ENG 513: Teaching English as a Second Language



ENG / EDC / LIN 513: Second Language Acquisition

(Teaching English as a Second Language)

Term: Fall, 2009

Time: 4:30–5:45 MW

Location: Classroom Building 208

Professor: Tom Clayton; 1203 POT; 257-2901; tmclay@uky.edu

Office hours: 3:00–4:00 M & W, and by appointment

Course Description:

This class is the first of a two-semester series of classes relevant to English language teaching. In this first class, we study second language acquisition (SLA)—how people learn languages. What are the cognitive, environmental, and social dynamics of language acquisition? Only when we understand something of the processes of SLA can we profitably study language teaching. We will undertake this latter project in ENG / EDC / LIN 514, TESL Materials and Methods. ENG / EDC / LIN 513 is a prerequisite for and complement to ENG / LIN / EDC 514.

This class is lecture/discussion course. While there will be frequent lectures, a significant amount of class time will be devoted to the active engagement of all students in discussions of the readings, their implications, and their relation to one another and the field SLA.

Course Goals:

1. Students will become familiar with ideas and theories in SLA.

2. Students will become familiar with research traditions used by scholars in SLA (as well as language teaching and the social sciences generally).

3. Students will become acquainted with the major academic journals in SLA and language teaching and will gain critical skills for reading original research articles.

Textbooks and Materials:

Lightbown, P.M., & Spada, N. (2006). How languages are learned (3rd edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Available at UK, Kennedy, and Wildcat Bookstores.)

Several additional articles (available through UK library e-journals or the course e-syllabus)

1 blue book

Requirements:

This is a fairly demanding course. We will read a lot, and many of the readings are challenging. You are expected to come to every class, to have read the assigned readings and completed related writing assignments, and to be prepared to engage in discussion. Finally, you will complete an extensive library research project. Specifically:

1. Written summaries of articles, 15 percent of your final grade.

In addition to the textbook and other readings, you will read 11 empirical research studies. For each (identified below with an asterisk), you will write an annotated bibliography.

Consider annotated bibliographies a way of organizing your thoughts so that, in the future, you can reacquaint yourselves with the articles without having to reread them. Annotated bibliographies will be typed and will be no more (or less) than 1/2 page long, single-spaced. Begin each with the full bibliographical entry; most social science research uses the American Psychological Association guidelines. For your annotation, you might consider such questions as: What body of literature does the study build on? What questions does the study attempt to answer? What kind of research is reported (quantitative, qualitative, etc.)? How and from whom was data collected? How was data analyzed (statistically, heuristically, etc.)? In what way(s) does the study contribute to our better understanding of second language acquisition? What questions does the study leave unanswered? What additional studies might you suggest?

I suggest writing responses immediately after reading the articles, when they are still fresh in your mind. Your responses should only take 10 to 15 minutes.

Use your bibliographies to prepare for class discussion and for the midterm exam. I will collect annotated bibliographies on October 12 and December 16.

2. Midterm exam, 15 percent of your final grade.

In-class, October 12. Review on October 7.

3. Class discussion, 15 percent of your final grade.

Working in small groups, students will take responsibility for leading the class discussion over one of the “Individual Differences” research studies (see below). Everyone in the group must be involved in planning the discussion. Everyone must take charge of some aspect of the class presentation. Consider small-group activities, if appropriate, for no more than 15 minutes. Presentations should be lecture and discussion; plan to involve the class and to solicit responses from class members. Be prepared to draw on your knowledge about the topic beyond this study. That is, do more than summarize: contextualize, analyze, critique.

I will base my evaluation on your success conveying the content and importance of the study and involving others in a lively and interesting discussion.

4. Research literature review; annotated bibliography, 40 percent of your final grade.

You will write the first part of what might become a research article: the literature review. Early in the term, identify an area of interest in SLA. You may already have an idea; if not, scan class materials and/or talk to me.

