Issues of narrowness and staticity in ISLA

Abstract

Interest in instructed second-language acquisition (ISLA) (i.e., the learning of an additional language in a formal setting), has been with us since the inception of the field of second-language acquisition (e.g., Corder, 1967). How the learning outcome can be effectively and efficiently improved through external intervention has been a perennial yet fascinating question for scholars and practitioners alike. Collectively, extant studies are illuminating, but many are palpably one-off attempts, atomistic and reductionist in their conceptualisation, implementation and interpretation. As such, they are prone to weak internal and external validity. In this article, I call attention to two issues – narrowness and staticity – in this body of work, advancing a case for the necessity to adopt a systemic and dynamic approach to investigating instructed learning. I close by proffering thoughts on how to enact such an approach in experimental and natural settings.