A Review of the Literature on Second Language Learning.

This literature and research review was conducted to provide information to guide future work on language learning in Alberta. Although direction was given to the researchers/writers to establish parameters for the task, the content of this document reflects the writers’ perspectives on topics and subjects reviewed and does not necessarily reflect the position of Alberta Education. A A R Re ev vi ie ew w o of f t th he e L Li it te er ra at tu ur re e o on n S Se ec co on nd d L La an ng gu ua ag ge e L Le ea ar rn ni in ng g A review of the literature on second language learning. The Language Research Centre has been asked to update the 2004 review of the literature on four aspects of language learning, focussing on the benefits and challenges for language learners in four topic areas. This revised edition of the report has added primarily to the section on students with special needs. Given the diversity of the topics, the range of literature that we have surveyed in this report is very broad. We have consulted academic journals, books, conference proceedings, technical reports and online materials. While we have done our best to ensure that we have distilled the authors’ research and analysis accurately, we would always advise readers who are interested in more information to consult the original work. By nature, when attempting to summarize complex inquiries, some details must be left out. We would like to thank Alberta Education staff for giving us the opportunity to work on this project and for their support and insights while we were writing it. • Exposure to a second language can: (1) enhance the complexity of first-language syntax used; (2) enhance language use skills (narrative strategies, reading and writing literacy skills in the first language, vocabulary scores); (3) enhance non-linguistic skills (divergent thinking, metalinguistic skills, attitudes toward others, mathematics scores and skills). • Acquiring knowledge in a second language does not impede the ability to access that knowledge in the first language. • Negative effects of the second language on the first language (such as accented first-language speech or loss of access to first-language knowledge) will not occur under Alberta school authority language initiatives. • Numerous models of content-based language programs exist, each illustrating a different balance between content-area and second-language learning outcomes.