Developing Data Elicitation Methods in Pragmatics Research with YLLs

This chapter discusses naturally occurring data and their use in pragmatics research that focuses on spoken language. It also discusses the two ways in which naturally occurring data are typically collected, namely using field notes and recordings. A useful definition of what counts as naturally occurring data is provided by Potter, who suggests using the 'dead social scientist's test'. Several studies have compared naturally occurring data with data obtained through other elicitation methods, such as role plays, written or oral discourse completion tasks (DCTs) or questionnaires. Comparisons between role plays and naturally occurring data have shown that role plays capture interactional details and thus yield more realistic data than other data elicitation methods. Researchers take field notes on site either as observers or as participant observers. Recorded naturally occurring data allows for exact and repeated analysis of the linguistic material, and for data verification by other researchers.

Background Speech and language researchers study phonological acquisition and evaluate the errors that children make to understand this complex process. This information provides clinicians with a scientific reference for better assessment and intervention services to children with articulation/phonological disorders. Urdu is a language spoken by more than 200 million speakers worldwide. However, research on Urdu phonological development is in its infancy. Purpose This systematic review aimed to identify relevant studies and provide a comprehensive review of which aspects of Urdu phonological development have been targeted, along with the reported findings. Method Five phases of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. All retrieved studies published between January 1980 and March 2020 and focusing on Urdu speech sound acquisition and/or phonological processes in typically developing native Urdu speakers aged up to 8 years were included in the review. The final search was conducted on May 4, 2020. Results A total of 873 records were identified from five databases and a manual search. Nine studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in the final review. All studies were published in the English language, five of which were unpublished master's theses and four were peer-reviewed journal articles. Four of these studies focused on consonant acquisition, whereas five explored phonological processes. No study focused on the acquisition of Urdu vowels, diphthongs, or consonant clusters. These shortlisted studies were reviewed in detail to determine participants' demographic characteristics, focused areas of phonological acquisition, data elicitation methods and contexts, transcription systems, and major findings. Conclusion This study provides a comprehensive review of the available literature on Urdu phonological development and highlights areas for future research.

Reading in a second/foreign language (L2) involves the coordination of multiple knowledge sources as well as cognitive and metacognitive resources and processes. An individual’s reading outcome is influenced by various individual difference (ID) variables. In this chapter, we introduce influential models and theories of reading and explain the role played by ID variables in these frameworks of reading. Next, we introduce key research questions that have advanced the empirical investigation into five selected ID variables (phonological awareness, working memory, metacognition, motivation, and anxiety) in relation to L2 reading comprehension, summarize the findings, and offer a brief synthesis of data elicitation methods. The chapter ends with a discussion of practical implications for practitioners and directions for future research.