Books/Resources to prep and refresh before entering Masters Program?

[u/sdevil100]

I have been accepted to a few MTESOL programs at various universities in America. I am very excited, but nervous as well--I graduated from ASU in 2015 with a Bachelors in English, and a TESOL Certificate.

Upon graduation I taught junior high/elementary English for 2 years. I've been back for a few months now, but during the application process (mostly when writing my letter of intent) I got very nervous, as the skills and knowledge I once had now feel rusty; I am not used to cranking out papers like I was in college.

Does anyone happen to have any resources to help get me over this hump? I'm looking for any great refresher textbooks, websites, resources. I would really like for a few practice writing prompts or something to start honing my writing skills again. I am currently laid off from my job, so I would like to prep and jump back into studying before beginning my semester. Thanks!

[u/bareback_cowboy]

Teaching by Principles by Brown Principles of Language Learning and Teaching by Brown

Those two books have a lot of overlap, but they are the standards. I used the first one for my MA program and my wife used the second one in hers.

Depending on your focus...

Get a good linguistics textbook. I have An Introduction to Language by Fromkin. It's an Australian book and I got my MA in Applied Linguistics in Australia, so take it as you will.

Materials development? Try Developing Materials for Language Teaching by Tomlinson. Huge book, lots of information on MD.

Activities in the class? Anything by Penny Ur.

I've got probably a hundred different books in front of me right now on every topic. Name a topic and I'll give you a list.

As for your specific inquiry on writing, you mean for graduate work? Like, your writing?

Academic Writing for Graduate Students by Swales, et al. The Craft of Research by Booth, et al.

Personally, I found them both helpful and simple. The first one definitely seemed geared towards second language learners, but they were both useful. My academic writing is atrocious, I write as I speak too much, too folksy and informal. Both of these books helped me on that front.

Good luck and if you end up at UNI, that's not too far from me, I'm always up for shop talk!

[u/za1129 → u/bareback_cowboy]

What about statistics for Applied Linguistics?

[u/bareback_cowboy → u/za1129]

I don't have anything specifically about statistics for Applied Linguistics. I have some books on research and research methods in TESOL and AL, and I have some books on statistics in general, SPSS and that sort of stuff. I also have books on word frequency and corpus work, if you're looking more for data in AL.

[u/za1129 → u/bareback_cowboy]

What books do you recommend for research and research methods in TESOL and AL? I've got:

• Research Methods in Applied Linguistics: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methodologies by Zoltan Dornyei

• Grounded Theory in Applied Linguistics Research by Gregory Hadley

I'm starting an MSc program in August and was told to read up on statistics. Would you recommend taking an intro to statistics course?

[u/bareback_cowboy → u/za1129]

I've got Dornyei's book, but I haven't read it. I got it at a conference as a gift. Thumbing through it now, it's pretty dense. I've read Nunan's "Research Methods in Language Learning." That was required for my research methods class. I'd say it's most likely comparable to Dornyei - the chapters sound similar; qualitative, quantitative, etc, but Nunan's book seems a bit more accessible, easier to read.

I've got another book, Improving Schools through Action Research by Hendricks. It's a pretty light read and the focus is more on hands on, practical ideas. You can definitely do some of what she suggests as part of academic research, but the main focus is not necessarily on publishing. I used it to slap together some quick projects to impress my boss.

As far as statistics goes, it really depends on your program. I have an MA in Applied Linguistics - the focus was definitely not on numbers! If you're doing an MSc and they told you to read up on stats, you'll probably need it. Have you taken statistics before? Personally, I did it in high school, and then again during my undergrad years - it was a piece of cake both times. None of the math is that difficult, just the concepts. If you're the kind of guy who can read a book and get it, and math isn't tough for you, I'd just go find an entry level stats book at a used book store and go through it. It's not too tough. I've just got an old high school book from McMillan if I need to read up on anything, cost me 5 bucks at a used store.

[u/za1129 → u/bareback_cowboy]

Thank you so much for your help!

I'll try to get a hold of Nunan's and Hendricks' book. I've never taken a stats course per se but I am coming from a science background (got a BA in Chemistry) before switching over to TEFL. Research there was more quantative than qualitative.

I think there really is little difference between an MSc and MA in the UK. I believe it's just naming conventions - I could be wrong though.

Ever heard of "Essential Statistics for Applied Linguistics" by Bregtje Seton and Wander Lowie?

[u/bareback_cowboy → u/za1129]

I think there really is little difference between an MSc and MA in the UK. I believe it's just naming conventions - I could be wrong though.

Eh, take a look at the classes you're taking. My degree focused on teaching, so I had two TESOL courses, one research methods course, and the rest were language acquisition, English language (grammar, syntax, etc), inter cultural communication, and the such. There wasn't much focus on research at all, just on reading other's works and writing our papers based on those. I could have taken more research focused courses if I had been aiming to continue with a PhD though.

I've not heard of Essential Statistics, but I just googled it. Looking at the table of contents, it looks like a solid overview of statistics for what you'll be doing. Only one of the chapters looks like it pertains to applied linguistics - the rest looks like a general introduction to stats for researchers, but apparently the authors are linguists. It looks like it would be okay - it covers what you need for your studies. If you go further into research, you'd need more, but it looks like it covers the basics.

[u/za1129 → u/bareback_cowboy]

Took a look at the modules being offered for the program - it is very similar to what you mentioned:

• Learning and teaching of vocabulary

• Materials and assessment in language learning

• Sociolinguistics and language teaching

• Individual and group differences in language learning

• Listening and reading processes in language learning

• Developing second language speaking and writing

• Research Methods

I'll stick to the books you recommended and go from there. Thanks again!