Cover not available
Part of
Instructed Second Language Acquisition Research Methods
Edited by Laura Gurzynski-Weiss and YouJin Kim
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 3] 2022
► pp. 3–28

Chapter 1
Getting started

Key considerations

| Indiana University
| Georgia State University

This introductory chapter orients the reader to both instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) and research methods in general. We begin with an operationalization of ISLA, followed by an outline of the main research questions and overarching goals within ISLA, and specification of the differences between an applied orientation to research and simply drawing pedagogical implications. In the second half of the chapter, we move into the nature and ultimate aims of research (i.e., theoretical, empirical, applied), in general, and for the specific field of ISLA. We highlight the importance of connecting to and building off prior work and how research contributions must be connected to disciplinary discussions as well as previous scholarly work as well as being ethically sound. Finally, we outline the basics of research decision-making and walk the reader through each of the principal considerations during the design phase of a study.

Keywords: instructed second language acquisition, research methodology, research methods, L2 learning/development
Article outline
  • 1.Introducing instructed second language acquisition: Defining the domain
    • 1.1What is ISLA? How does it differ from SLA and applied linguistics?
    • 1.2Overarching goals of ISLA
    • 1.3Common assumptions across theories of ISLA
  • 2.Global issues in ISLA research
    • 2.1Key questions and considerations in ISLA research
      • 2.1.1How are L2s learned in instructed contexts?
      • 2.1.2What is the nature of the L2 knowledge gained in instructed contexts?
      • 2.1.3How do variables related to instructional contexts influence the L2 learning process?
      • 2.1.4How do individual differences play a role in instructed L2 learning?
      • 2.1.5What do SLA theories and research say about the effectiveness of L2 instruction? What instructional techniques are most likely to facilitate ISLA?
    • 2.2Ultimate aims of scientific research in general and in ISLA
      • 2.2.1Theoretical aims
      • 2.2.2Empirical aims
      • 2.2.3Applied aims
    • 2.3State of the field in ISLA research methods
  • 3.Conceptualizing your study
    • 3.1Connecting to and building off prior research
    • 3.2Designing your study: Questions to ask yourself
  • 4.Research with human subjects
    • 4.1Exempt research studies
    • 4.2Expedited research studies
    • 4.3Preparing your protocol
    • 4.4Research that supports DEIA principles
  • 5.Conclusions
  • 6.Further reading
    • Introducing ISLA
    • Research methods in ISLA
    • Ethical considerations in ISLA research
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 8 December 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.3.01gur
References
Back, M.
(2020) Interlocutor differences and the role of social others in a Spanish peer tutoring context. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Cross-theoretical explorations of interlocutors and their individual differences (pp. 99–123). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bowles, M., Adams, R., & Toth, P.
(2014) A comparison of L2-L2 and L2-HL interactions in Spanish language classrooms. Modern Language Journal, 98 (2), 497–517. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cheng, A. C.
(2002) The effects of processing instruction on the acquisition of ser and estar . Hispania, 85 (2), 308–323. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
de Bot, K., Lowie, W., & Verspoor, M.
(2007) A Dynamic Systems Theory approach to second language acquisition. Bilingualism Language and Cognition 10 (1), 7–21. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Costa, P., Li, W., & Rawal, H.
(2019) Qualitative classroom methods. In J. Schweiter & A. Benati (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of language learning (pp. 113–136). Cambridge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
DeKeyser, R.
(2003) Implicit and explicit learning. In C. Doughty & M. Long (Eds.), The handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 313–348). Wiley-Blackwell. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Douglas Fir Group
(2016) A transdisciplinary framework for SLA in a multilingual world. Modern Language Journal, 100 (Supplement 2016), 19–47. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dörnyei, Z., & Ryan, S.
(2015) The psychology of the language learner revisited. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R.
(1994) The study of second language acquisition. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
(2009) Implicit and explicit learning, knowledge, and instruction. In R. Ellis, S. Loewen, C. Elder, R. Erlam, J. Philp, & H. Reinders (Eds.), Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing, and teaching (pp. 3–25). Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R., Loewen, S., & Erlam, R.
(2006) Implicit and explicit corrective feedback and the acquisition of L2 grammar. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 28 (2), 339–368. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R., Loewen, S., Elder, C., Erlam, R., Philp, J., & Reinders, H.
(Eds. 2009), Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing, and teaching. Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Ellis, N. C., & Wulff, S.
