, Roula (U of Thessaly, Greece; [email protected]), Raising ‘bilingual awareness’ in Greek primary schools. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (Clevedon, UK) 8.1 (2005), 48–61.

05–203Marquez Reiter, R. (Surrey U, UK; [email protected]), Rainey, I. & Fulcher, G., A comparative study of certainty and conventional indirectness: evidence from British English and Peninsular Spanish. Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK) 26.1 (2005), 1–31.

05–204McGrath, Ian (Nottingham U, UK; [email protected]), The representation of people in educational materials. RELC Journal (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) 35.3 (2004), 351–358.

05–205Marinis, Theodore, Roberts, Leah, Felser, Claudia & Clahsen, Harald (U of Essex, UK; [email protected]), Gaps in second language sentence processing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition (Cambridge, UK) 27.1 (2005), 53–78.