New Ideas Concerning Arts and Social Studies Vol. 7

Applied linguistics, as an interdisciplinary area of study, relies on various research methodologies. While qualitative methodology has traditionally dominated the field, as seen in the focus on ethnographic and case study research, there is now a noticeable shift toward quantitative approaches, particularly in corpus linguistics, psycholinguistics, and experimental studies in second language learning. This study undertakes a comparative examination of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research paradigms within the field of applied linguistics. Recognising that these paradigms—widely employed in areas such as second language acquisition (SLA), language pedagogy, and sociolinguistics—are grounded in distinct epistemological and methodological foundations, the paper analyses their differing contributions to research practice. A corpus of twenty research articles published between 2015 and 2025 was reviewed and classified according to methodological orientation: qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods. The analysis reveals that qualitative approaches excel in capturing nuanced, context-rich accounts of language behaviour, whereas quantitative methods offer strengths in generalizability and statistical rigour. The discussion further highlights the integrative potential of mixed-methods designs in bridging the divide between these traditions. Ultimately, the study advocates methodological pluralism, suggesting that the synthesis of qualitative and quantitative perspectives can enhance both the depth and breadth of applied linguistics inquiry. Future scholars need to be trained in both methodologies to cultivate a more versatile and dynamic research community.