ABSTRACT
In Chapter 11, we showed that the early work in second language acquisition (SLA) research was motivated by the pedagogical interests of the researchers because many of these researchers had been teachers or were still practicing teachers. As teachers,
these researchers were interested in how effective different teaching methodologies (e.g., grammar translation, audiolingualism, Silent Way (Gattegno, 1972, 1976), The Natural Approach (Terrell, 1977, 1982), community language learning (see Richards & Rodgers, 2002; and Christison, forthcoming, for detailed information about these and other “designer” methodologies) were in terms of what learners could and could not do with the target language. The studies that focused on method comparison were largely inconclusive, failing to support one methodology over another. For example, Smith (1970) and Scherer and Wertheimer (1964) compared grammar translation with audiolingual methodology and found no significant differences between the two in terms of learning outcomes. The failure of these early studies on method effectiveness led researchers to consider other questions that were directed towards how learners acquired a second language (L2). These early researchers used case studies to help them learn about the process. Although most of the early case study research dealt with individual learners and was situated in natural settings outside of the classroom, the researchers identified constructs that teachers could easily understand and relate to, such as the nature of learners’ errors and the order in which certain features of the L2 were acquired (Dulay & Burt, 1973). Much of the research in SLA today has moved away from a concern with pedagogical issues. Instead, researchers are motivated to test a linguistic theory rather than to address practical problems related to teaching second and foreign languages.
