This study examines the current trends and complexities in qualitative research in three major language teaching and learning journals published from 2006-2015. After categorizing 781 articles into quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and other approaches, 226 qualitative research articles were closely examined and further analyzed in terms of four dimensions: approaches, methods, number of participants, and length of research period. The findings showed that case study was the most frequently employed approach, followed by ethnography. The study also identified that while interviews, observations, discourse analysis, and conversation analysis were relatively well utilized, more than 150 different data collection and analysis methods were used. Although the results of the study show a tendency to use certain approaches and methods in qualitative research more than others, they also demonstrate the complexity and diversity of qualitative research and the difficulty in clarifying and categorizing types of qualitative research in language teaching and learning.

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