Susan M Ga
Biographic Data
| ID | 737079 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Susan M Ga |
| GIVEN NAMES | Susan M |
| FAMILY NAME | Ga |
| SIGNATURE | GA S M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Michigan State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5222-3319 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 63 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 236 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 63 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1980 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Kimberly Geeslin, In Memoriam
An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the ‘Save PDF’ action button
Discussions on the past, present, and future of quantitative research ethics in applied linguistics
An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the 'Save PDF' action button
Effects of Form-Focused Practice and Feedback
We conducted a multisite replication of Yang and Lyster's (2010) study investigating the effects of recasts and prompts on learning English regular and irregular past tense. Our study was conducted with intact high school and vocational school classes in Italy and Bosnia. Our participants were young adolescents (14-15 and 16-17 years old), a population that has been largely ignored in second language acquisition (SLA) research. We followed the de…
Use it or lose it? Spell it? Sign it
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
Editor’s Message
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
Editor’s Message
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
Coming of age
First, we trace the history of second language acquisition (SLA) from early stages in the mid-twentieth century to today. We next consider the status of the field in today's research world with a particular focus on all aspects of methodology and, finally, we take a look at the future and discuss issues related to scientific rigor in light of Open Science
Introducing the Ssla Methods Forum
An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the 'Save PDF' action button
Using the ACTFL OPIc to assess proficiency and monitor progress in a tertiary foreign languages program
Language tests are useful for many purposes, including monitoring language learning progress and evaluating language programs. This study investigated the interpretations and usefulness of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview – Computer (OPIc) scores across four languages at a large US public university, focusing on (1) the influence of learner backgrounds on oral proficiency variation and g…
A methodological synthesis and meta-analysis of judgment tasks in second language research
Judgment tasks (JTs, often called acceptability or grammaticality judgment tasks) are found extensively throughout the history of second language (L2) research. Data from such instruments have been used to investigate a range of hypotheses and phenomena, from generativist theories to instructional effectiveness. Though popular and convenient, JTs have engendered considerable controversy, with concerns often centered on their construct validity in…
Using different carrots
This study represents program‐level action research. A U.S. university Spanish language program had a goal for students to reach the ACTFL (2012) Intermediate Mid level after 2 years. An empirical question that resulted after regular end‐of‐year testing was whether the students were doing their best on assessments. To investigate this, 253 end‐of‐second‐year students were divided into two experimental conditions: (a) 95 students received up to 10…
Coda 1 World Englishes and Second Language Acquisition
Although some have argued that world Englishes and Second Language Acquisition are in a relationship of conflict, my own view is that this is not necessarily the case. Indeed, it is possible to argue that the relationship between the two paradigms is better characterized as ‘benign neglect’ rather than that of conflict. Both fields, I would suggest, might benefit from truly collaborative research and scholarship, but such collaboration does not n…
Conducting Research at Language Centers
The focus in this article is on research in language centers. Four center directors provide examples of the place of research in language centers and focus on how teachers and researchers work together to facilitate large action research projects. The first section describes a survey of instructors in U.S.‐based intensive English programs ( IEP s). The other sections then illustrate how research is encouraged and developed through clear framework…
Ethics in Isla
This chapter focuses on a range of ethical issues that arise in research conducted in second language classrooms and to provide guidance as researchers navigate difficult ethical and moral decisions. Recent research related to ethics training has shown that applied linguistic and second language scholars do receive training in the topic but tend to do so through the guise of institutional review board (IRB) certification or informal training. In …
Commentary 1
Exploring the boundaries of research ethics
Assessing the Validity of ACTFL Can‐Do Statements for Spoken Proficiency
The NCSSFL‐ACTFL Can‐Do Statements describe what language learners can do at the various ACTFL proficiency sublevels. Unlike the European equivalent of the Can‐Do Statements (the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), few researchers have assessed the construct validity of the NCSSFL‐ACTFL statements. Concerns have included whether the difficulty levels of the skills described in the statements match the statements’ assigned profi…
