Implicit and Explicit Knowledge in Second Language Learning, Testing and Teaching

The implicit/ explicit distinction is central to our understanding of the nature of L2 acquisition. This book begins with an account of how this distinction applies to L2 learning, knowledge and instruction. It then reports a series of studies describing the development of a battery of tests providing relatively discrete measurements of L2 explicit/ implicit knowledge. These tests were then utilized to examine a number of key issues in SLA - the learning difficulty of different grammatical structures, the role of L2 implicit/ explicit knowledge in language proficiency, the relationship between learning experiences and learners’ language knowledge profiles, the metalinguistic knowledge of teacher trainees and the effects of different types of form-focused instruction on L2 acquisition. The book concludes with a consideration of how the tests can be further developed and applied in the study of L2 acquisition.

Rod Ellis is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of the University of Auckland, New Zealand and currently holds the position of Distinguished Research Professor of Curtin University, Australia. He is a leading scholar in the field of applied linguistics and is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. His work has won several awards including the Kenneth W. Mildenberger and Duke of Edinburgh book prizes.

Shawn Loewen is an assistant professor in the Second Language Studies program at Michigan State University. He specializes in second language acquisition and L2 classroom interaction. His recent research has investigated the occurrence and effectiveness of incidental focus on form in a variety of L2 contexts.

Catherine Elder is Associate Professor in the School of Languages and Linguistics and Director of the Language Testing Research Centre at the University of Melbourne. She is coeditor (with Glenn Fulcher) of the journal Language Testing j. She is author with Alan Davies et. al. of the Dictionary of Language Testing and co-editor of Experimenting with Uncertainty (CUP: 2001) Handbook of Applied Linguistics (Blackwell, 2004).

Rosemary Erlam is lecturer in the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics at the University of Auckland. She comes to Applied Linguistics from backgrounds in Speech-Language Therapy and French teaching. Her research interests include teacher education, form-focused instruction and issues pertinent to the New Zealand educational context.

Jenefer Philp is a Senior Lecturer at Lancaster University in the UK. Her research and teaching interests include second language acquisition, learner engagement, language teaching and individual difference factors. Her research focuses on the role of interaction in instructed language learning among adults and children. Her research interests spring from her experience as a teacher and teacher training in high schools, universities and informal settings in Australasia, South East Asia, US, and the UK. Her three published books and varied journal articles focus on learner engagement, peer interaction, and learning in the language classroom.