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APPL7250 – Advanced Topics in Second Language Acquisition

2022 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer and Convenor
Peter Roger
peter.roger@mq.edu.au
Contact via E-mail
12 Seconfd Way Room 505 (12SW 505)
Flexible - please e-mail for an appointment
Director of Education, Department of Linguistics
Philip Chappell
philip.chappell@mq.edu.au
Contact via E-mail
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit explores a variety of approaches to the study of second and foreign language acquisition in both instructed and naturalistic settings. The unit focuses on the range of factors that influence the learning/acquisition of a second language, as well as ways of studying the characteristics of learner language. Throughout the unit, participants are encouraged to reflect on the relevance of second language acquisition research to their own experiences as both language learners and professionals working in educational contexts or other language-related areas.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Identify and explain current issues and research trends in the field of second language acquisition (SLA)
  • ULO2: Demonstrate familiarity with and the ability to critically evaluate two areas of SLA research
  • ULO3: Communicate knowledge of SLA research to a professional audience
  • ULO4: Demonstrate an understanding of the range of internal and external factors that influence an individual’s learning of a second language
  • ULO5: Apply knowledge of SLA research to an educational context of personal relevance

General Assessment Information

1. All assessment due dates and times refer to local time in Sydney, Australia

2. Full instructions for each assignment, together with marking criteria and instructions for submission, will be available on iLearn

3. Extensions for assignments can be sought by applying for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au - please advise the unit convenor as well if you have submitted a request for special consideration

4. Assignments submitted late without an extension may be penalised at 5% of the total marks available for the assignment per day late

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Online Key Concepts Quiz 10% No 25/03/2022 - 26/03/2022
Critical review 20% No Monday 04/04/2022 at 23.59 PM
Annotated bibliography presentation 20% No Monday 09/05/2022 at 23.59 PM
Applying SLA Research 50% No Friday 03/06/2022 at 23.59 PM

Online Key Concepts Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 25/03/2022 - 26/03/2022
Weighting: 10%

This quiz consists of multiple choice questions that students complete online during a 48 hour period when the quiz is open
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and explain current issues and research trends in the field of second language acquisition (SLA)
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the range of internal and external factors that influence an individual’s learning of a second language

Critical review

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: Monday 04/04/2022 at 23.59 PM
Weighting: 20%

Students will write a 1000 word guided critique of a scholarly journal article in the field of second language acquisition
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and explain current issues and research trends in the field of second language acquisition (SLA)
  • Demonstrate familiarity with and the ability to critically evaluate two areas of SLA research
  • Communicate knowledge of SLA research to a professional audience
  • Apply knowledge of SLA research to an educational context of personal relevance

Annotated bibliography presentation

Assessment Type 1: Media presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Monday 09/05/2022 at 23.59 PM
Weighting: 20%

For this assignment, students will prepare a short (5 minute) PowerPoint presentation with oral commentary detailing three academic references, and their relevance to their proposed research topic for the final assignment.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and explain current issues and research trends in the field of second language acquisition (SLA)
  • Demonstrate familiarity with and the ability to critically evaluate two areas of SLA research
  • Communicate knowledge of SLA research to a professional audience
  • Apply knowledge of SLA research to an educational context of personal relevance

Applying SLA Research

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 32 hours
Due: Friday 03/06/2022 at 23.59 PM
Weighting: 50%

For this assessment task, students will write a 2500 word essay in which they apply research findings in one area of SLA research to a context/purpose of personal or professional relevance.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and explain current issues and research trends in the field of second language acquisition (SLA)
  • Demonstrate familiarity with and the ability to critically evaluate two areas of SLA research
  • Communicate knowledge of SLA research to a professional audience
  • Apply knowledge of SLA research to an educational context of personal relevance

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

APPL7250 is co-taught with APPL8250, and will be available both externally (online) and internally (on campus). A weekly oncampus lecture-seminar will be held on Wednesdays from 11 AM - 1 PM - please see the timetable for room details. These sessions will be live-streamed on Zoom, and will also be recorded for all students to access during the semester. The iLearn site for APPL8250/7250 contains details of assessment tasks, weekly readings, discussion forums, lecture slides and additional resources

Unit Schedule

Week

  

Topic

Lecturer

1

  

Approaches to studying second language acquisition: An overview

Peter Roger

2

  

The role of age in second language acquisition 

Peter Roger

3   

  

The role of the first language in second language acquisition

Peter Roger

4

  

Learner language, errors and error analysis

Peter Roger

5

  

Developmental patterns in learner language

Peter Roger

6

  

Motivation in second and foreign language learning        

Peter Roger

 

  

MID-SEMESTER BREAK

 
7  

Learning styles and language learning

 Peter Roger

8

  

Language learning strategies

Peter Roger

9

  

Acquisition of the lexicon in a second language

Peter Roger

10

  

Acquisition of second language pragmatics

Peter Roger

11

  

Formal instruction and second language acquisition

Peter Roger

12

  

Foreign language aptitude and anxiety

Peter Roger

13

  

Unit Summary: SLA goes to Hollywood

Peter Roge

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook