Nina Spada
Biographic Data
| ID | 1692441 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nina Spada |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nina |
| FAMILY NAME | Spada |
| SIGNATURE | SPADA N |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Toronto |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 171 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 30 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1985 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Lightbown, Patsy M.
Patsy M. Lightbown is a pioneer in the field of classroom research (CR) on second language (L2) learning and teaching.
Form‐Focused Instruction
Form‐focused instruction (FFI) is defined as an L2) teaching approach in which learners' attention is drawn to language forms within primarily meaning/content‐based instruction. FFI includes explicit and implicit instruction and corrective feedback and can be provided in both planned and spontaneous ways. Considerable research has examined type of FFI (i.e. explicit and implicit), and the overall findings indicate benefits for both types on diffe…
In it Together
In discussions about relationships between research and pedagogy, teachers and researchers are often characterized as facing each other across a “gap” that separates them. Teachers are described as having practical concerns about their own classrooms and little patience for “theoretical” issues. Researchers are described as removed from day‐to‐day classroom concerns and oriented to more abstract factors that, if not “universal,” are at least “gen…
Reflecting on task-based language teaching from an Instructed SLA perspective
Task-based language teaching (TBLT) and instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) have much in common in terms of theory, research, and educational relevance. The distinguishing characteristic between the two is that TBLT adopts communicative tasks as the central unit for instruction and assessment, whereas ISLA comprises a broader range of instructional activities and assessment practices. In this presentation, I focus on two of the conferen…
Teaching and learning L2 in the classroom
One of the challenges facing second and foreign language (L2) teachers and learners in primary and secondary school settings is the limited amount of time available. There is disagreement about how to meet this challenge. In this paper we argue against two ‘common sense’ recommendations for increasing instructional time – start as early as possible and use only the L2 (avoiding the use of the first language (L1)) in the classroom. We propose two …
Classroom Research
Classroom research (CR) in applied linguistics has evolved from descriptions of pedagogic practices used for second/foreign language (L2) teacher training purposes, to experimental investigations of the effects of different types of instruction on L2 learning, to ethnographic studies of the social and cultural factors that contribute to L2 development in classroom settings. Influenced by a wide range of theoretical frameworks and methodological a…
Exploring second language learners’ grammaticality judgment performance in relation to task design features
Is There a Better Time to Focus on Form? Teacher and Learner Views
This study investigated the views of teachers and learners regarding the timing of grammatical instruction, conceptualized as a distinction between isolated and integrated form‐focused instruction ( FFI ) proposed by Spada and Lightbown (2008). Both types of FFI are described as taking place in primarily meaning‐based communicative classrooms. They differ in that isolated FFI occurs separately from communicative activities, whereas integrated FFI…
SLA research and L2 pedagogy
There has been considerable debate about the relevance and applicability of SLA theory and research for L2 pedagogy. There are those who maintain that SLA must be applicable to L2 pedagogy: a view based on the argument that because SLA is a subfield of applied linguistics, it should have direct relevance to L2 teaching. Others take the view that not all areas of SLA research need to be relevant to L2 pedagogy – only the more ‘applied’ areas. Whil…
Validating an Elicited Imitation Task as a Measure of Implicit Knowledge
This study builds on research investigating the construct validity of elicited imitation (EI) as a measure of implicit second language (L2) grammatical knowledge. It differs from previous studies in that the EI task focuses on a single grammatical feature and time on task is strictly controlled. Seventy-three EFL learners and 20 native English speakers completed the EI and four other tests hypothesized as measures of implicit or explicit L2 knowl…
Classroom Research
Classroom research (CR) in applied linguistics has evolved from descriptions of pedagogic practices used primarily for second/foreign language (L2) teacher training purposes, to experimental investigations of the effects of instruction on L2 learning, to analyses of a wide range of learner factors that are thought to contribute to more (or less) successful learning. Below CR is defined along with a description of how it has evolved, how it has be…
Beyond form-focused instruction
In 1997 I published a paper in Language Teaching entitled ‘Form-focused instruction and second language acquisition: A review of classroom and laboratory research’. The paper reviewed the results of studies investigating the effects of form-focused instruction (FFI) on second language (L2) learning. It was organized around seven questions, including: whether FFI is beneficial to L2 learning; whether particular types of FFI are more beneficial; wh…
Awareness of L1/L2 differences
This study is an investigation of the extent to which francophone learners of English as a second language (ESL) are aware of the differences between French and English question formation and how such awareness relates to their L2 performance. Three tasks were administered to 58 grades 5 and 6 francophone ESL learners. In a grammaticality judgement task, learners were asked to judge the grammaticality of English Wh– and yes/no questions. In a scr…
Interactions Between Type of Instruction and Type of Language Feature
A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of explicit and implicit instruction on the acquisition of simple and complex grammatical features in English. The target features in the 41 studies contributing to the meta-analysis were categorized as simple or complex based on the number of criteria applied to arrive at the correct target form (Hulstijn & de Graaff, 1994). The instructional treatments were classified as explicit or impli…
Developing a questionnaire to investigate second language learners’ preferences for two types of form-focused instruction
Form‐Focused Instruction
There is increasing consensus that form‐focused instruction helps learners in communicative or content‐based instruction to learn features of the target language that they may not acquire without guidance. The subject of this article is the role of instruction that is provided in separate (isolated) activities or within the context of communicative activities (integrated). Research suggests that both types of instruction can be beneficial, depend…
One Size Fits All?
