Ringvorlesung Fremdsprachendidaktik

Drawing boundaries is a somewhat arbitrary, albeit necessary, scholarly exercise. However, whether it be drawing lines among theory, practice, and research or between disciplines, it must be recognized that we will fail to see the complex interplay of the constituents separated by the boundaries. For this talk, I will adopt a complex systems perspective, a view that encourages convergent thinking. This views leads me to propose that if we seek a better understanding of foreign language teaching, we must learn to see each constituent entering into a relationship with the others. An issue that remains, however, is how to conduct meaningful empirical research, given this complex portrait.