The path I took
A professional journey is always part personal and mine is no exception. How does an individual from the Midwest of the United States get involved with language? It is something I have pondered for a long time along with the additional question of how that involvement translated into a profession. I hardly see it as a profession; rather, it was a life-long love of language that took me down a professional path
The Language Flagship Proficiency Initiative
The Center for Language Teaching Advancement (CeLTA) at Michigan State University (MSU) was awarded a U.S. federally funded two-year grant in 2014 to investigate the status of proficiency, and the promotion of proficiency, in foreign language programs. The grant was awarded to Paula Winke and Susan Gass, as principal investigators. The purpose of this initiative was to assess language proficiency development and to show the impact that introducin…
Second Language Research
In this second edition of the best-selling Second Language Research, Alison Mackey and Sue Gass continue to guide students step-by-step through conducting the second language research process with a clear and comprehensive overview of the core issues in second language research. Supported by a wealth of data examples from actual studies, the book examines questions of what is meant by research and what defines good research questions, covering su…
Second language acquisition and linguistics
We argue for a bidirectional relationship between second language research and linguistic theories. It is our belief that SLA research should look to linguistics for concepts and models that provide a basis upon which to make hypotheses, conduct data analysis, and draw conclusions, and we also believe that linguistic theorists can develop and improve their understanding of linguistic concepts and models by examining the results from SLA studies. …
Replication in interaction and working memory research
This paper argues for the replication of two studies, both of which consider feedback and working memory. In the first part of this paper, we discuss the role of interaction-based research and working memory research in second language acquisition research. We then describe two studies that have unified these two areas in recent published articles and discuss ways that replication can further our knowledge in how working memory capacity can impac…
Raters’ L2 background as a potential source of bias in rating oral performance
Based on evidence that listeners may favor certain foreign accents over others (Gass & Varonis, 1984; Major, Fitzmaurice, Bunta, & Balasubramanian, 2002; Tauroza & Luk, 1997) and that language-test raters may better comprehend and/or rate the speech of test takers whose native languages (L1s) are more familiar on some level (Carey, Mannell, & Dunn, 2011; Fayer & Krasinski, 1987; Scales, Wennerstrom, Richard, & Wu, 2006), we investigated whether a…
The Influence of Second Language Experience and Accent Familiarity on Oral Proficiency Rating
This study investigates whether raters' knowledge of test takers' first language (L1) affects how the raters orient themselves to the task of rating oral speech. The authors qualitatively investigated the effects of accent familiarity on raters' score assignment processes. Twenty‐six trained raters with a second language of Mandarin Chinese, Korean, or Spanish rated English speech samples from 72 English language learners from three L1 background…
Variables
Why are variables important? Variables identify ideas in research studies in terms of their roles, their definitions, and their measurement.
The Effect of Familiarity on the Comprehensibility of Nonnative Speech
This study reports on data collected to investigate the effect of various types of familiarity on native speaker comprehension of nonnative speaker speech. We discuss the effects of familiarity with topic, familiarity with nonnative speech in general, familiarity with a nonnative accent in particular, and familiarity with a particular nonnative. Our results indicate that while the most important of these variables is familiarity with topic, the o…
Quantitative Research Methods, Study Quality, and Outcomes
This article constitutes the first empirical assessment of methodological quality in second language acquisition (SLA). We surveyed a corpus of 174 studies (N = 7,951) within the tradition of research on second-language interaction, one of the longest and most influential traditions of inquiry in SLA. Each report was coded for methodological features, statistical analyses, and reporting practices associated with research quality, and the resultin…
A methodological synthesis and meta-analysis of judgment tasks in second language research
Judgment tasks (JTs, often called acceptability or grammaticality judgment tasks) are found extensively throughout the history of second language (L2) research. Data from such instruments have been used to investigate a range of hypotheses and phenomena, from generativist theories to instructional effectiveness. Though popular and convenient, JTs have engendered considerable controversy, with concerns often centered on their construct validity in…
Miscommunication in native/nonnative conversation
