ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines a real research project into language learning strategies that encountered an obstacle in 2006 when the whole field of language learning strategies came into question and there were suggestions that the field be replaced with self-regulation. The chapter also outlines an important illustration of the impact of theoretical shifts in research that can affect projects in situ. Flexibility in design is one key implication for researchers who are faced with such theoretical shifts. Qualitative research is better equipped to handle such change, as quantitative instruments are often carefully constructed and pre-coded according to existing theory. The chapter highlights the value of a split approach in the research design to examine both self-regulation and learning strategies, and to explore learning from a cognitive and behavioural perspective. A multidimensional or multistage element to research design is also a key implication for researchers to adapt to sudden theoretical shifts.
