Second language acquisition is a rich and varied enterprise, carried out by researchers whose interests and training often lie in broader disciplines of linguistics, psychology, sociology, and education. Second language research findings might have a direct application to instructional decisions or provide insights into the learning process that serve as a resource to inform teaching practice. Knowing how languages are learned helps language instructors to develop more innovative and effective ways to teach a language and to create the necessary conditions for learners to learn more efficiently and appropriately.
Instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) is a sub-field of second language acquisition which investigates L2 development when the learning processes are influenced, or at least intended to be influenced, by teachers, classmates or pedagogic materials. ISLA seeks to understand when and how different kinds of instructional intervention have objectively measurable effects on interlanguage development in different populations of learners.
The call for papers for the Second Issue of the new peer-reviewed journal Instructed Second Language Acquisition is now open. The journal welcomes quantitative and qualitative research to address the role of external manipulation on second language development. The following types of material for publication are invited:
• Full-length articles (8000 words)
• Short reports and summaries (2000 words)
• Reviews of books and other instructional materials (1000 words)