In this paper we discuss miscommunication in exchanges between native speakers and nonnative speakers of a language, focusing on an analysis of a service encounter telephone conversation between a nonnative speaker and a native speaker television repair shop employee. We present a goal-based model of conversation and a coding system for interpreting utterances, both of which are necessary for understanding the type of miscommunication which occur…
Task-Based Interactions in Classroom and Laboratory Settings
While there is general agreement that conversational interaction can facilitate interlanguage development, much of the research on interaction has been conducted in experimental aboratory settings. Questions have been raised about the generalizability of the benefits observed in the laboratory to the classroom setting. The current research compared interaction in classrooms and laboratories. Seventy-four university-level students learning Spanish…
Coming of age
First, we trace the history of second language acquisition (SLA) from early stages in the mid-twentieth century to today. We next consider the status of the field in today's research world with a particular focus on all aspects of methodology and, finally, we take a look at the future and discuss issues related to scientific rigor in light of Open Science
L2 Data
This article examines the relationship between language universals and language acquisition. To investigate this relationship we compared data from a) Sheldon's (1974) study of the acquisition of relative clauses by children learning their first language, b) Goodson and Greenfield's (1975) study of cognitive development in children as it relates to the results of Sheldon's study, c) Gass's (1979) study of the acquisition of relative clauses by ad…
The Influence of Second Language Experience and Accent Familiarity on Oral Proficiency Rating
This study investigates whether raters' knowledge of test takers' first language (L1) affects how the raters orient themselves to the task of rating oral speech. The authors qualitatively investigated the effects of accent familiarity on raters' score assignment processes. Twenty‐six trained raters with a second language of Mandarin Chinese, Korean, or Spanish rated English speech samples from 72 English language learners from three L1 background…
The Effects of Task Repetition on Linguistic Output
This article explores form/meaning relationships, focussing on the use learners make of their internal L2 linguistic resources as a function of focus on meaning. Native speakers ofEnglish watched video segments 4 times while recording their own on-line rendition in Spanish. One group watched the same video 3 times and the other group watched different videos each time. At Time 4 both experimental groups saw a new video. A control group saw videos…
Assessing the Validity of ACTFL Can‐Do Statements for Spoken Proficiency
The NCSSFL‐ACTFL Can‐Do Statements describe what language learners can do at the various ACTFL proficiency sublevels. Unlike the European equivalent of the Can‐Do Statements (the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), few researchers have assessed the construct validity of the NCSSFL‐ACTFL statements. Concerns have included whether the difficulty levels of the skills described in the statements match the statements’ assigned profi…
Differential Effects of Attention
This study questions the extent to which attention differentially affects different parts of language and how this differential effect interacts with increased linguistic knowledge (i.e., proficiency). Thirty-four English speakers enrolled in Italian 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-year foriegn language courses in the United States were placed into one of two conditions ([+focused attention] and [−focused attention]) for each of three linguistic areas (synta…
The Development of L2 Intuitions
Peer Reviewed
Exploring the boundaries of research ethics
The use of statistics in L2 acquisition research
Second language acquisition (SLA) as a discipline has not had a long history and, as any new discipline, has seen growing pains over the years. This research timeline traces the development of the increased and more sophisticated use of statistics in SLA research and the increasing demands for rigor in their use. Use of statistical procedures has been increasing in the SLA literature, but the tools themselves have not developed from within the fi…
Second language acquisition
This article considers the relationship between second language acquisition (SLA) and other disciplines. It begins by reviewing the history of SLA studies, relating them to the broader picture of applied linguistics and language pedagogy. It is argued that the recognition of SLA as a field which can make valuable contributions to other fields is essential for the continuation and vitality of the field. Specific examples of how SLA has been import…
Using different carrots
This study represents program‐level action research. A U.S. university Spanish language program had a goal for students to reach the ACTFL (2012) Intermediate Mid level after 2 years. An empirical question that resulted after regular end‐of‐year testing was whether the students were doing their best on assessments. To investigate this, 253 end‐of‐second‐year students were divided into two experimental conditions: (a) 95 students received up to 10…
Commentary 1
Sentence matching