(2020) Usage-based approaches to L2 acquisition. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (2nd ed.) (pp. 63–85). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mackey, A., & Gass, S.
(2014) Interaction approaches. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition. Routledge.Google Scholar
Gass, S. M., & Mackey, A.
(2020) Input, interaction, and output in L2 acquisition. In B. VanPatten, G. D. Keating, & S. Wulff (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition (pp. 192–222). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Geeslin, K.
(2000) A new approach to the study of the SLA of copula choice. In R. Leow & C. Sanz (Eds.), Spanish applied linguistics at the turn of the millennium (pp. 50–66). Cascadilla Press.Google Scholar
(2003) A comparison of copula choice in advanced and native Spanish. Language Learning, 53 (4), 703–764. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Geeslin, K., & Long, A. Y.
(2015) The development and use of the Spanish copula with adjectives by Korean-speaking learners. In I. Pérez-Jiménez, M. Leonetti, & S. Gumiel-Molina (Eds.), New perspectives on the study of ser and estar (pp. 293–324). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gurzynski-Weiss, L., & Plonsky, L.
(2017) Look who’s interacting: A scoping review of research involving non-teacher/non-peer interlocutors. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Expanding individual difference research in the interaction approach (pp. 306–324). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hiver, P., Al-Hoorie, A. H., & Mercer, S.
(Eds.) (2020) Student engagement in the language classroom. Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
IU Human Resource Protection Program
(2021a, January 19). HRPP Policy- Exempt Research. Indiana University Research. Retrieved on 2 June 2022 from [URL]
(2021b, January 19). HRPP Policy- IRB Review Process. Indiana University Research. Retrieved on 2 June 2022 from [URL]
Kagan, O., Carreira, M., & Chik, C.
(2017) The Routledge handbook of heritage language education: From innovation to program building. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kessler, M., Loewen, S., & Trego, D.
(2020) Synchronous VCMC with TalkAbroad: Exploring noticing, transcription, and learner perceptions in Spanish foreign-language pedagogy. Language Teaching Research. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kim, Y.
(2008) The contribution of collaborative and individual tasks to the acquisition of L2 vocabulary. Modern Language Journal, 92 (1), 114–130. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2012) Task complexity, learning opportunities, and Korean EFL learners’ question development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 34 (4), 627–658. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kim, Y., Choi, B., Yun, H., Kim, B., & Choi, S.
(in press). Task repetition, synchronous written corrective feedback, and the learning of Korean grammar: A classroom-based study. Language Teaching Research. DOI logo
Lantolf, J. P.
(2020) I~ You> I~ Me. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Cross-theoretical explorations of interlocutors and their individual differences (pp. 79–97). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Larson-Hall, J.
(2015) A guide to doing statistics in second language research using SPSS and R. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Leow, R. P.
(2000) A study of the role of awareness in foreign language behavior: Aware versus unaware learners. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 22 (4), 557–584. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2015) Explicit learning in the L2 classroom: A student-centered approach. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2018) ISLA: How implicit or how explicit should it be? Theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical/curricular issues. Language Teaching Research, 23 (4), 1–18. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Loewen, S.
(2020) Introduction to instructed second language acquisition (2nd ed.). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Loewen, S., Crowther, D., Isbell, D. R., Kim, K. M., Maloney, J., Miller, Z. F., & Rawal, H.
(2019) Mobile-assisted language learning: A Duolingo case study. ReCALL, 31 (3), 293–311. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Loewen, S., Isbell, D. R., & Sporn, Z.
(2020) The effectiveness of app-based language instruction for developing receptive linguistic knowledge and oral communicative ability. Foreign Language Annals, 53 (2), 209–233. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Long, M. H.
(1983) Native speaker/non-native speaker conversation and the negotiation of comprehensible input. Applied Linguistics, 4 (2), 126–141. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(1996) The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413–468). Academic Press.Google Scholar
Long, A. Y., & Geeslin, K. L.
(2020) Examining the role of instructor first language in classroom-based oral input. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Cross-theoretical explorations of interlocutors and their individual differences (pp. 127–157). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mackey, A.
(1999) Input, interaction, and second language development: An empirical study of question formation in ESL. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 21 (4), 557–587. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M.
(2022) Second language research: Methodology and design (3rd ed.). Routledge.Google Scholar
