Principles of Second Language Learning       Final Exam

Date______________________    Name________________

Answer only four of the following questions (25 points each):

1.  Explain what is meant by form-focused instruction (FonF) in SLA.  How does this approach differ from the Grammar Translation Method?  Does FonF work?  Give specific examples from the readings assigned to this course (Ellis, 19997; Pica's  (1983) different types of instruction; Lightbown's (1991) experiments teaching adverb placement in English to French-speaking Canadians) .  How is FonF related to Pienemann's teachability hypothesis?  Give specific examples of L2 instruction and stages of development (Pienemann & Johnston's model).  Which type of FonF works best and can instruction in general subvert the natural sequence of acquisition?  

2.  Describe the two major psychological dimensions of difference in L2 acquisition/learning and explain how individual differences affect L2 acquisition/learning.  Give specific examples and evidence to support your assertions.

3.  Describe and explain Doughty & Long's (2002) language teaching methodological principles and their use in CALL to promote L2 interaction and meaning negotiations.  How does Gonzalez-Lloret use these 10 methodological principles to design a task-based CALL activity for L2 learners of Spanish?   What were some of her findings.

4.  Chapelle (1998) presents seven (7) hypotheses relevant for developing multimedia CALL.  Explain how these hypotheses could be integrated into CALL teaching/learning activities.  Define and explain the following terms: noticing of input and negotiation of meaning.  How do these factors contribute to L2 acquisition/learning?

5.  In Constructing Meaning with Computers (TJ, Fall 2002), Kamhi-Stein et al., Sotillo, Ioannou-Georgiu, Bikowski & Kessler, Sutherland-smith, and Freiermuth used Internet Chat, Web pages, wireless connectivity, discussion boards, and virtual reality to implement the major principles of constructivist learning.  Describe  each of these principles and explain how they may facilitate the L2 acquisition/learning process.  Provide examples from these studies that show how meaning is constructed among participants and how language learning is or is not facilitated in these virtual environments.

6.   The author of Out in the Boondocks presents an intergenerational view of the rural lives and education of European Americans in small, midwestern towns, and the main character in Narratives from a Rural, Southern, White Woman captures in detail the nuances and meanings of school for a woman in a southern rural, White culture.  How do these experiences inform multicultural education in contemporary multilingual and multicultural American schools?  How could you make the authors' school experiences relevant to students in 21st century American urban school systems?

7.  In Education in the United States, Jose and Felipe describe their school experiences growing up in New York City and traveling back to Puerto Rico.  How did their educational experiences in both the United States and Puerto Rico impact on their lives and contribute to their philosophies of teaching and learning for self-determination and emancipation?  How were the authors' culture and language viewed by teachers and administrators in American schools? 

8.  In Finding Our Voices, Finding Ourselves, the authors describe their process of acquiring a second language and culture in an educational system that does not officially recognize the importance of speaking more than two languages.  How did their different socioeconomic backgrounds and cultural traditions affect the process of accommodation to American socio-cultural norms?  Give specific examples.