This article examines sentence matching, a methodology frequently used in the second language (L2) literature to determine notions of grammaticality of nonnative speakers (NNS). Native speakers (NS) of French and L2 learners of French performed a sentence-matching task focusing on three areas of French grammar: adverb placement, subject-verb agreement and clitic-pronoun placement. In sentence-matching tasks participants respond to two sentences o…
Discussions on the past, present, and future of quantitative research ethics in applied linguistics
An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the 'Save PDF' action button
Effects of Form-Focused Practice and Feedback
We conducted a multisite replication of Yang and Lyster's (2010) study investigating the effects of recasts and prompts on learning English regular and irregular past tense. Our study was conducted with intact high school and vocational school classes in Italy and Bosnia. Our participants were young adolescents (14-15 and 16-17 years old), a population that has been largely ignored in second language acquisition (SLA) research. We followed the de…
Replication in interaction and working memory research
This paper argues for the replication of two studies, both of which consider feedback and working memory. In the first part of this paper, we discuss the role of interaction-based research and working memory research in second language acquisition research. We then describe two studies that have unified these two areas in recent published articles and discuss ways that replication can further our knowledge in how working memory capacity can impac…
Second language acquisition
Language Universals and Second-Language Acquisition
This paper examines the goals and assumptions of second-language acquisition (SLA) research, in particular relating these goals and assumptions to those of linguistics. It is argued that SLA is linguistics and that second-language data are of import in understanding the nature of language. The main focus is language universals of which three approaches (Universal Grammar, typological universals, and processing universals) are considered. Both the…
Language Transfer in Language Learning
1. List of Contributors 2. Preface 3. Introduction (by Gass, Susan M.) 4. A Role for the Mother Tongue (by Corder, S. Pit) 5. A New Account of Language Transfer (by Schachter, Jacquelyn) 6. Verification of Language Transfer (by Ard, Josh) 7. Nonobvious Transfer: On Predicting Epenthesis Errors (by Broselow, Ellen) 8. Language Transfer and the Acquisition of Pronominal Anaphora (by Gundel, Jeanette K.) 9. Transfer and Variability of Rhetorical Red…
Pragmatic and semantic constraints in Bikol relativization
L2 Data
This article examines the relationship between language universals and language acquisition. To investigate this relationship we compared data from a) Sheldon's (1974) study of the acquisition of relative clauses by children learning their first language, b) Goodson and Greenfield's (1975) study of cognitive development in children as it relates to the results of Sheldon's study, c) Gass's (1979) study of the acquisition of relative clauses by ad…
Research Notes
Elaine Tarone, Susan Gass, Charlotte Bashum, Andrew Cohen, Nathalie Bailey, Carolyn Madden, Stephen Gaies, Richard Allwright, Lois Precup, Deanne Marein-Efron, Research Notes, TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Jun., 1981), pp. 201-206
Susan Gass and Josh Ard Reply
Pragmatic and semantic constraints in Bikol relativization
Research Notes
Janet L. Kayfetz, Zhou Fu-qiu, Shirley Eunice Engels, D. A. Robbins, Laura J. Walker, Cynthia Ann Boardman, Anjum Riyazul Haque, Jennifer Lin Nien-Hsuan, Masayo Yamamoto (Swan), Mary McGroarty, Else Hamayan, Don Porter, Arthur Hughes, Andrew D. Cohen, Susan Gass, , Research Notes, TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Jun., 1982), pp. 263-271
The Development of L2 Intuitions
Peer Reviewed
A Review of Interlanguage Syntax
In attempting to come to an understanding of the processes involved in acquiring the syntax of a second language, it has become evident that we must consider generalizations and approximations of target language (TL) structures. 1 However, it is also clear that an explanatory account of L2 acquisition cannot be given on the basis of the TL alone. There are additional factors that shape the progress of development. Two major ones have been suggest…
The Effect of Familiarity on the Comprehensibility of Nonnative Speech
This study reports on data collected to investigate the effect of various types of familiarity on native speaker comprehension of nonnative speaker speech. We discuss the effects of familiarity with topic, familiarity with nonnative speech in general, familiarity with a nonnative accent in particular, and familiarity with a particular nonnative. Our results indicate that while the most important of these variables is familiarity with topic, the o…
Non-native/Non-native Conversations
This paper builds upon the research investigating conversational interactions between native speakers (NS) and non-native speakers (NNS) by focusing on interactions among non-native speakers. We examine NS/NS, NS/NNS, and NNS/NNS conversations, noting that negotiation of meaning is most prevalent among NNS/ NNS pairs. We propose an explanation for this phenomenon and set up a model to describe it in terms of ‘pushdowns’ from and ‘pops’ to the mai…
