Idealization plays a fundamental role in scientific inquiry. This article examines the case for maintaining the claim that the second language acquisition (SLA) of grammatical structures such as negation manifests identifiable stages of acquisition. It proposes that, while research has demonstrated the need for de-idealization, there is no need to…

Responds to a previous article that attacks variabilists' accounts of second-language acquisition (SLA) by addressing the following issues: (1) the context dependency of theory in SLA research; (2) the competency performance distinction; (3) the problem of data in SLA research; and (4) explanations of SLA. (Author/VWL)

A critical examination of grammaticality judgment tasks in second-language acquisition research focuses on the theoretical assumptions underlying such tasks and describes an investigation indicating that grammaticality judgment tasks elicit a particular kind of performance that needs to be better understood before being used as a basis for…

An exploration of second language acquisition research's traditionally separate focus on learners or learning, covering the development-as-sequence model, the development-as-growth model, learning style, cognitive orientation, and affective orientation, argues that a "whole" approach to language teaching must consider both the structural nature of…

Provides an historical sketch of form-focused instruction research, defines what is meant by form-focused instruction, and discusses the main research methods that have been used to investigate form-focused instruction in terms of a broad distinction between confirmatory and interpretive research. (Author/VWL)

This article examines four sets of factors that may potentially affect the incidental vocabulary acquisition from oral input of second-language (L2) learners. These include the intrinsic properties of L2 words; the nature of the input; the role of interaction; and individual learner factors. (Contains 85 references.) (MDM)

This article examines the concept of simplification in second language (SL) learning, reviewing research on the simplified input that both naturalistic and classroom SL learners receive. Research indicates that simplified input, particularly if derived from naturally occurring interactions, does aid comprehension but has not been shown to…

This article reviews previous studies of the effects of implicit and explicit corrective feedback on SLA, pointing out a number of methodological problems. It then reports on a new study of the effects of these two types of corrective feedback on the acquisition of past tense -ed. In an experimental design (two experimental groups and a control…