A brief written proposal for your final project is due to me on September 14. This one-paragraph proposal should articulate the subject of your project and provide a rationale for that choice. You must have done enough research to be able to: 1) demonstrate that your topic is a viable choice (is the topic a recognized area of study in SLA? does a reasonable body of literature exist on this topic?); and 2) identify some questions about how to pursue the project (where can you find sources? how can you locate sources not held by our libraries?). You will gain skills for further research on the project during the Library Orientation (September 14).

Once you have identified your area of interest, go about researching it. Start with the references or suggested readings in our texts and with university data bases. Relevant journals include TESOL Quarterly, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Modern Language Journal, and Language Learning.

Most of these journals have their own indexing system. As you read these articles, take note in their references of other relevant articles. Track these down, and so on. Be sure to start early so that you can order articles from other libraries in the event that UK does not subscribe. You may use interlibrary loan (1st floor, Young Library) to order materials you are sure UK does not hold. Allow two weeks for materials to arrive; “rush” orders will not be honored. Return materials promptly at the end of the two-week loan period. Include full address, telephone number, and e-mail address so that ILL staff can contact you, if necessary.

Do not rely on web “articles,” which likely have not been peer reviewed and may be of dubious value. Get your information from peer-reviewed journals (which may be available electronically).

Your goal will be to understand, historically and conceptually, the thinking and study related to your interest area. This may necessitate reading studies from the 1960s through the present; I expect that your review will contain the most recent studies, as well as those with historical significance. Note that I say “studies”: with very few exceptions, your references will be to empirical research involving the collection of original data from human subjects (we will define these terms early in the semester). Under/graduates should collect 10/20 references, minimum.

A one-page progress report is due October 14. What have you done? What sources have you found? What have you learned? What problems have emerged?

A full list of your references is due to me on November 23. These references should be ordered appropriately according to the argument you intend to make in your literature review (the evolution of thinking related to your subject). For each reference, provide a one-sentence summary, showing how the study is connected to previous studies and anticipates subsequent ones.

Your written project will have two parts. Part 1 will be 1/2 page annotated bibliographies of all entries. Order these entries appropriately. Given the requirements for under/graduates, this part should be about 5/10 pages long.

Part 2 will be a literature review, as contained in nearly every research study. In your own words, describe the history of thinking related to your area of interest, using the articles you read as the basis for your discussion. Conclude with your own ideas for future study that go beyond the contemporary literature and would, therefore, contribute to our theoretical knowledge of SLA. For under/graduates discussions should be around 5/10, double-spaced pages long.

We will devote the last four classes to students’ presentations of their projects (November 30–December 9). Each presentation will be 8–10 minutes. Provide all members of the class with a detailed abstract (one page) and a list of all your references (flip side).

Your written paper is due in my office by 4 PM, December 16.

5. Class participation, 15 percent of your final grade. Active participation is encouraged and rewarded. After two absences, I will drop your participation grade one full letter grade for each class you miss, barring a very convincing excuse. Don’t miss class frivolously; save your absences for emergencies.

Daily Syllabus:

1. 8.26 Wednesday

Introduction.

2. 8:31 Monday: Assumptions About Language Learning

How Languages are Learned (HLAL): Introduction.

3. 9.2 Wednesday: Second Language Acquisition Research Methodology

HLAL: Chapter 5 (pp. 133–135); Chapter 6 (pp. 137–138).

Brown, J.D. (1991). Statistics as a foreign language—Part 1: What to look for in reading statistical language studies. TESOL Quarterly, 25(4), 569–586. (also read this Appendix).

Watson-Gegeo, K.A. (1988). Ethnography in ESL: Defining the essentials. TESOL Quarterly, 22(4), 575–592.

9.7 Monday: Labor Day Holiday

4. 9.9 Wednesday: Second Language Acquisition Research Methodology (continued)

5. 9.14 Monday: Library Orientation

How to do library research in second language acquisition. Meet in Room 108A in the basement of Young Library.

Proposal for the research project due (bring to class).

6. 9.16 Wednesday: First Language Acquisition

HLAL: Chapter 1.

