scholarly journals Is the Second Language Acquisition discipline disintegrating?

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan H. Hulstijn
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Applied Field ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Normal Science ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
The One

After characterizing the study of second language acquisition (SLA) from three viewpoints, I try to answer the question, raised by DeKeyser (2010), of whether the SLA field is disintegrating. In answering this question, I first propose a distinction between SLA as the relatively fundamental academic discipline and SLA as the relatively applied field of language education. Instead of portraying the field in terms of quantitative or laboratory studies on the one hand, and qualitative or anthropological studies on the other, I will look at SLA in terms of theories that differ in their empirical basis. All scientific disciplines must create room for ideas or theories that do not yet lend themselves to empirical testing, but for a discipline to develop fruitfully it is crucial that nonempirical ideas do not outnumber the empirical. The fact that the number of empirical SLA theories is large is not in itself a problem: through the practices of rational ‘normal science’ (Kuhn 1962), the best theories (in terms of coherence, testability and scope) will rightfully come out on top.

AHISTORICITY REVISITED

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Gass ◽  
Catherine Fleck ◽  
Nevin Leder ◽  
Ildiko Svetics
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
Pertinent Literature ◽  
The Past ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
Logical Point ◽  
History Of ◽  
Second Language Acquisition Theory

In our reply to Margaret Thomas's article “Programmatic ahistoricity in second language acquisition theory,” we first review pertinent literature, concluding that historical awareness is evident in SLA, though it is not as far-reaching as Thomas would like it to be. We then argue that the attitude of most scholars in SLA toward the past is reasonable given that no significant work in SLA from antiquity has been discovered—by Thomas or anyone else—and that if such work exists Thomas has the burden to bring it to light before declaring the field guilty of ahistoricity. We consider various ways to define the field of SLA, arguing that it should be defined theoretically first, and historically second. We claim that the point at which SLA separated itself from language teaching is a logical point from which to date the beginnings of SLA as a true discipline. We consider and reject Thomas's comparison of SLA and its history to various other scientific disciplines and their histories, arguing that these disciplines have true milestones to point to in the distant past, whereas SLA does not. Although we agree with Thomas that a general awareness of the history of philosophy and science is beneficial for scholars in all fields, we make a sharp division between that history and the history of SLA proper. We conclude by arguing that respect for the field of SLA can come only through sound scientific progress, not by appeals to history.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Quality on English Microlectures of Senior High School from Perspectives of Teaching Philosophy, Second Language Acquisition Mechanism and Education Psychology

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Yang Yuqian
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Senior High School ◽  
Teaching Philosophy ◽  
The One ◽  
Education Psychology ◽  
Practical Teaching

Concerning the fact that a large amount of teachers have been participated in the microlectures competition, it means the concept of microlectures has been recognized. However, English teachers are devoted to participating in these competitions but fail to put microlectures into practical teaching. Therefore, the focus of this paper is going to answer the following two questions, that is, how to make a good microlecture and how to use it properly. This paper chooses four videos from The Third China’s Microlectures Competition to analysis from three aspects: teaching philosophy, second language acquisition mechanism and education psychology. It is found that English teachers from senior high school generally do not understand the concept of microlectures. Generally speaking, teachers are intended to win the award of the competition but fail to put microlectures in the practical teaching. Teachers are inclined to select big topics, untypical teaching materials. What’s more, the structure of microlectures isn’t complete since some teachers ignore the exercise part. Based on these problems, on the one hand, English teachers should insist on life-long study and apply the latest education technologies into practical teaching. On the other hand, the organization of the whole microlecture should be developed logically. Suggestions are provided with teachers on how to make a make a good microlecture and how to use it properly.

scholarly journals Research Timeline: Form-focused instruction and second language acquisition

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Nassaji
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Formal Instruction ◽  
Zero Position ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
The One ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Learner Language

This article provides a timeline of research on form-focused instruction (FFI). Over the past 40 years, research on the role of instruction has undergone many changes. Much of the early research concentrated on determining whether formal instruction makes any difference in the development of learner language. This question was motivated in part by a theoretical discussion in the field of cognitive psychology over the role of explicit versus implicit learning, on the one hand, and a debate in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) over the role of naturalistic exposure versus formal instruction, on the other. In the early 1980s, for example, based on the notion that the processes involved in second language (L2) learning are similar to those in first language (L1) learning, Krashen (e.g., Krashen 1981, 1982, 1985) made a distinction between learning and acquisition and claimed that an L2 should be acquired through natural exposure not learned through formal instruction. Thus, he claimed that FFI has little beneficial effect on language acquisition. This position, which has also been known as a ‘zero position’ on instruction, was also taken by a number of other researchers who argued that L1 and L2 learning follow similar processes and that what L2 learners need in order to acquire a second language is naturalistic exposure to meaning-focused communication rather than formal instruction (Dulay & Burt 1974; Felix 1981; Prabhu 1987; Schwartz 1993; Zobl 1995).

