Butler and Huang’s book is one of the first to focus on second language (L2) development research methods and techniques specifically targeted at children of primary and pre-primary years. The last decade has seen a growing number of L2 studies of children aged 4–12, a demographic with special developmental characteristics that confound research methods designed for studying adults. Written by experts from a variety of disciplines, this book covers major research methods and techniques in existing L2 development research, including observations, surveys, interviews, introspective methods, speech production methods, receptive methods, eye tracking, and brain imaging, as well as research methods specifically designed for L2 children with special educational needs. The book also discusses various age-related considerations and challenges if they are employed to young L2 learners. This will be essential reading for SLA, child development, and TESOL researchers, and students in these courses will benefit particularly from pedagogical material such as further readings and discussion questions.

The second edition of Theories in Second Language Acquisition seeks to build on the strengths of the first edition by surveying the major theories currently used in second language acquisition research. This volume is an ideal introductory text for undergraduate and graduate students in SLA and language teaching. Each chapter focuses on a single theory, written by a leading scholar in the field in an easy-to-follow style – a basic foundational description of the theory, relevant data or research models used with this theory, common misunderstandings, and a sample study from the field to show the theory in practice. This text is designed to provide a consistent and coherent presentation for those new to the field who seek basic understanding of theories that underlie contemporary SLA research. Researchers will also find the book useful as a "quick guide" to theoretical work outside their respective domains.

This new volume of work highlights the distinctiveness of child SLA through a collection of different types of empirical research specific to younger learners. Characteristics of children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development distinguish their experiences from those of adult L2 learners, creating intriguing issues for SLA research, and also raising important practical questions regarding effective pedagogical techniques for learners of different ages. While child SLA is often typically thought of as simple (and often enjoyable and universally effortless), in other words, as “child’s play”, the complex portraits of young second language learners which emerge in the 16 papers collected in this book invite the reader to reconsider the reality for many younger learners. Chapters by internationally renowned authors together with reports by emerging researchers describe second and foreign language learning by children ranging from pre-schoolers to young adolescents, in home and school contexts, with caregivers, peers, and teachers as interlocutors.

This book forms an invaluable reference work for all teachers of second languages and researchers in the field of L2 acquisition. It discusses the contribution that modern research into L2 acquisition makes to the curriculum development process. It also provides the reader with arguments for and against the various approaches to teaching.

This book provides the most updated discussion of the most important issues facing students, scholars, and researchers in second language acquisition research and development. Contents: Current Issues in Second Language Acquisition and Development: An Introduction, Carol A. Blackshire-Belay; Section 1: Language Development and Transfer. Native Language Transfer and Universal Simplification, Robin Sabino; Aspect Transferability (Or: What Gets Lost in the Translation-and Why?), Terence Odlin; Creole Verb Serialization: Transfer or Spontaneity? Frank Byrne; Section 2: Learner Variables in Second Language Acquisition. Contexts for Second Language Acquisition, Elsa Lattey; Language Acquisition, Biography and Bilingualism, Ulrich Steinmuller; Acquisition of Japanese by American Businessmen in Tokyo: How Much and Why? Yoshiko Matsumoto; Section 3: Issues in Interlanguage Development. Abrupt Restructuring Versus Gradual Acquisition, Hanna Pishwa; Variability in Grammatical Analysis: On Recognizing Verbal Markers in Foreign Workers' German, Carol A. Blackshire-Belay; Sketch of an Interlanguage Rule System: Advanced Nonnative German Gender Assignment, Joe Salmons.

A clear and practical introduction to second language acquisition, written for students encountering the topic for the first time.