Introduction: Current Developments in Form-Focused Interaction and L2 Acquisition

TL;DR: The authors define form-focused interaction as any attempt to draw learners' attention to linguistic forms in the course of meaning-focused interactions, through various forms of interactional feedback and focus on form.

Abstract: The purpose of this special issue is to explore some of the key issues in form-focused interaction and second language (L2) development. We define form-focused interaction as any attempt to draw learners’ attention to linguistic forms in the course of meaning-focused interaction, through various forms of interactional feedback and focus on form. Our goal is to gain further insights into this vibrant area of second language acquisition (SLA) research by exploring and understanding how such interactions work and the effects they have on L2 acquisition. Although the concept of consciousness and its role has been a matter of much controversy in the field of SLA, there is general agreement that some level of attention to form is required for language acquisition (e.g., Schmidt, 1990, 1993, 2001; Tomlin & Villa, 1994). In order to help language learners pay attention to grammatical features, the features must be made salient (Overstreet, 2007). Authors such as Sharwood-Smith (1991, 1993), VanPatten (1990, 1994, 1996), Schmidt (1993, 2001), and Simard & Wong (2001) maintain that when specific features of language input are salient, learners are more likely to pay attention to them and consequently select them for intake, which makes further processing of these features possible. This view is supported by empirical studies demonstrating that increased attention to form results in more learning (e.g., Jourdenais, Ota, Stauffer, Boyson, & Doughty, 1995; Leow, 1997; Robinson, 1996; Rosa & O’Neill, 1999, Schmidt & Frota, 1986; Simard, 2009). In this respect, many SLA researchers have suggested that incorporation of some degree of focus on form into meaning-focused classrooms improves L2 performance and the accuracy of learners’ production (e.g., Doughty, 2001; Doughty & Varela, 1998; Doughty & Williams, 1998; Ellis, Basturkmen, & Loewen, 2001; Lightbown, 1998; Long & Robinson, 1998, Nassaji, 1999; Nassaji & Fotos, 2004, 2007).