Investigating Attention to Form and Individual Differences

The teaching of the grammar of a second/foreign language has always been an issue that different teaching methods have considered. Studies in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) have shown that mere exposure to meaningful second language input is not enough for learners to reach proficiency in the target language. At beginner proficiency levels, learners tend to rely on lexical items instead of grammatical form to obtain meaning. Recent research has pointed out the need for effective grammar pedagogy in foreign language environments, in which the exposure to the language being learned is limited.

The present book presents a selection of eleven empirical papers dealing with children''s attention to formal aspects of the language they are learning, and some of them consider the impact of individual differences on the learning process. Each of the studies reported in the individual chapters is based on a solid theoretical background and an overview of studies in the corresponding research area.