The First Session of “Hot Research Topics in TEFL and Applied Linguistics” Workshop at Khatam University

Khatam University's English Language Department has organized a training workshop on hot Research Topics in the Field of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics with the aim of improving the research skills of all the stakeholders including but not limited to professors, students, graduates, teachers, and policy makers in these fields.

According to the public relations and website of Khatam University, the English Language Department of this university, in collaboration with Khatam University's research management center was in charge of holding the first session of this workshop on Sunday, December 24^th, 2023 at Khatam University with the presence of several prominent professors, students and graduates of these fields.

This workshop was held with the presence of Dr. Masoumeh Estaji; Associate Professor of the English Language Department of Allameh Tabatabai University, Dr. Mohammad Mahdi Hajmalek; Assistant Professor of English Language Department of Khatam University and Dr. Masood Siyyari, Assistant Professor of English Language Department of Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch.

Dr. Masoumeh Estaji discussed about the nature of the topics in the field of TEFL and Applied Linguistics and believed that interdisciplinary topics and the ones about which there are many different works in the literature might be better choices. She also mentioned that if one chooses a completely new genuine topic, reviewing the literature would be a difficult job and there is also a lower chance of that work being published in credible journals of Applied Linguistics or TEFL.

Estaji also discussed about merging and mixing topics and reading extensively to be able to find the research gap and establish the niche in a research study. She highlighted the importance of extensive investigation and the contribution of selected subject while trying to find a research topic as this can give the researcher a more vivid idea of what can be studied and why that topic might be the best choice.

Dr. Mohammad Mahdi Hajmalek also explained that choosing an engaging topic which is popular all around the world can increase one’s chance of getting accepted at renowned universities abroad. He believed that topics which used to be trendy in the past might not be good choices for one’s research study today. He also emphasized that topics related to technology can get outdated during time, so anyone who wishes to work in such an area should choose their topics and sources wisely.

Dr. Masood Siyyari drove the audience’s attention to the significance of choosing a topic about which we have acceptable information and knowledge. He explained that if one does not know enough about the research topic they have chosen, they cannot discuss its contributions to the field and real life. Some topics might seem trendy and popular but without sufficient information and knowledge about them, we cannot benefit them for practical contributions to the world.

Dr. Masoumeh Estaji, Dr. Mohammad Mahdi Hajmalek, and Dr. Masood Siyyari also discussed the ways through which one can find the most cited papers in the most reliable journals such as EAP, ESP, Second Language Writing, Assessing Writing and etc. They mentioned two main sources as the most popular ones namely Scopus and Science Direct Elsevier as well.