The Reciprocal Relationship Between Explicit and Implicit Second Language Knowledge: A Longitudinal Investigation of the Interface Question

• In Event: Insights From Research on Equity Issues in Second-Language Teaching and Teacher Education

Abstract

International students make up 5.5% of the student body in the US, but little is known about their second language (L2) development and use. In a longitudinal study, I found that first, language acquisition is a developmental process composed of a dynamic interaction between explicit and implicit L2 knowledge and their synergetic relationship; and second, similar affordances to engage in the L2 do not produce comparable amounts of actual L2 engagement by individuals. These observations may suggest that the explicit-implicit interface question, and language acquisition more generally, can be better understood when studied over time in a naturalistic context, as language acquisition is shaped by one’s experience with the language in interaction with the contextual affordances in the environment.

Author

• Kathy MinHye Kim, Boston University