The theme of this special issue is classroom research. Locating research inside the classroom, rather than in experimental or laboratory settings, is assuming more and more importance in applied linguistics these days, so this special issue is timely. If classrooms are constituted specifically for the purposes of language learning and teaching, then it is reasonable to look there for answers to the questions that we have. This issue contains six empirical investigations into aspects of English language teaching in Chinese college contexts. They provide important insights into substantive issues within those contexts as well as illustrating a range of methods that can be deployed in classroom research. Before turning to a review of the articles, I will address some terminological issues including what we mean when we talk about research, the characteristics of classroom research, and the nature of research paradigms.