Reflection 3

For What and for Whom Is Our Research? The Ethical as Transformative Lens in Instructed SLA

By LOURDES ORTEGA

           

            The contribution of this article was that it provoked one important aspect – ethics as a valued research goal and professional and social responsibility for the field of instructed SLA. I agree with the argument that to be truly ethical, we must be prepared to defend what our research is for and who the beneficiaries of our research are. These moral values will inform the design, conduct, and dissemination of our studies. I think the achievement of this ethical goal will face a lot of obstacles – ideological, institutional, and others. But in the long run, it will generate rigorous and relevant research inspired by societal needs.

            In light of this, I would like to add that SLA research should not be socially constituted, meaning that knowledge, in general, should be the privileged presence of scholars and researchers, but should not be democratized as common property. This means that SLA research is not an open field of interest in language to which everybody is invited. You need to bring special knowledge or expertise - there should be knowing where, between whom, or on what the most productive discussions will emerge.