scholarly journals The Performing Arts in Second Language Acquisition

2008 ◽  
Vol II (1) ◽  
pp. 17-39
Author(s):  
Mark Lauer
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Performing Arts ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Black Box ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Georgetown University

This paper is a report on the experience of dramatizing Hans Peter Richter’s novel Damals war es Friedrich (1961). Subsequent to the discussion of the novel in an upper division German class, students and I worked on a dramatized version of the text. The play was performed in the Black Box Theater at Georgetown University, Washington D.C., on April 11, 2006. The first part of the report will illustrate how the work on the play was embedded within the context of a literacy approach towards teaching German as a foreign language. In addition to outlining the benefits of including a theater performance in language education, as experienced during the rehearsals and the performance of the play, the second part of the report will discuss how the project was carried out. This paper is a report on the experience of dramatizing Hans Peter Richter’s novel Damals war es Friedrich (1961). Subsequent to the discussion of the novel in an upper division German class, students and I worked on a dramatized version of the text. The play was performed in the Black Box Theater at Georgetown University, Washington D.C., on April 11, 2006. The first part of the report will illustrate how the work on the play was embedded within the context of a literacy approach towards teaching German as a foreign language. In addition to outlining the benefits of including a theater performance in language education, as experienced during the rehearsals and the performance of the play, the second part of the report will discuss how the project was carried out.

Does Bilingualism Expand the Cognitive Experience of the Students?

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
María Bobadilla-Pérez ◽  
Suellen Pereira-Balado
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
The World ◽  
Cognitive Experience ◽  
The One

This chapter shows the results of a study carried out in an immersion early education classroom in Galicia (Spain). The study focuses on how children in a bilingual context develop their perception of the world according to the concepts they are able to build around things in their environment, using the language as a reference. A brief theoretical framework precedes the presentation of the study. On the one hand, attention is paid to the pedagogical implications of second language acquisition in early childhood. Secondly, and most importantly, the nature of the bilingual brain is discussed through the consideration of the works of relevant authors in the field. Later, the case study is explained. For the purpose of the qualitative research, participants were presented with different images to be described in English and Spanish, and an observation table was designed in order to classify the utterances produced by the students. As will be discussed, results showed that students in immersion educational contexts increase their sense of the world when using both languages.

Does Bilingualism Expand the Cognitive Experience of the Students?

2022 ◽  
pp. 290-303
Author(s):  
María Bobadilla-Pérez ◽  
Suellen Pereira-Balado
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
The World ◽  
Cognitive Experience ◽  
The One

This chapter shows the results of a study carried out in an immersion early education classroom in Galicia (Spain). The study focuses on how children in a bilingual context develop their perception of the world according to the concepts they are able to build around things in their environment, using the language as a reference. A brief theoretical framework precedes the presentation of the study. On the one hand, attention is paid to the pedagogical implications of second language acquisition in early childhood. Secondly, and most importantly, the nature of the bilingual brain is discussed through the consideration of the works of relevant authors in the field. Later, the case study is explained. For the purpose of the qualitative research, participants were presented with different images to be described in English and Spanish, and an observation table was designed in order to classify the utterances produced by the students. As will be discussed, results showed that students in immersion educational contexts increase their sense of the world when using both languages.

scholarly journals First and second language acquisition: Towards a reconcillation

2015 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-140
Author(s):  
Nicole Nau
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Language Acquisition ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
The One ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract For the past two decades, research on first language acquisition on the one side, and on second language acquisition and learning on the other have largely developed separately, probably as a reaction to the failure of earlier attempts to use the same methods or simply transfer insights gained in one of the fields to the other. T his article argues that a reconciliation may be fruitful, provided that different aspects which have often got blurred in the discussion are considered separately. These aspects include the assessment of multilingualism and monolingualism, the age factor and the definition of “first” and “second” language, the understanding of linguistic competence and of completeness of acquisition, different forms of acquisition and learning, and uniformity vs. individual differences in the process of language acquisition. By challenging some widely held views on characteristics of first language acquisition and its differences to second language learning, more fine-grained research questions are revealed, some of which have been addressed in recent studies on language acquisition and multilingualism

scholarly journals The Interactional Relationship between Learning Mechanisms and Other Factors (Learning Conditions/Individual Differences) in Second Language Acquisition

Impact ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (9) ◽  
pp. 29-31
Author(s):  
Kaoru Koyanagi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Scientific Discipline ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Instructed Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Motivation Beliefs

Second language acquisition is the process of acquiring a second language. Second language acquisition also refers to the scientific discipline that looks at this process. Research on instructed second language acquisition can shed light on learning mechanisms and processes, helping to advance second language education. Professor Kaoru Koyanagi, who collected data from French students of Japanese at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations in France, is exploring how learning mechanisms interact with other factors such as learners' aptitude, motivation, beliefs etc. to help uncover new knowledge that could contribute to Japanese language pedagogy.

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