This quasi-experimental study investigated the potential benefits of two corrective feedback techniques (recasts and prompts) for learners of different proficiency levels. Sixty-four students in three intact grade 6 intensive English as a second language classes in the Montreal area were assigned to the two experimental conditions—one received corrective feedback in the form of recasts and the other in the form of prompts—and a control group. The…
Revue des revues / Survey of periodicals
Recasts as Feedback to Language Learners
Some researchers suggest that recasts are effective in showing learners how their current interlanguage differs from the target (Long & Robinson, 1998). Others have argued that recasts are ambiguous and may be perceived by the learner as confirmation of meaning rather than feedback on form (Lyster, 1998a). We review research on the effectiveness of recasts in first and second language acquisition, paying particular attention to how recasts have b…
Do They Know What They're Doing? L2 Learners' Awareness of L1 Influence
In this paper we report on the extent to which learners can make explicit L1 rules which appear to influence their L2 performance. The learners were 11–12-year-old francophone students learning English in intensive communicative ESL classes in Quebec. In previous research we had found that their knowledge and use of English questions and adverbs, while systematic, was not target-like. In question forms, the pattern in their interlanguage reflecte…
Time and the Distribution of Time in L2 Instruction
LAURA COLLINSUniversity of VictoriaRANDALL H. HALTERConcordia UniversityPATSY M. LIGHTBOWNConcordia UniversityNINA SPADAMcGill UniversityIn the French primary schools of Quebec, increased popularity inexperimental programs that provide young Francophone learners withintensive ESL instruction has been accompanied by increased variationin the way the instructional time is distributed. In a massed program,students complete the regular curriculum in …
Form-Focussed Instruction and Second Language Acquisition
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Macroscopic and Microscopic Views of L2 Classrooms
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Holliday, A. (1994). Appropriate methodology and social context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and culture in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Chaos/complexity science and second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 18, 141-165. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambri…
How Languages Are Learned
An Innovative Program for Primary ESL Students in Quebec
An innovative intensive ESL program in Quebec is the focus of this article. As a background to the presentation of research carried out within this program, the context and conditions of ESL teaching in Quebec's French-language schools are briefly described. In these schools, where all subject matter instruction is normally provided in French, the program gives some students in Grade 5 or Grade 6 access to intensive instruction in ESL. For 5 mont…
Interactions Between Type of Instruction and Type of Language Feature
A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of explicit and implicit instruction on the acquisition of simple and complex grammatical features in English. The target features in the 41 studies contributing to the meta-analysis were categorized as simple or complex based on the number of criteria applied to arrive at the correct target form (Hulstijn & de Graaff, 1994). The instructional treatments were classified as explicit or impli…
Recasts as Feedback to Language Learners
Some researchers suggest that recasts are effective in showing learners how their current interlanguage differs from the target (Long & Robinson, 1998). Others have argued that recasts are ambiguous and may be perceived by the learner as confirmation of meaning rather than feedback on form (Lyster, 1998a). We review research on the effectiveness of recasts in first and second language acquisition, paying particular attention to how recasts have b…
Validating an Elicited Imitation Task as a Measure of Implicit Knowledge
This study builds on research investigating the construct validity of elicited imitation (EI) as a measure of implicit second language (L2) grammatical knowledge. It differs from previous studies in that the EI task focuses on a single grammatical feature and time on task is strictly controlled. Seventy-three EFL learners and 20 native English speakers completed the EI and four other tests hypothesized as measures of implicit or explicit L2 knowl…
Form‐Focused Instruction
There is increasing consensus that form‐focused instruction helps learners in communicative or content‐based instruction to learn features of the target language that they may not acquire without guidance. The subject of this article is the role of instruction that is provided in separate (isolated) activities or within the context of communicative activities (integrated). Research suggests that both types of instruction can be beneficial, depend…
