ABSTRACT
The purpose of the book was to take stock of twenty years of research in the SLA field. The book attempts to do this by sifting through the research findings of these two decades, distilling generalizations whenever possible. Doubtless not all of our generalizations will hold up under the scrutiny of further investigation. Nevertheless, it is to such investigation that we are committed. More specifically, He has called for two research agendas. The first is for basic research which continues to address the many areas and issues treated within this book, but seeks to do so in a way which includes a greater variety of L1s and L2s, systems of language in addition to morphology and syntax, and a greater cognizance of the role of learner factors. The second research agenda should be constructed of theory-driven qualitative and quantitative applied research studies which concentrate on improving our understanding of the effect of choosing from among particular instructional design features.
