Explicit Learning in the L2 Classroom: A Student-Centered Approach

300 Pages·2015·2.035 MB·Second Language Acquisition Research Series

by  Ronald P. Leow

EXPLICIT LEARNING IN THE
L2 CLASSROOM
Explicit L earning in the L2 Classroom offers a unique five-prong (theoretical,
empirical, methodological, pedagogical, and model-building) approach to the
issue of explicit learning in the L2 classroom from a student-centered perspective.
To achieve this five-prong objective, the book reports the theoretical underpin-
nings, empirical studies, and research designs employed in current research to
investigate the constructs of attention and awareness in SLA, with the objectives
of (1) proposing a model of the L2 learning process in Instructed SLA that accounts
for the cognitive processes employed during this process and (2) providing peda-
gogical and curricular implications for the L2 classroom. The book also pro-
vides a comprehensive treatise of research methodology that is aimed at not only
underscoring the major features of conducting robust research designs with high
levels of internal validity but also preparing teachers to become critical readers of
published empirical research.
Ronald P. Leow is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director of Spanish
Language Instruction in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at George-
town University, USA. His areas of expertise include language curriculum develop-
ment, teacher education, SLA, psycholinguistics, cognitive processes in language
learning, research methodology, and CALL.
Second Language Acquisition Research Series:
Theoretical and Methodological Issues
Susan M. Gass and Alison Mackey, Editors
Monographs on Theoretical Issues:
Schachter/Gass Second Language Classroom Research: Issues and Opportunities
(1996)
Birdsong Second Language Acquisition and the Critical Period Hypotheses (1999)
Ohta Second Language Acquisition Processes in the Classroom: Learning Japanese
(2001)
Major F oreign Accent: Ontogeny and Phylogeny of Second Language Phonology
(2001)
VanPatten P rocessing Instruction: Theory, Research, and Commentary (2003)
VanPatten/Williams/Rott/Overstreet Form-Meaning Connections in Second
Language Acquisition (2004)
Bardovi-Harlig/Hartford Interlanguage Pragmatics: Exploring Institutional
Talk (2005)
Dörnyei The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in
Second Language Acquisition (2005)
Long Problems in SLA (2007)
VanPatten/Williams Theories in Second Language Acquisition (2007)
Ortega/Byrnes The Longitudinal Study of Advanced L2 Capacities (2008)
Liceras/Zobl/Goodluck The Role of Formal Features in Second Language
Acquisition (2008)
Philp/Adams/Iwashita Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning (2013)
VanPatten/Williams Theories in Second Language Acquisition, Second Edition
(2014)
Leow Explicit Learning in the L2 Classroom (2015)
Monographs on Research Methodology:
Tarone/Gass/Cohen Research Methodology in Second Language Acquisition
(1994)
Yule Referential Communication Tasks (1997)
Gass/Mackey Stimulated Recall Methodology in Second Language Research
(2000)
Markee C onversation Analysis (2000)
Gass/Mackey Data Elicitation for Second and Foreign Language Research
(2007)
Duff Case Study Research in Applied Linguistics (2007)
McDonough/Trofimovich Using Priming Methods in Second Language
Research (2008)
Larson-Hall A Guide to Doing Statistics in Second Language Research Using
SPSS (2009)
Dörnyei/Taguchi Questionnaires in Second Language Research: Construction,
Administration, and Processing, 2nd Edition (2009)
Bowles T he Think-Aloud Controversy in Second Language Research (2010)
Jiang Conducting Reaction Time Research for Second Language Studies (2011)
Barkhuizen/Benson/Chik Narrative Inquiry in Language Teaching and
Learning Research (2013)
Jegerski/VanPatten Research Methods in Second Language Psycholinguistics
(2013)
Of Related Interest:
Gass Input, Interaction, and the Second Language Learner (1997)
Gass/Sorace/Selinker Second Language Learning Data Analysis, Second Edition
(1998)
Mackey/Gass Second Language Research: Methodology and Design (2005)
Gass/Selinker S econd Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course, Third
Edition (2008)
PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK
“This book brilliantly explains how attention and awareness mediate adult sec-
ond language learning. Synthesizing theory and research from multiple fields,
Leow proposes a cogent model for language processing. Engaging, enlightening,
and humorous, Explicit Learning in the L2 Classroom provides an essential under-
standing of how language learning works.”
Melissa Baralt, Florida International University, USA
“Ron Leow takes us on a clever and entertaining journey that looks at the inter-
nal processes involved in the development of a second language. He starts with a
comprehensive account of existing theory, and continues with the presentation
of his model of the L2 learning process, showcasing recent empirical studies that
support it. This work has important theoretical and methodological contribu-
tions to the field and will inform SLA researchers and teaching practitioners
alike.”
Nina Moreno, University of South Carolina, USA
“Clearly written by a remarkable scholar with decades of experience both in the
classroom and in empirical classroom research, this outstanding volume approaches
a critical issue for those of us in the field of teacher education: do L2 teachers know
how students learn in the L2 classroom? This book is a long overdue contribu-
tion to the L2 teacher education field and the best case for explicit learning in the
L2 classroom.”
María J. de la Fuente, Associate Professor of Spanish and
Director of the Spanish Language Program,
The George Washington University, USA
EXPLICIT LEARNING IN
THE L2 CLASSROOM
A Student-Centered Approach
Ronald P. Leow
Georgetown University
First published 2015
by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Taylor & Francis
The right of Ronald P. Leow to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
Leow, Ronald P. (Ronald Philip), 1954–
Explicit learning in the L2 classroom : a student-centered approach /
Ronald P. Leow, Georgetown University.
pages cm. — (Second language acquisition research series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Language and languages—Study and teaching. 2. Second language
acquisition. I. Title.
P51.L4968 2015
418.0071—dc23
2014036365
ISBN: 978-0-415-70705-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-70706-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-88707-4 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To Deborah, Philip, and Stephanie
This page intentionally left blank
CONTENTS
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xviii
1 Introduction, or Strolling Down Memory Lane: Raising
Your Awareness 1
SECTION 1
Theoretical Foundations 13
2 A Preliminary Theoretical Framework for the L2
Learning Process in SLA 15
3 Theoretical Foundations for the Role of Attention in
Learning from Non-SLA Fields 23
4 Theoretical Foundations for the Role of Awareness in
Learning from Non-SLA Fields 48
5 Theoretical Foundations for the Roles of Attention and
Awareness in L2 Learning in SLA 68
SECTION 2
Research Methodology 107
6 Methodological Issues in Research on the Relationships
between Attention, Awareness, and L2 Learning in SLA 109