Time and the Distribution of Time in L2 Instruction
LAURA COLLINSUniversity of VictoriaRANDALL H. HALTERConcordia UniversityPATSY M. LIGHTBOWNConcordia UniversityNINA SPADAMcGill UniversityIn the French primary schools of Quebec, increased popularity inexperimental programs that provide young Francophone learners withintensive ESL instruction has been accompanied by increased variationin the way the instructional time is distributed. In a massed program,students complete the regular curriculum in …
SLA research and L2 pedagogy
There has been considerable debate about the relevance and applicability of SLA theory and research for L2 pedagogy. There are those who maintain that SLA must be applicable to L2 pedagogy: a view based on the argument that because SLA is a subfield of applied linguistics, it should have direct relevance to L2 teaching. Others take the view that not all areas of SLA research need to be relevant to L2 pedagogy – only the more ‘applied’ areas. Whil…
Beyond form-focused instruction
In 1997 I published a paper in Language Teaching entitled ‘Form-focused instruction and second language acquisition: A review of classroom and laboratory research’. The paper reviewed the results of studies investigating the effects of form-focused instruction (FFI) on second language (L2) learning. It was organized around seven questions, including: whether FFI is beneficial to L2 learning; whether particular types of FFI are more beneficial; wh…
An Innovative Program for Primary ESL Students in Quebec
An innovative intensive ESL program in Quebec is the focus of this article. As a background to the presentation of research carried out within this program, the context and conditions of ESL teaching in Quebec's French-language schools are briefly described. In these schools, where all subject matter instruction is normally provided in French, the program gives some students in Grade 5 or Grade 6 access to intensive instruction in ESL. For 5 mont…
Differences in the Communicative Orientation of L2 Classrooms
In recent years, the development of communicative competence has become the explicit focus of numerous second language teaching programs. Although models of communicative compe-tence and principles of communicative language teaching have been discussed extensively in the literature and a variety of communicative materials have been developed, very little research has been carried out to examine the relationship between actual classroom practices …
Developing a questionnaire to investigate second language learners’ preferences for two types of form-focused instruction
Exploring second language learners’ grammaticality judgment performance in relation to task design features
Alternatives in Tesol Research
Alister Cumming, Elaine Tarone, Andrew D. Cohen, Ulla Connor, Nina Spada, Nancy H. Hornberger, Alastair Pennycook, Elsa Auerbach, Alternatives in TESOL Research: Descriptive, Interpretive, and Ideological Orientations, TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Winter, 1994), pp. 673-703
Is There a Better Time to Focus on Form? Teacher and Learner Views
This study investigated the views of teachers and learners regarding the timing of grammatical instruction, conceptualized as a distinction between isolated and integrated form‐focused instruction ( FFI ) proposed by Spada and Lightbown (2008). Both types of FFI are described as taking place in primarily meaning‐based communicative classrooms. They differ in that isolated FFI occurs separately from communicative activities, whereas integrated FFI…
Reflecting on task-based language teaching from an Instructed SLA perspective
Task-based language teaching (TBLT) and instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) have much in common in terms of theory, research, and educational relevance. The distinguishing characteristic between the two is that TBLT adopts communicative tasks as the central unit for instruction and assessment, whereas ISLA comprises a broader range of instructional activities and assessment practices. In this presentation, I focus on two of the conferen…
Teaching and learning L2 in the classroom
One of the challenges facing second and foreign language (L2) teachers and learners in primary and secondary school settings is the limited amount of time available. There is disagreement about how to meet this challenge. In this paper we argue against two ‘common sense’ recommendations for increasing instructional time – start as early as possible and use only the L2 (avoiding the use of the first language (L1)) in the classroom. We propose two …
Macroscopic and Microscopic Views of L2 Classrooms
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Holliday, A. (1994). Appropriate methodology and social context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and culture in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Chaos/complexity science and second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 18, 141-165. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambri…
