Agendas for Language Learning Research

Reviews / Votes

The inaugural volume of the new Currents in Language Learning brings together a stellar group of scholars to address a central question: What is the role of SLA among the many disciplines investigating human language capacity? In other words, what have we learned in the past few decades, what notions inform our research practice and teaching, and what do we have to contribute to other disciplines? The result is a tour de force collection that provides us with an informed sense of the field's foundations, an insightful analysis of the disciplinary progress, including recent theoretical twists and turns, a compelling synthesis of the findings to date, and, most importantly, an inspiring vision of future directions in the field.--Aneta Pavlenko, Temple University This first issue of Currents in Language Learning moves forward the study of second language learning along multiple dimensions by demonstrating how researchers have addressed problems emanating from important contexts such as schools. The many problems demand a variety of perspectives on learners' language development; these are richly presented by researchers who have written in their respective areas of expertise. By engaging with other disciplines, the collection positions the study of second language development as critical to the understanding of human behavior and learning. The volume will be welcomed by readers eager to see second language learning take the central role it deserves in the study of learning.--Carol Chapelle, Iowa State University Informative and challenging, this collection will stimulate discussion among researchers who approach language learning from a variety of theoretical perspectives. Each chapter contains a vast amount of information, presented by skillful writers who engage the reader and invite interaction with the text. Time and again, I found myself underlining passages to share with colleagues and students.--Patsy M. Lightbown, Concordia University Currents in Language Learning, a new biennial supplement to Language Learning, aims to provide programmatic state-of-the-art overviews of current issues in the field. This first issue, consisting of contributions from Language Learning's editors and editorial board members, succeeds admirably in its goal of incorporating diverse disciplinary perspectives to survey the current scene, identify emerging trends, and chart new directions. Since the editors and board members are among the elite of the discipline, it is satisfying (though not surprising) to find here sophistication in theory and research and a keen sense of what the most important questions are and will be.--Richard Schmidt, University of Hawaii