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Part of
Research on Second Language Processing and Processing Instruction: Studies in honor of Bill VanPatten
Edited by Michael J. Leeser, Gregory D. Keating and Wynne Wong
[Studies in Bilingualism 62] 2021
► pp. 3–24

Chapter 1
Input processing in second language acquisition

The pioneering work of Bill VanPatten

ORCID logo | Florida State University
ORCID logo | San Diego State University
| The Ohio State University
In this chapter, we highlight Bill VanPatten’s numerous contributions to the fields of second language acquisition (SLA) and instructed second language acquisition (ISLA), and to the language teaching profession. We begin with an overview of his major professional achievements, followed by an exploration of his early work and the origins of his model of input processing. We underscore the significant contribution that his model of input processing makes to theory building in SLA and subsequently discuss his pioneering instructional innovation, processing instruction, along with the prolific body of research it has inspired. After briefly noting the importance of his work on acquisition and processing more broadly, we conclude with an overview of the individual chapters included in the volume.
Keywords: input processing, instructed second language acquisition, processing instruction, second language acquisition, structured input
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Over three decades of influential research
    • Input processing
    • Instruction targeting processes – Not products or “rules”
    • Other areas of influence
  • The present volume
    • Part I.Research on sentence processing
    • Part II.Research on input processing
    • Part III.Research on processing instruction
  • Current and future directions in PI research
  • References
Published online: 17 March 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.62.01lee
References (86)
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