Strengthening the interface between research and pedagogy in business English and beyond

Abstract

As part of the special issue “Business English: Research into Professional Practice”, this article aims to contribute to a major discussion in the field of business English concerning ways of strengthening the research–pedagogy interface. The article is a commentary on my previously published paper, “Forging a link between research and pedagogy: A holistic framework for evaluating business English materials” (2009). In this commentary, I discuss various aspects of the paper, including the significance of its proposed approach to connecting research with pedagogy, the influence of the paper on business English and other fields, and the application of its ideas by practitioners to business English materials evaluation and beyond. I also reflect on the paper’s influence on my subsequent work as both a researcher and a practitioner. I conclude by suggesting future directions that should help to bring research closer to pedagogical practice.