Second Language Literacy Pedagogy : A Sociocultural Theory Perspective

This book provides a detailed and comprehensive design of a new second language literacy pedagogy and the results of implementing this pedagogy in different contexts in order to demonstrate that it is possible to address some long-standing second language (L2) curriculum and literacy development challenges. The author clearly explains the theory behind Vygotskian Sociocultural Theory of Mind and Systemic Functional Linguistics and how they can inform literacy pedagogy in the form of Concept-Based Language Instruction and a Division-of-Labor Pedagogy. By presenting detailed qualitative and quantitative analyses and results of multiple forms of data, the author demonstrates the effectiveness of the pedagogy. In conjunction with background on the intricate and interdependent nature of the concepts needed for second language literacy development, and in contrast with a cognitivist approach to reading pedagogy and research, the author provides all the details necessary for teachers and researchers to appreciate both the theory and how it can be applied to their practice.

Kimberly Buescher Urbanski is Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, USA. Her research interests include L2 learning and teaching, L2 literacy and Sociocultural Theory. She has published on L2 literacy pedagogy, gesture research methodology, concept-based language instruction, L2 French preposition pedagogy and Cognitive Linguistic analysis.