Grammar Acquisition and Processing Instruction

Alessandro G. Benati is Head of Languages Department at the University of Greenwich in the UK. He has researched and taught in the area of second language acquisition and processing instruction. He is co-author with James Lee of the following books: Delivering Processing Instruction in classrooms and in Virtual Contexts; Second Language Processing: An analysis of Theory, Problems and Possible Solutions.James F. Lee is Head of Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. He is the author of Task and Communicating in Language Classrooms.

Will learners who receive training on one type of processing strategy for one specific form appropriately transfer the use of that strategy to other forms without further instruction in PI? Benati and Lee take research on Processing Instruction to new heights by examining secondary and cumulative effects of PI and structured input activities. The book provides a thorough review of input processing theory and empirical research on PI before launching into new and unique research that examines transfer-of-training effects. Benati and Lee present innovative directions for research on input processing making this volume a most valuable contribution to SLA scholars and graduate students.

• ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroduction1 A Theory of Input Processing: How Learners Work with Input2 Processing Instruction: Research and Practice in Assessing Primary Effects3 From Processing Instruction on the Acquisition of Italian Noun-Adjective Agreement to Secondary Transfer-of-Training Effects on Italian Future Tense Verb Morphology4 From Processing Instruction on the Acquisition of English Past Tense to Secondary Transfer-of-Training Effects on English Third Person Singular Present Tense (with Scott Dean Houghton)5 From Processing Instruction on the Acquisition of French Imparfait to Secondary Transfer-of-Training Effects on French Subjunctive and to Cumulative Transfer-of-Training Effects with French Causative Constructions (with Cecile Laval)Chapter 6: Final Comments Appendix (Sample Materials)ReferencesIndex