I specialize in the field of instructed second language acquisition (ISLA), which studies how additional languages (L2s) are acquired in instructed contexts (classrooms, immersion programs, etc.), and what can be done to maximize learning outcomes. My research expands our understanding of variables that may affect L2 learning using distinct and complementary approaches, including but not limited to cognitive-interactionist approach and complex dynamic systems theory, usage-based and variationist lenses, and psycholinguistic methods.
My ongoing research can be categorized in the following ways:
- Receonceptualizing exposure-track L2 Spanish in United States elementary-level contexts
- Examining the nature and role of interlocutor individual differences
- Measuring input, cognitive processing, and implementation of task-based training
- Measuring learners’ attention and/or engagement in task-based and professional interactions
- Expanding research on L2 Spanish learning and individual differences to under-explored instructional contexts, such as domestic immersion
- Increasing access to and participation in applied linguistics and ISLA research
A cornerstone of my research is ensuring that the data I collect are impactful beyond academia. My work directly informs L2 learning opportunities in elementary, high school, and university contexts in our Bloomington and greater Indiana communities, and almost all occurs in collaborative engagement with students at undergraduate and graduate levels, within and beyond the classroom. I am committed to sharing my work via open access on IRIS-database.org, OASIS-database.org, and via the open-access educational resource site that I direct, the TBLT Language Learning Task Bank, tblt.indiana.edu.
