TESOL 2004, Long Beach, California CALL-IS Academic Session:
Preparing the Next Generation of CALL Practitioners
Susanne McLaughlin, organizer

SLA in a TESOL-Technology MA Program
Carol A. Chapelle
Iowa State University, Ames IA USA

1. MA Program in TESL/Applied Linguistics at Iowa State University

* This refers to the requirements for the CALL specialization. Other specializations are assessment, ESP, and literacy. Students do not have to choose a specialization.

Faculty: Professors Carol Chapelle, Viviana Cortes, Dan Douglas, John Hagge, Volker Hegelheimer, John Levis, Barbara Schwarte, Roberta Vann

2. Second Language Acquisition Course (English/Linguistics 517)

Course Overview

This course introduces students to the objectives, methods, and findings of research investigating how people learn a second language. It will help to orient students toward the perspectives of those who investigate questions about second language acquisition (SLA) and help students to examine the published research studies on topics such as the role of linguistic input for acquisition of vocabulary, the value of conversation for language development, and the connection between identity and SLA. The course will include topics such as SLA research questions and methods, linguistic data analysis, and research on interaction. Three perspectives to SLA will be introduced—interactionist, cognitive, and sociocultural—and the role of technology in shaping current issues will be continuously revisited. Students will be asked to read several books and research articles as well as to present to the class four times. Four assignments/papers and a final exam will provide opportunities for application of the concepts and practices by requiring students to analyze language learner data, appraise research articles, conduct and report on a small-scale SLA study.

Objectives

• Identify important research questions and findings about SLA
• Explain how research paradigms, data analysis techniques, and methods of measurement help to address questions about SLA
• Analyze learner language
• Find and analyze articles reporting theory and research on SLA.
• Investigate an L2 learning task that you might use in teaching
• Develop your integrated theory of SLA that speaks to issues in L2 teaching
• Work collaboratively to talk and learn about SLA

Readings

• Learning a Second Language through Interaction by Rod Ellis
• Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course, Second Edition by Susan M. Gass and Larry Selinker
• Appraising Research in Second Language Learning: A Practical Approach to critical analysis of quantitative research by Graeme Kieth Porte
• Articles available in class, on the Web and in the library

The SLA CALL Connection

3. Future Plans: Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics & Technology (Fall 2005?)

This proposed doctoral program focuses on the issues at the intersection of applied linguistics and technology. Many English language learners today seek to participate in online learning. This and other technology-prompted trends are having an impact on the profession of applied linguistics and the teaching of English, whose professional knowledge base has come from theory, research, and practice in classrooms, test centers, and face-to-face interaction. The use of technology for teaching, assessment and communication has changed practices so they need to be reinvestigated, and to some extent, the field needs to be reconceptualized. Coursework will therefore be completed in three areas: applied linguistics, technology, and research methods. Graduates of the program will be prepared for jobs in higher education, language schools, private business, and other organizations working with English language and technology. The program objectives are for students to

• synthesize fundamental issues and concepts in applied linguistics
• be able to use computer technology for constructing and implementing materials for teaching and assessing English
• conduct empirical research and engage in critical analysis to evaluate computer applications for English language teaching and assessment
• engage in innovative teaching and assessments through the use of technology
• evaluate multiple perspectives on the spread of technology and its roles throughout world, particularly as they relate to English language teaching

4. A few references (also see our Web site at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~apling)

Chapelle, C.A. (2003). English language learning and technology: Lectures on teaching and research in the age of information and communication. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing.

Chapelle, C. (2001). Computer applications in second language acquisition: Foundations for teaching, testing, and research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Chapelle, C. A., Compton, L., Kon, E., Sauro, S. (2004). Theory, research & practice in CALL: Making the links. In L. Lomicka, & J. Cooke-Plagwitz (Eds.) Teaching with Technology, (pp. 189-208). Boston: Heinle.

Chapelle, C. & Hegelheimer, V. (in press). The English language teacher in the 21st century. In S. Fotos & C. Browne (Eds.), New Perspectives in CALL for Second Language Classrooms. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum
Conrad, S. M.. (Ed.) (2003). Special Topic Issue: Corpus Linguistics and TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 37(3).

Hegelheimer, V., Reppert, K., Daisy, B., Broberg, M., Grgurovic, M., Middlebrooks, K., & Liu, H.M. (in press) Preparing the new generation of CALL researchers and practitioners: What 9 months in an M.A. program can (or cannot) do. ReCALL Journal.

Hulstijn, J. H. (2000). The use of computer technology in experimental studies of some techniques and some ongoing studies. Language Learning & Technology, 3(2), 32-43.