Bridging the L2 Research-Practice Gap with Design-Based Research: The Case of L2 Teachers’ Adoption of Metacognitive Oracy Instruction
(2025)
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- Authors
- Supervisors
- Meunier, Fanny
- Abstract
- This dissertation addresses the persistent gap between research and practice in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), particularly in the professional development (PD) of language teachers. Grounded in the principles of Applied SLA (ASLA), it investigates how Design-Based Research (DBR), an iterative, collaborative, and context-sensitive methodology, can support teachers in adopting complex pedagogical innovations. The innovation at the heart of this study is Metacognitive Oracy Instruction (MOI), an approach that integrates explicit instruction in speaking and listening with the development of learners’ metacognitive awareness. The core of the study is based on a two-year DBR project conducted in the French-speaking community of Belgium (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles), where L2 teachers co-designed and implemented MOI as part of a broader educational reform. The research was later extended through additional analyses and a follow-up data collection conducted one year after the project’s conclusion. This longitudinal design made it possible to trace how teacher perceptions and practices evolved during and beyond the project. The dissertation is structured in two parts: the first establishes the theoretical foundations, including a paradigmatic positioning within epistemological pluralism, a critical discussion of teacher professional development (TPD), and a conceptualization of MOI; the second reports on the DBR process and presents mixed-method findings from successive iterative cycles. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through pre- and post-questionnaires, learner artifacts, and teacher interviews. The findings reveal that teacher perceptions of MOI became more favorable over time, that collaboration with researchers was seen as supportive and empowering, and that a subset of participants sustained MOI practices one year after the project concluded. The study identifies key affordances and constraints influencing the uptake of pedagogical innovations in real-world contexts. By documenting how DBR can foster teacher agency, contextual relevance, and sustainable change, this dissertation contributes both to the theorization of ASLA and to the design of research-informed PD. It argues for a reimagined role of research in language education: one that respects the complexity of classrooms and engages teachers as co-constructors of pedagogical knowledge.
- Affiliations
Citations
Decorte, R. (2025). Bridging the L2 Research-Practice Gap with Design-Based Research: The Case of L2 Teachers’ Adoption of Metacognitive Oracy Instruction. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/270846