Mitchell, R., Myles, F., & Marsden, E.
(2019) Second language learning theories. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nakatsukasa, K.
(2017) Gender and recasts. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Expanding individual difference research in the interaction approach: Investigating learners, instructors, and other interlocutors (pp. 100–119). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Norris, J. M., & Ortega, L.
(2000) Effectiveness of L2 instruction: A research synthesis and quantitative meta-analysis. Language Learning, 50 (3), 417–528. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Payant, C. & Kim, Y.
(2019) Impact of task modality on collaborative dialogue among plurilingual learners: A classroom-based study. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 22 (5), 614–627. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Plonsky, L.
(Ed.) (2015) Advancing quantitative methods in second language research. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Plonsky, L., & Brown, D.
(2015) Domain definition and search techniques in meta-analyses of L2 research (Or why 18 meta-analyses of feedback have different results). Second Language Research, 31 (2), 267–278. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Plonsky, L., Eggbert, J., & LaFlair, G.
(2015) Bootstrapping in applied linguistics: Assessing its potential using shared data. Applied Linguistics, 36 (5), 591–610.Google Scholar
Ruben, J.
(1975) What the ‘good language learner’ can teach us. TESOL Quarterly, 9 , 41–51. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ryan, J., & B. Lafford
(1992) Acquisition of lexical meaning in a study abroad environment: Ser and estar and the Granada experience. Hispania, 75 (3), 714–722. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Schmitt, N., & Celce-Murcia, M.
(2020) An overview of applied linguistics. In N. Schmitt & M. P. H. Rodgers (Eds.), An introduction to applied linguistics (3rd ed.) (pp. 1–15). Routledge.Google Scholar
Serafini, E. J.
(2020) The impact of learner perceptions of interlocutor IDs on learner possible selves during a short-term experience abroad. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Cross-theoretical explorations of interlocutors and their individual differences (pp. 210–243). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Serafini, E. J., & Sanz, C.
(2016) Evidence for the decreasing impact of cognitive ability on second language development as proficiency increases. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38 (4), 607–646. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Shintani, N., Li, S., & Ellis, R.
(2013) Comprehension-based versus production-based instruction: A meta-analysis of comparative studies. Language Learning, 63 (2), 296–329. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sonbul, S., & Schmitt, N.
(2013) Explicit and implicit lexical knowledge: Acquisition of collocations under different input conditions. Language Learning, 63 (1), 121–159. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Spada, N., & Tomita, Y.
(2010) Interactions between type of instruction and type of language feature: A meta-analysis. Language Learning, 60 (2), 263–308. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Swain, M.
(2005) The output hypothesis: Theory and research. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 495–508). Routledge.Google Scholar
Taguchi, N.
(2015) Instructed pragmatics at a glance: Where instructional studies were, are, and should be going. Language Teaching, 48 (1), 1–50. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Toomer, M., & Elgort, I.
(2019) The development of implicit and explicit knowledge of collocations: A conceptual replication and extension of Sonbul and Schmitt (2013). Language Learning, 69 (2), 405–439. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Valdés, G.
(2000) Introduction. In L. Sandstedt (Ed.), Spanish for native speakers. Harcourt College.Google Scholar
VanPatten, B.
(1987) Classroom learners’ acquisition of ser and estar: Accounting for developmental patterns. In B. VanPatten, T. Dvorak, & J. F. Lee (Eds.), Foreign language learning: A research perspective (pp. 61–75). Newbury House.Google Scholar
VanPatten, B., & Benati, A. G.
(2010) Key terms in second language acquisition. Bloomsbury.Google Scholar
VanPatten, B., & Williams, J.
(2015) Introduction: The nature of theories. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (2nd ed.) (pp. 1–16). Routledge.Google Scholar
VanPatten, B., Williams, J., Keating, G. D., & Wulff, S.
(2020) Introduction: The nature of theories. In B. VanPatten, G. D. Keating, & S. Wulff (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition (pp. 1–18). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Williams, J. N.
(2004) Implicit learning of form-meaning connections. In B. VanPatten, J. Williams, S. Rott, & M. Overstreet (Eds.), Form meaning connections in second language acquisition (pp. 203–218). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
(2005) Learning without awareness. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27 (2), 269–304. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ziegler, N., & Smith, G.
(2017) Teachers’ provision of feedback in L2 text-chat. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Expanding individual difference research in the interaction approach: Investigating learners, instructors, and other interlocutors (pp. 255–279). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar