Educational applications of second language acquisition research
Not offered in 1995
Clayton
This subject examines the principal contemporary approaches to the interpretation of second language acquisition and considers the possible insights they might offer to the planning of second language teaching and learning programs. The subject traces the development of second language acquisition studies from their origins in modern theories of generative linguistics and sociolinguistics, and analyses the principal currents of thoughts that have emerged from these theories. The recurring `eternal questions' of the field will be a central focus: is second language acquisition fundamentally similar to or different from first language acquisition? Do children acquire second languages differently from adults? Is there a critical period? Can classroom learning be as effective as natural acquisition outside the classroom? What determines success or failure in second language acquisition? What can teachers do to make classrooms acquisition-rich environments? This subject is one of the compulsory units for the Graduate Diplomas in SLE and TAL.
Assessment
Second language acquisition research in the form of a recording, transcription and analysis of the language of a second language learner
Recommended text
Ellis R Understanding second language acquisition OUP, 1985