Responds to VanPatten's update of the findings for processing instruction. Questions the explanatory adequacy of the model of input processing that VanPatten proposed and that underpins his pedagogic proposals. Questions the validity of the limited-capacity, single-resource model of attention proposed for second language learning. (Author/VWL)

Assumes that adult second language learners cannot achieve the same degree of proficiency in a second language as children learning a second language. An information-processing approach is presented, and the aspects of utilization, faulty or incomplete declarative knowledge, and limited working memory space are used to account for deficiencies in…

A follow-up study contrasted the performance of adult second language learners on phonological perception tasks with their performance in articulatory production. Native speakers of French (N=12) and second language learners of French at two levels of French proficiency were tested on three perception and four production tasks to identify the…

Examines the structure of language-learning beliefs about learning in general and beliefs specifically about language learning and explores the relationship between the two belief domains. A brief questionnaire was administered to 187 college students learning Japanese as a foreign language. Factor analyses identified five dimensions of general…

Examines the nature and development of fluent second language English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) word integration skills involved in lower-level text processing. Four theoretical approaches to word integration and sentence processing in the first language and second language ESL literature are discussed in conjunction with a review of the relevant…

Summarizes a range of theoretical approaches to language acquisition. Argues that language representations emerge from interactions at all levels from brain to society. Connectionism, which provides a set of computational tools for exploring the conditions under which emergent properties arise, is discussed, and simulations of emergence of…

Assesses the validity and reliability of a scale of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for second language learning, and examines the relations between these types of motivation and the four orientations discussed by Clement and Kruidenier (1983). Results are discussed with reference to how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are relevant to…

The socioeducational model of second language acquisition postulates that language learning is a dynamic process in which affective variables influence language achievement and achievement and experiences in language learning can influence some affective variables. Five classes of variable are emphasized: integrativeness, attitudes toward the…

Uptake is a term used to describe learners' responses to the provision of feedback after either an erroneous utterance or a query about a linguistic item within the context of meaning-focused language activities. Some researchers argue that uptake may contribute to second language acquisition by facilitating noticing and pushing learners to…

This study examined the development of integrated knowledge or automatic competence in adult SLA. Automatic competence was operationalized in terms of the participants' sensitivity to grammatical errors in a self-paced reading task. Their sensitivity was determined by observing whether there was a delay in reading ungrammatical sentences. Native…

This study examined the effects of three stimulus variables and background music on paired-associate learning of foreign language (FL) vocabulary. The stimulus variables were the frequency and concreteness of the native language (L1) words and the (phonotactical) typicality of the FL words. Sixty-four L1-FL pairs were presented for learning six…

Report of an investigation which examined the relationship between measured English-language proficiency, years of English-language study and the use of English as a medium of instruction for samples of Arabic-speaking Egyptian and Lebanese university students. (Author)

Reports on an experiment designed to test the reliability of the cloze procedure in second language testing, specifically as a measure of overall language proficiency, and as a measure whose results are independent of style. (AM)

Examines the process of pidgin development within the context of the Government and Binding Theory proposed by Chomsky in 1981. Hypothesizes that the contact of various languages may produce a new experience which subsequently fixes the parameters of Universal Grammar, providing a pidgin core gammar. (SED)

Reports a study which examined the degree of mother tongue maintenance and development of Japanese children temporarily residing in the United States in relation to their learning of English. Also looked at factors which affected individuals' success or failure in the learning of both languages. (SED)