R as a Lingua Franca: Advantages of Using R for Quantitative Research in Applied Linguistics

In this article, we suggest that using R, a statistical software environment, is advantageous for quantitative researchers in applied linguistics. We first provide a brief overview of the reasons why R is popular among researchers in other fields and why we recommend its use for analyses in applied linguistics. In order to illustrate these benefits, we report recent works and developments in quantitative data analysis seeking to move the field toward more appropriate practices, many of which take advantage of the flexibility and functionality of R. Finally, in order to facilitate the use of R, we also introduce an R-based web application developed by the first author.