Is grammatical instruction helpful for all adult learners? A critical review of quantitative second language acquisition research

Abstract

While mainstream SLA research continues to uphold the efficacy of grammatical instruction, critical
approaches have begun to question pedagogical strategies that rely on traditional notions of language and language learning. I analyze the tension between these perspectives by critically examining two influential reviews, arguing that past work on grammatical instruction is rooted in hegemonic conceptions of language, which limit this work’s applicability to real-life adult immigrant students and potentially perpetuate inequality. Such issues are reflective of larger concerns in SLA research in general, and point to the need to reconceptualize second language acquisition so that it is relevant to the needs of actual adult learners.