The Dominance of Gap-Spotting in Iranian Applied Linguistics Research: Epistemological Orientations and Knowledge Production

Farzaneh, Nima; Rezvani, Reza

doi:10.30479/jmrels.2026.23545.2614

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30479/jmrels.2026.23545.2614

Abstract

Formulating well-defined research questions is widely regarded as fundamental to applied linguistics research. A common strategy for doing so is gap-spotting, whereby researchers justify their studies by identifying and filling gaps in the existing literature. This study examines how this strategy is employed in empirical research articles published in ISC-indexed (and/or Scopus-indexed) Iranian applied linguistics journals. Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of a random sample (n = 210) of research articles published between 2016 and 2024, the study investigates the prevalence of gap-spotting, the ways different types of research gaps function in scholarly argumentation, and how researchers orient knowledge production. The analysis reveals that, despite disciplinary and paradigmatic diversity, most articles rely heavily on gap-spotting to establish significance and formulate research questions, with knowledge gaps dominating (81%) and methodological or theoretical concerns relegated to auxiliary roles. This pattern orients knowledge production toward incremental accumulation, pedagogical effectiveness and validation, situating research within a largely confirmatory, accumulation-oriented epistemology that operates within established theoretical and instructional paradigms rather than critically interrogating their underlying assumptions. The findings highlight an urgent need to diversify research question formulation through problematization, rhizomatic reviews, and critical engagement with underlying assumptions to foster a more pluralistic and socially responsive research culture.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Research methodology

References

Alvesson, M., & Sandberg, J. (2013). Constructing research questions: Doing interesting research. Sage.

Alvesson, M., & Sköldberg, K. (2009). Reflexive methodology: New vistas for qualitative research (2^nd ed.). Sage.

Amini Farsani, M., & Babaii, E. (2018). Mapping past, current and future TEFL research trends in Iran: A synthetic review of topics and paradigms in three decades. Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, 5(4), 81–108. https://doi.org/10.30479/jmrels.2019.10434.1299

Arias, A. M., & Lee, S. C. (2026). Examining the characteristics of investigation questions asked by preservice teachers: Influences of scenario, prior course experience, and inclusion of a crosscutting concept. Research in Science Education, 56(1), 293-318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-025-10263-z

Bacchi, C. (2009). Analysing policy: What’s the problem represented to be? Pearson Education.

Blaikie, N. (2000). Designing social research. Polity Press.

Chatterjee, S., & Davison, R. (2020). The need for compelling problematization in research: The prevalence of the gap-spotting approach and its limitations [Editorial]. Information Systems Journal, 31(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12316

Chu, J. S. G., & Evans, J. A. (2021). Slowed canonical progress in large fields of science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(41), 182 . https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2021636118

Coombe, C. (2021). Volume introduction: Research questions in language education and applied linguistics: Strategies for their conceptualization and development. In H. Mohebbi & C. Coombe (Eds.), Research questions in language education and applied linguistics (pp. 1–8). Springer.

Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford University Press.

Fox, N. J. (2024). Rhizomatic review: A materialist minor science approach to research evaluation. Qualitative Research, 24(5), 1101–1120. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941231216632

Fox, N. J., & Alldred, P. (2022). Sociology and the new materialism: Theory, research, action (2^nd ed.). Sage.

Ghanbar, H., & Rezvani, R. (2023). Research questions in applied linguistics research: A microscopic analysis of their distributional and syntactical aspects. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics, 14(1), 156–167. https://doi.org/10.22055/RALS.2023.18074

Ghanbar, H., & Rezvani, R. (Eds.). (2025). Quality issues in applied linguistics qualitative research [Special Issue]. Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, 12(special issue), 1-3.

