Overview of Second Language Acquisition Research

Author: Michael H. Long
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-08-01
Features: This book is part of the "Contemporary Foreign Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics Collection." It comprehensively and systematically explores the topic of second language acquisition research. The book is the original English version, with a clear structure, in-depth analysis, and innovative perspectives. Many of its new theories are absent in Chinese foreign language teaching. This book will guide China's foreign language education, as well as provide information and broaden thinking for general foreign language workers and Chinese language researchers. The theoretical knowledge in this book is the newest and most authoritative in foreign education, but it may feel overwhelming for beginners. To address this, the book includes approximately 10,000 words of introductory materials at the beginning. As long as readers review these materials before reading the book, they will be able to grasp the key points and understand the overall structure. The book has high academic value and research reference significance, marking a major breakthrough in China's foreign language teaching theory and is worth referencing for.
Understanding how people learn and fail to learn second and foreign languages is increasingly recognized as a critical social and psycholinguistic issue. Second languages are vitally important to diverse groups of people, ranging from refugees to college students facing foreign language requirements. An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research provides a synthesis of empirical findings on second and foreign language learning by children and adults, emphasizing the design and execution of appropriate research. The book assumes no prior knowledge of SLA and introduces major topics such as the scope of SLA research, research methodology for gathering and analyzing data, the history and development of SLA research, and substantive findings on interlanguage development, explanations for success and failure, the role of theory in social science, current theories of SLA, and the effects of formal instruction on language learning. The volume also includes an extensive bibliography and suggestions for further reading, as well as discussion questions and problems to accompany each chapter.
An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research is a comprehensive, yet highly accessible study, which will prove invaluable for language teachers and teachers in training, as well as discussion questions and problems to accompany each chapter. An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research is a comprehensive, yet highly accessible study, which will prove invaluable for language teachers and teachers in training, as well as students in applied linguistics, linguistics, psychology, psycholinguistics, and foreign language education. Diane Larsen-Freeman is a Senior Faculty Member in the MAT Program at the School of International Training, Vermont, USA, and Michael H. Long is Professor of English as a Second Language at the University of Hawaii, USA.