7. 9.21 Monday: Early SLA Studies

HLAL: Chapter 2 (pp. 29–35).

Lado, R. (1957). Linguistics across cultures. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. Foreword; Preface; Chapter 1.

8. 9.23 Wednesday: Early SLA Studies (continued)

HLAL: Chapter 4 (pp. 77–82).

Corder, S.P. (1967). The significance of learner’s errors. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 5, 161–170.

9. 9.28 Monday: Interlanguage (Part 1)

HLAL: Chapter 4 (pp. 82–108).

*Dulay, H.C., & Burt, M.K. (1974). Natural sequences in child second language acquisition. Language Learning, 24, 37–53.

10. 9.30 Wednesday: Interlanguage (Part 1) (continued)

11. 10.5 Monday: Interlanguage (Part 2)

*Rose, K.R. (2000). An exploratory cross-sectional study of interlanguage pragmatic development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 22(1), 27–67.

12. 10.7 Wednesday: Interlanguage (Part 2) (concludes)

Midterm review

13. 10.12 Monday: Midterm Exam

First group of annotated bibliographies due

14. 10.14 Wednesday: Individual Differences

HLAL: Chapter 3.

Introduce Individual Differences Project

Research project progress report due.

15. 10.19 Monday: Individual Differences

Discuss midterm; receive midterm grades.

In-class work in Individual Differences groups.

16. 10.21 Wednesday: Individual Differences—Age

*DeKeyser, R. (2000). The robustness of critical period effects in second language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 22, 499–533.

17. 10.26 Monday: Individual Differences—Age (continued)

*Hakuta, K., Bialystok, E., & Wiley, E. (2003). Critical evidence: A test of the critical-period hypothesis for second-language acquisition. Psychological Science, 14(1), 31–38.

18. 10.28 Wednesday: Individual Differences—Gender

*Brantmeier, C. (2003). Does gender make a difference? Passage content and comprehension in second language reading. Reading in a Foreign Language, 15(1), 1–27.

19. 11.2 Monday: Individual Differences—Anxiety

*Elkhafaifi, H. (2005). Listening comprehension and anxiety in the Arabic language classroom. Modern Language Journal, 89(2), 206–220.

20. 11.4 Wednesday: Individual Differences—Motivation

*Wright, M., & McGrory, O. (2005). Motivation and the adult Irish language learner. Educational Research, 47(2), 191–204.

21. 11.9 Monday: Individual Differences—Styles and Strategies

*Carson, J., & Longhini, A. (2002). Focusing on learning styles and strategies: A diary study in an immersion setting. Language Learning, 52(2), 401–438.

22. 11.11 Wednesday: Individual Differences—Socialization

*Lam, W.S.E. (2004). Second language socialization in a bilingual chat room: Global and local considerations. Language Learning and Technology, 8(3), 44–65.

23. 11.16 Monday: Theories of SLA—Acculturation Theory

HLAL: Chapter 2 (pp. 35–51)

*Lybeck, K. (2002). Cultural identification and second language pronunciation of Americans in Norway. Modern Language Journal, 86(2), 174–191.

24. 11.18 Wednesday: Theories of SLA—Innatist Theory

*Mangubhai, F. (2001). Book floods and comprehensible input floods: Providing ideal conditions for second language acquisition. International Journal of Educational Research, 35, 147–156.

25. 11.23 Monday: Assumptions About Language Learning Revisited

Long, M. (1990). The least a second language acquisition theory needs to explain. TESOL Quarterly, 24(4), 649–666.

Ordered list of references due.

26. 11.25–28 Wednesday–Saturday: Thanksgiving holiday

27. 11.30 Monday

Student presentations begin.

28. 12.2 Wednesday

Student presentations continue.

29. 12.7 Monday

Student presentations continue.

30. 12.9 Wednesday

Student presentations conclude.

Final group of annotated bibliographies due to me 12.16 at 4 PM.

Final papers due to me 12.16 at 4 PM.

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