Differences in the Communicative Orientation of L2 Classrooms
In recent years, the development of communicative competence has become the explicit focus of numerous second language teaching programs. Although models of communicative compe-tence and principles of communicative language teaching have been discussed extensively in the literature and a variety of communicative materials have been developed, very little research has been carried out to examine the relationship between actual classroom practices …
Relationships Between Instructional Differences and Learning Outcomes
This article reports on the results of a process-product study investigating possible relationships between instructional differences and learning outcomes in a communicatively-based ESL programme. To investigate instructional differences, sixty hours of classroom observation data were collected from three classes of adult intermediate-level learners using an observation scheme which was particularly sensitive to the communicative orientation of …
Focus-on-Form and Corrective Feedback in Communicative Language Teaching
The developing oral English of approximately 100 second language learners (four intact classes) was examined in this study. The learners were native speakers of French (aged 10–12 years) who had received a 5-month intensive ESL course in either grade 5 or grade 6 in elementary schools in Quebec. A large corpus of classroom observation data was also analyzed. Substantial between-class differences were found in the accuracy with which students used…
Input Enhancement and L2 Question Formation
In this study, we investigate the extent to which form-focused instruction and corrective feedback (i.e. ‘input enhancement’), provided within a primarily communicative program, contribute to learners' accuracy in question formation. Over a two-week period, three experimental classes of beginner level francophone ESL learners(aged 10–12 years) were exposed to a variety of input enhancement activities on question formation. Their performance on pa…
An Innovative Program for Primary ESL Students in Quebec
An innovative intensive ESL program in Quebec is the focus of this article. As a background to the presentation of research carried out within this program, the context and conditions of ESL teaching in Quebec's French-language schools are briefly described. In these schools, where all subject matter instruction is normally provided in French, the program gives some students in Grade 5 or Grade 6 access to intensive instruction in ESL. For 5 mont…
Alternatives in Tesol Research
Alister Cumming, Elaine Tarone, Andrew D. Cohen, Ulla Connor, Nina Spada, Nancy H. Hornberger, Alastair Pennycook, Elsa Auerbach, Alternatives in TESOL Research: Descriptive, Interpretive, and Ideological Orientations, TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Winter, 1994), pp. 673-703
How Languages Are Learned
Form-Focussed Instruction and Second Language Acquisition
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Macroscopic and Microscopic Views of L2 Classrooms
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Holliday, A. (1994). Appropriate methodology and social context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and culture in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Chaos/complexity science and second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 18, 141-165. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambri…
Time and the Distribution of Time in L2 Instruction
LAURA COLLINSUniversity of VictoriaRANDALL H. HALTERConcordia UniversityPATSY M. LIGHTBOWNConcordia UniversityNINA SPADAMcGill UniversityIn the French primary schools of Quebec, increased popularity inexperimental programs that provide young Francophone learners withintensive ESL instruction has been accompanied by increased variationin the way the instructional time is distributed. In a massed program,students complete the regular curriculum in …
Do They Know What They're Doing? L2 Learners' Awareness of L1 Influence
In this paper we report on the extent to which learners can make explicit L1 rules which appear to influence their L2 performance. The learners were 11–12-year-old francophone students learning English in intensive communicative ESL classes in Quebec. In previous research we had found that their knowledge and use of English questions and adverbs, while systematic, was not target-like. In question forms, the pattern in their interlanguage reflecte…
Recasts as Feedback to Language Learners
Some researchers suggest that recasts are effective in showing learners how their current interlanguage differs from the target (Long & Robinson, 1998). Others have argued that recasts are ambiguous and may be perceived by the learner as confirmation of meaning rather than feedback on form (Lyster, 1998a). We review research on the effectiveness of recasts in first and second language acquisition, paying particular attention to how recasts have b…
Revue des revues / Survey of periodicals
One Size Fits All?