Language Transfer in Language Learning
1. List of Contributors 2. Preface 3. Introduction (by Gass, Susan M.) 4. A Role for the Mother Tongue (by Corder, S. Pit) 5. A New Account of Language Transfer (by Schachter, Jacquelyn) 6. Verification of Language Transfer (by Ard, Josh) 7. Nonobvious Transfer: On Predicting Epenthesis Errors (by Broselow, Ellen) 8. Language Transfer and the Acquisition of Pronominal Anaphora (by Gundel, Jeanette K.) 9. Transfer and Variability of Rhetorical Red…
Miscommunication in native/nonnative conversation
In this paper we discuss miscommunication in exchanges between native speakers and nonnative speakers of a language, focusing on an analysis of a service encounter telephone conversation between a nonnative speaker and a native speaker television repair shop employee. We present a goal-based model of conversation and a coding system for interpreting utterances, both of which are necessary for understanding the type of miscommunication which occur…
Integrating Research Areas
Journal Article Integrating Research Areas: A Framework for Second Language Studies1 Get access SUSAN M. GASS SUSAN M. GASS Michigan State University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Applied Linguistics, Volume 9, Issue 2, June 1988, Pages 198–217, https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/9.2.198 Published: 01 June 1988 Article history Received: 01 September 1986 Published: 01 June 1988
Language Universals and Second-Language Acquisition
This paper examines the goals and assumptions of second-language acquisition (SLA) research, in particular relating these goals and assumptions to those of linguistics. It is argued that SLA is linguistics and that second-language data are of import in understanding the nature of language. The main focus is language universals of which three approaches (Universal Grammar, typological universals, and processing universals) are considered. Both the…
Linguistic Perspectives on Second Language Acquisition
Second language acquisition
Second language acquisition
This article considers the relationship between second language acquisition (SLA) and other disciplines. It begins by reviewing the history of SLA studies, relating them to the broader picture of applied linguistics and language pedagogy. It is argued that the recognition of SLA as a field which can make valuable contributions to other fields is essential for the continuation and vitality of the field. Specific examples of how SLA has been import…
Input, Interaction, and Second Language Production
The role of conversational interactions in the development of a second language has been central in the recent second language acquisition literature. While a great deal is now known about the way in which nonnative speakers interact with native speakers and other nonnative speakers, little is known about the lasting effects of these interactions on a nonnative's linguistic development. This paper specifically investigates the relationship among …
An investigation of patterns of discontinuous learning
Research from cognitive psychology, L2 acquisition and psychometry sug gests that competence/proficiency is multidimensional, and that proficiency does not always develop at the same rate in all its domains. In particular, L2 acquisition research indicates that competence does not always develop in a linear, monotonic pattern at an equal rate in all its component parts owing to restructuring and reorganization. Rehearsal, automatic and controlled…
Interlanguage Refusals
The Effects of Task Repetition on Linguistic Output
This article explores form/meaning relationships, focussing on the use learners make of their internal L2 linguistic resources as a function of focus on meaning. Native speakers ofEnglish watched video segments 4 times while recording their own on-line rendition in Spanish. One group watched the same video 3 times and the other group watched different videos each time. At Time 4 both experimental groups saw a new video. A control group saw videos…
Second Language Learning
Input, Interaction, and the Second Language Learner
Second Language Acquisition
The intent of this chapter is to provide a selective overview of current second language acquisition (SLA) research. I begin by presenting several approaches to SLA, including formal linguistics, sociolinguistics/sociocultural theory and psycholinguistics. I then consider the roles of input, interaction, feedback and output as they relate to the acquisition of second language knowledge. The goal of this latter part is to show how this view of acq…
Sentence matching
Sentence matching
This article examines sentence matching, a methodology frequently used in the second language (L2) literature to determine notions of grammaticality of nonnative speakers (NNS). Native speakers (NS) of French and L2 learners of French performed a sentence-matching task focusing on three areas of French grammar: adverb placement, subject-verb agreement and clitic-pronoun placement. In sentence-matching tasks participants respond to two sentences o…
Psychology (50 works) · Linguistics (47 works) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (34 works) · Computer Science (33 works) · Philosophy (29 works) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (21 works) · Sociology (20 works) · Multilingual Education and Policy (16 works) · Mathematics education (14 works) · Second Language Acquisition and Learning (13 works)