Hempel, S., Gore, K., & Belsher, B. (2019). Identifying research gaps and prioritizing psychological health evidence synthesis needs. Medical Care, 57(10), 259–264. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000001175

Hulstijn, J. H., Young, R. F., Ortega, L., Bigelow, M., DeKeyser, R., Ellis, N. C., Lantolf, J. P., Mackey, A., & Talmy, S. (2014). Bridging the gap: Cognitive and social approaches to research in second language learning and teaching. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 36(3), 361–421. https://doi.org/ 10.1017/S0272263114000035

Jacobs, R. L. (2011). Developing a research problem and purpose statement. In T. S. Rocco & T. G. Hatcher (Eds.), The handbook of scholarly writing and publishing (pp. 125–142). Jossey-Bass.

Lim, J. M. (2014). Formulating research questions in experimental doctoral dissertations on Applied Linguistics. English for Specific Purposes, 35, 66–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2014.02.003

Mackey, A., & Gass, S. (2016). Second language research: Methodology and design. Routledge.

Moreno, A. I., & Swales, J. M. (2018). Strengthening move analysis methodology towards bridging the function-form gap. English for Specific Purposes, 50, 40–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2017.11.006

Müller-Bloch, C., & Kranz, J. (2015, December). A framework for rigorously identifying research gaps in qualitative literature reviews [Paper presentation]. Thirty Sixth International Conference on Information Systems, in Fort Worth. https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2015/proceedings/ResearchMethods/2

Nyanchoka, L., Tudur-Smith, C., Thu, V. N., Iversen, V., Tricco, A. C., & Porcher, R. (2019). A scoping review describes methods used to identify, prioritize and display gaps in health research. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 109, 99–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2019.01.005

Ozturk, I. (2007). The textual organization of research article introductions in applied linguistics: Variability within a single discipline. English for Specific Purposes, 26, 25–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2005.12.003

Pennycook, A. (2021). Critical applied linguistics: A critical introduction (2^nd ed.). Routledge.

Razavipour, K. & Farzaneh, N. (2025). Rethinking incrementalism in applied linguistics research. Teaching English as a Second Language Quarterly. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.22099/tesl.2025.53836.3437

Rezvani, R., Sayyadi, A., & Izadi, A. (2021). Official postgraduate curriculums of TPSOL in Iran: Evaluation of educational objectives and vertical alignment. Journal of Teaching Persian to Speakers of Other Languages, 10(21), 51-74. 10.30479/jtpsol.2021.14982.1517

Riazi, A.M., Rezvani, R., & Ghanbar, G. (2023). Trustworthiness in L2 writing research: A review and analysis of qualitative articles. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 2(3), Article e100065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2023.100065

Robinson, K. A., Saldanha, I. J., & Mckoy, N. A. (2011). Development of a framework to identify research gaps from systematic Reviews. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 64(12), 1325–1330. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2011.06.009

Sandberg, J., & Alvesson, M. (2011). Ways of constructing research questions: Gap-Spotting or problematization? Organization, 18(1), 23–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1350508410372151

Sheldon, E. (2011). Rhetorical differences in RA introductions written by English L1 and L2 and Castilian Spanish L1 writers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10(4), 238–251. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.08.004

St. Pierre, E. A. (2016). The long reach of logical positivism/logical empiricism. In N. K. Denzin & M. Giardina (Eds.), Qualitative inquiry through a critical lens (pp. 19–29). Routledge.

Sunderland, J. (2010). Research questions in linguistics. In L. Litosseliti (Ed.), Research methods in linguistics (pp. 9–28). Continuum.

Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge University Press.

Swales, J. M. (2004). Research genres: Exploration and applications. Cambridge University Press.

Van der Waldt, G. (2025). Formulating research questions in social science research. The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, 21(1), 15 26. https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v21i1.1526

Wald, N., Harland, T., & Daskon, C. (2024). The gap statement and justification in higher education research: An analysis of published articles. European Journal of Higher Education, 14(2), 308–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2023.2189132

The Dominance of Gap-Spotting in Iranian Applied Linguistics Research: Epistemological Orientations and Knowledge Production

References

References

Volume 13, Issue 3June 2026Pages 125-147

Volume 13, Issue 3
June 2026
Pages 125-147