Introduction: A snapshot of thirty-five years of instructed second language acquisition

Abstract

Over the last 35 years, the field of second language acquisition (SLA) has grown considerably. Although SLA has traditionally been viewed as a study of the cognitive processes in language learning, the field has expanded significantly. A multitude of theoretical models, frameworks, and orientations currently exist that attempt to explain not only the various cognitive but also the social processes of second language (L2) learning. The field has also begun to see increasing signs of greater concerns with reality (see Nassaji, 2016a). One notable movement has been the increasing push for SLA in response to realworld needs and attempts to fulfill its social responsibility. As of yet, the two cognitive and social strands of SLA have almost been on the opposite end of each other, with many researchers taking either a purely cognitive or a social perspective. This chasm seems to have become even more explicit by The Douglas Fir Group’s (2016) recent publication that viewed SLA out of touch with the real world, calling for a reset, and by Long’s (2017) assertion that ‘work on socialization, acculturation and identity formation makes up a significant and valuable segment of L2 [second language] and D2 [second dialect] classroom research today, but does not constitute research