Call For Papers - 2028 Special Issue - Connecting Research and Practice in Second Language Education: Toward Stronger Partnerships

2026-09-09

Connecting Research and Practice in Second Language Education: Toward Stronger Partnerships

Despite longstanding calls for closer collaboration between second language (L2) researchers and practitioners, a gap between research and practice continues to be recognized across language education contexts. Researchers and teachers often operate within different professional environments, priorities, and expectations, which can limit opportunities for meaningful dialogue and collaboration. At the same time, there is growing recognition that stronger partnerships can benefit both groups, helping researchers address issues that are relevant to classroom practice while enabling practitioners to draw on research to inform teaching and learning.

Recent discussions in applied linguistics have emphasized collaborative approaches in which researchers, teachers, teacher educators, administrators, and policymakers work together to address shared concerns related to language learning and teaching. Such partnerships can promote reciprocal knowledge exchange, support professional growth, and contribute to more effective educational practices.

The Canadian context provides a particularly important setting for exploring these issues. Canada's diverse language education landscape includes public and private institutions, newcomer settlement programs, community-based initiatives, and language teacher education programs. This diversity creates valuable opportunities to examine how research can inform practice and how practitioners can contribute to research in ways that strengthen language education across settings.

Aim of the Special Issue

This special issue seeks to explore the relationship between second and additional language research and educational practice. The goal is to promote an open, reciprocal, and sustained dialogue among researchers, teachers, teacher educators, administrators, employers, and policymakers.

We invite contributions that:

  • Examine the relevance and utility of L2 research for educational practice.
  • Explore factors that facilitate or hinder research-practice partnerships.
  • Investigate collaborative models of knowledge generation between researchers and practitioners.
  • Highlight innovative initiatives that strengthen connections between research and practice.
  • Share experiences, perspectives, and lessons learned from diverse educational contexts.

 Topics of Interest

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

  • Language teacher education and professional learning
  • Teacher beliefs, cognition, and decision-making
  • Research-informed language teaching and assessment
  • Teacher-researcher partnerships and collaborative inquiry
  • Practitioner research and classroom-based research
  • Teachers as consumers and users of research
  • Teachers as producers of research
  • Research engagement and knowledge mobilization
  • Professional development for teachers and researchers
  • Institutional, administrative, and policy support for research-practice collaboration
  • Technology and artificial intelligence in language teaching and teacher development
  • Cross-cultural and international perspectives on research-practice connections
  • Teaching and learning of English and additional languages

To encourage a diversity of perspectives, submissions focusing on languages other than English and contributions from non-Western contexts and research traditions are especially welcomed.

Submission Categories

We welcome submissions in the following categories:

  • Full-Length Research Articles
  • Perspectives
  • In the Classroom

Authors should indicate the intended submission category when submitting their manuscript.

For manuscript preparation and submission requirements, please consult the TESL Canada Journal Author Guidelines: https://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl/about/submissions

Submission Process and Important Dates

Interested authors are invited to submit a 350-word abstract (excluding references) to teslcanadajournal@tesl.ca and the Special Issue Co-Editors by January 8, 2027.

Important Dates

  • Abstract submission deadline: January 8, 2027
  • Notification of abstract acceptance: March 2027
  • Full manuscript submission deadline: September 10, 2027
  • Peer review: Double-blind review process
  • Publication of special issue: Spring 2028

Contact Information

For abstract submissions, authors should send their proposal to:

TESL Canada Journal

AND

Special Issue Co-Editors

Questions regarding the special issue, its scope, or the submission process may be directed to the Special Issue Co-Editors.