Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition “With its cornucopia of information, both thorough and practical, this book is a must for our methodology shelves. Its study questions and project suggestions will be a boon for many research methods courses.” Robert M. DeKeysevr, University of Maryland “This guide to collecting, coding and analyzing second language acquisition data will be an essential reference for novice and experienced researchers alike.” Peter Robinson, Aoyama Gakuin University “Comprehensive and technically up-to-date, yet accessible and cogent! This remarkable textbook is sure to become a premier choice for the research training of many future SLA generations.” Lourdes Ortega, University of Hawaii “Alison Mackey and Susan Gass’ valuable new book offers hands-on methodological guidance from established experts on all kinds of second language research.” Michael H. Long, University of Maryland Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition: A Practical Guide is an informative guide to research design and methodology in this growing and vibrant field. Utilizing research methods and tools from varied fields of study including education, linguistics, psychology, and sociology, this collection offers complete coverage of the techniques of second language acquisition research. This guide covers a variety of topics, such as second language writing and reading, meta-analyses, research replication, qualitative data collection and analysis, and more. Each chapter of this volume offers background, step-by-step guidance, and relevant studies to create comprehensive coverage of each method. This carefully selected and edited volume will be a useful text for graduate students and scholars looking to keep pace with the latest research projects and methodologies in second language acquisition.

Second language acquisition (SLA) is a field of inquiry that has increased in importance since the 1960s. Currently, researchers adopt multiple perspectives in the analysis of learner language, all of them providing different but complementary answers to the understanding of oral and written data produced by young and older learners in different settings. The main goal of this volume is to provide the reader with updated reviews of the major contemporary approaches to SLA, the research carried out within them and, wherever appropriate, the implications and/or applications for theory, research and pedagogy that might derive from the available empirical evidence. The book is intended for SLA researchers as well as for graduate (MA, Ph.D.) students in SLA research, applied linguistics and linguistics, as the different chapters will be a guide in their research within the approaches presented. The volume will also be of interest to professionals from other fields interested in the SLA process and the different explanations that have been put forward to account for it.

This volume presents six alternative approaches to studying second language acquisition – 'alternative' in the sense that they contrast with and/or complement the cognitivism pervading the field. All six approaches – sociocultural, complexity theory, conversation-analytic, identity, language socialization, and sociocognitive – are described according to the same set of six headings, allowing for direct comparison across approaches. Each chapter is authored by leading advocates for the approach described: James Lantolf for the sociocultural approach; Diane Larsen-Freeman for the complexity theory approach; Gabriele Kasper and Johannes Wagner for the conversation-analytic approach; Bonny Norton and Carolyn McKinney for the identity approach; Patricia Duff and Steven Talmy for the language socialization approach and Dwight Atkinson for the sociocognitive approach. Introductory and commentary chapters round out this volume. The editor’s introduction describes the significance of alternative approaches to SLA studies given its strongly cognitivist orientation. Lourdes Ortega’s commentary considers the six approaches from an 'enlightened traditional' perspective on SLA studies – a viewpoint which is cognitivist in orientation but broad enough to give serious and balanced consideration to alternative approaches. This volume is essential reading in the field of second language acquisition.

The second edition of Theories in Second Language Acquisition seeks to build on the strengths of the first edition by surveying the major theories currently used in second language acquisition research. This volume is an ideal introductory text for undergraduate and graduate students in SLA and language teaching. Each chapter focuses on a single theory, written by a leading scholar in the field in an easy-to-follow style – a basic foundational description of the theory, relevant data or research models used with this theory, common misunderstandings, and a sample study from the field to show the theory in practice. This text is designed to provide a consistent and coherent presentation for those new to the field who seek basic understanding of theories that underlie contemporary SLA research. Researchers will also find the book useful as a "quick guide" to theoretical work outside their respective domains.

Offers the most up-to-date coverage of research methods and best practices in the study of second language acquisition, edited by two of the leading figures in the field Current Approaches in Second Language Acquisition Research provides an up-to-date overview of both traditional and cutting-edge techniques and methods in the field. Bringing together contributions from an international team of experts, this authoritative volume covers the qualitative, quantitative, survey-based, interdisciplinary, statistical analysis, and data replication methods that students and early-career researchers need to know when developing their projects and experiments in second language acquisition research. Each chapter includes best practices, case studies, and research questions, together with suggested readings which exemplify a wide range of contemporary methodologies. Current Approaches in Second Language Acquisition Research builds on the foundation of Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition, the first volume in the Wiley Blackwell Guides to Research Methods series to cover the field of SLA. Eleven new chapters and four revised chapters address classroom research methods, qualitative approaches to data, collecting introspective second language (L2) data, L2 data on brain and articulatory mechanisms, problematic terminology in the SLA community, and more. Covers theory-based methodologies, synthetic and meta-analytic work, mixed methods, coding, and statistical analysis Describes and evaluates recent methodological advances and experimental approaches in SLA research Includes study questions, links to additional resources, and example study boxes that summarize methodological principles and connect them to real-world research studies Current Approaches in Second Language Acquisition Research is an essential resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in SLA and applied linguistics programs, novice researchers studying SLA research methods, and more established scholars looking for a concise and up-to-date overview of SLA methodology.

In many ways, this edited volume can be read as a showcase for the state of affairs in SLA research. It exemplifies what makes current SLA work so energetic and vibrant, topically and methodologically innovative, insightful in its results, and intellectually and episteologically expansive in its implications and significance beyond second language acquisition. - Applied Linguistics This text brings together the work of scholars attempting to extend Vygotsky's theory to second language research. The papers included, are organized according to three of the major topics of interest in Vygotskian research: zone of proximal development, inner and private speech, and activity theory. All of the papers report on the results of empirical research carried on in these three areas. Readers will recognize the potential sociocultural theory and research has for developing a fuller understanding of L2 learning and use.

Experimental Methods in Language Acquisition Research provides students and researchers interested in language acquisition with comprehensible and practical information on the most frequently used methods in language acquisition research. It includes contributions on first and child/adult second language learners, language-impaired children, and on the acquisition of both spoken and signed language. Part I discusses specific experimental methods, explaining the rationale behind each one, and providing an overview of potential participants, the procedure and data-analysis, as well as advantages and disadvantages and dos and don’ts. Part II focuses on comparisons across groups, addressing the theoretical, applied and methodological issues involved in such comparative work. This book will not only be of use to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, but also to any scholars wishing to learn more about a particular research method. It is suitable as a textbook in postgraduate programs in the fields of linguistics, education and psychology.