ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the application of meta-analysis, a research synthesis method that synthesizes quantitative studies to analyze data from multiple studies in applied linguistics. As the field of applied linguistics matures and the number of studies in the field increases, there is a growing need to summarize previous, relevant studies to show what is known and what is not yet known and therefore warrants further research. This is of crucial importance for researchers in understanding the overall findings and characteristics of applied linguistics studies and in designing new studies based on the accumulated knowledge in the field. This is equally important for applied linguistics as a field, because each study, when combined, characterizes the field and influences its future development. In this chapter, we describe a method of meta-analysis that synthesizes quantitative studies. Meta-analysis is useful not only in synthesizing studies and indicating the overall effects but also in terms of identifying the sources of inconsistent findings across studies. We describe how meta-analysis can be used to analyze applied linguistics data from multiple studies. We also discuss the limitations of the method and the potential applications of the method to future applied linguistics studies.
