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A Decade of Research Into Second Language Acquisition: A State-of-the-Science Review (2009-2019)

  • Huili Wang

    Huili WANG is a professor of linguistics at the School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou City University. Her research focuses on psycholinguistics, cognitive neurolinguistics and second language acquisition.

    , Hanning Guo

    Hanning GUO is an associate professor at the School of International Education, Dalian University of Technology. Her research focuses on learning Chinese as a second language, teaching Chinese as a second language, and bibliometrics.

    , Lianrui Yang

    Lianrui YANG is a professor of linguistics at the School of Foreign Languages, Ocean University of China. His research focuses on second language acquisition theory and application, foreign language teaching theory and method, English teacher education and development, interlanguage linguistics research, and language typology research.

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    and Brent Wolter

    Brent WOLTER is a professor of linguistics at Idaho State University, USA. His research focuses on applied linguistics, applied psycholinguistics, language learning and processing.

Published/Copyright: September 28, 2023
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Abstract

This study investigated the knowledge domain of second language acquisition (SLA) research in 2009-2019. It selected about a decade of studies in the SLA knowledge domain and applied an available data analysis tool CiteSpace to show a picture of SLA research. The 11-year period of studies was retrieved from the Web of Science database, totally 4, 660 bibliographic records. By employing the embedded algorithm analyzing literature in CiteSpace, the present study found the factors influencing SLA and statistical models were critical aspects in L2 research, and research topics were conducted in psychological, neuroscience, linguistic, and language teaching frameworks. Additionally, research patterns in the SLA domain have become more diversified, and empirical studies of cognitive science have gradually taken a dominant position in recent years. Spikes of increased numbers of detected papers in the period of 2009-2019 showed research focus and methodology would possibly continue to be interdisciplinary in future research.

About the authors

Huili Wang

Huili WANG is a professor of linguistics at the School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou City University. Her research focuses on psycholinguistics, cognitive neurolinguistics and second language acquisition.

Hanning Guo

Hanning GUO is an associate professor at the School of International Education, Dalian University of Technology. Her research focuses on learning Chinese as a second language, teaching Chinese as a second language, and bibliometrics.

Lianrui Yang

Lianrui YANG is a professor of linguistics at the School of Foreign Languages, Ocean University of China. His research focuses on second language acquisition theory and application, foreign language teaching theory and method, English teacher education and development, interlanguage linguistics research, and language typology research.

Brent Wolter

Brent WOLTER is a professor of linguistics at Idaho State University, USA. His research focuses on applied linguistics, applied psycholinguistics, language learning and processing.

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Published Online: 2023-09-28
Published in Print: 2023-09-26

© 2023 FLTRP, Walter de Gruyter, Cultural and Education Section British Embassy

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