Non-native English-speaking novice researchers developing research skills in the ESL research community

How do non-native English-speaking (NNES) novice researchers develop their research skills and seek participation in the ESL research community? The aim of this paper is to compare novice NNES researchers’ and experienced NNES researchers’ research practices. The study surveys participants working in ESL teacher education or ESL teaching in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China or Thailand. All are non-native speakers of English with ages ranging from mid-thirties to early sixties and with research experience ranging from one to twenty years. The participants were categorized according to their years of research experience: novices were those with less than 5 years of research experience whereas experienced researchers had ten or more years of experience. Some of the problems novice researchers encounter when conducting research are identified. This paper also examines how experienced NNES researchers’ practices can be categorized under Zimmermann’s (1998, 2000) self-regulated framework so that the framework can serve as a road map for novice researchers which can help them develop their research skills better and move from the research periphery to the centre. Copyright © 2008 Università degli Studi di Foggia.