This quasi-experimental study investigated the potential benefits of two corrective feedback techniques (recasts and prompts) for learners of different proficiency levels. Sixty-four students in three intact grade 6 intensive English as a second language classes in the Montreal area were assigned to the two experimental conditions—one received corrective feedback in the form of recasts and the other in the form of prompts—and a control group. The…
Form‐Focused Instruction
There is increasing consensus that form‐focused instruction helps learners in communicative or content‐based instruction to learn features of the target language that they may not acquire without guidance. The subject of this article is the role of instruction that is provided in separate (isolated) activities or within the context of communicative activities (integrated). Research suggests that both types of instruction can be beneficial, depend…
Developing a questionnaire to investigate second language learners’ preferences for two types of form-focused instruction
Awareness of L1/L2 differences
This study is an investigation of the extent to which francophone learners of English as a second language (ESL) are aware of the differences between French and English question formation and how such awareness relates to their L2 performance. Three tasks were administered to 58 grades 5 and 6 francophone ESL learners. In a grammaticality judgement task, learners were asked to judge the grammaticality of English Wh– and yes/no questions. In a scr…
Interactions Between Type of Instruction and Type of Language Feature
A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of explicit and implicit instruction on the acquisition of simple and complex grammatical features in English. The target features in the 41 studies contributing to the meta-analysis were categorized as simple or complex based on the number of criteria applied to arrive at the correct target form (Hulstijn & de Graaff, 1994). The instructional treatments were classified as explicit or impli…
Beyond form-focused instruction
In 1997 I published a paper in Language Teaching entitled ‘Form-focused instruction and second language acquisition: A review of classroom and laboratory research’. The paper reviewed the results of studies investigating the effects of form-focused instruction (FFI) on second language (L2) learning. It was organized around seven questions, including: whether FFI is beneficial to L2 learning; whether particular types of FFI are more beneficial; wh…
Classroom Research
Classroom research (CR) in applied linguistics has evolved from descriptions of pedagogic practices used primarily for second/foreign language (L2) teacher training purposes, to experimental investigations of the effects of instruction on L2 learning, to analyses of a wide range of learner factors that are thought to contribute to more (or less) successful learning. Below CR is defined along with a description of how it has evolved, how it has be…
SLA research and L2 pedagogy
There has been considerable debate about the relevance and applicability of SLA theory and research for L2 pedagogy. There are those who maintain that SLA must be applicable to L2 pedagogy: a view based on the argument that because SLA is a subfield of applied linguistics, it should have direct relevance to L2 teaching. Others take the view that not all areas of SLA research need to be relevant to L2 pedagogy – only the more ‘applied’ areas. Whil…
Validating an Elicited Imitation Task as a Measure of Implicit Knowledge
This study builds on research investigating the construct validity of elicited imitation (EI) as a measure of implicit second language (L2) grammatical knowledge. It differs from previous studies in that the EI task focuses on a single grammatical feature and time on task is strictly controlled. Seventy-three EFL learners and 20 native English speakers completed the EI and four other tests hypothesized as measures of implicit or explicit L2 knowl…
Is There a Better Time to Focus on Form? Teacher and Learner Views
This study investigated the views of teachers and learners regarding the timing of grammatical instruction, conceptualized as a distinction between isolated and integrated form‐focused instruction ( FFI ) proposed by Spada and Lightbown (2008). Both types of FFI are described as taking place in primarily meaning‐based communicative classrooms. They differ in that isolated FFI occurs separately from communicative activities, whereas integrated FFI…
Classroom Research
Classroom research (CR) in applied linguistics has evolved from descriptions of pedagogic practices used for second/foreign language (L2) teacher training purposes, to experimental investigations of the effects of different types of instruction on L2 learning, to ethnographic studies of the social and cultural factors that contribute to L2 development in classroom settings. Influenced by a wide range of theoretical frameworks and methodological a…
Exploring second language learners’ grammaticality judgment performance in relation to task design features
EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (28 works) · Psychology (28 works) · Linguistics (24 works) · Mathematics education (24 works) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (22 works) · Second Language Acquisition and Learning (15 works) · Computer Science (13 works) · Pedagogy (11 works) · Second-language acquisition (11 works) · Philosophy (8 works)