Applied Linguistics

Second Language Acquisition

Research combining a conceptual and practical perspective within the field of teaching and learning second languages.

At LUCL, research into second language acquisition (SLA) is focused on understanding how languages are learned but also on improving the teaching and assessment of second languages. As such, LUCL researchers and the Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching (ICLON) work closely together. 

SLA research

• Jill Jeffery investigates academic writing development in secondary and postsecondary school settings, including how competent writing is conceptualized in educational policies, academic standards, large-scale assessments, and teaching practices. 
• Nivja de Jong’s research on assessment and speaking also combines conceptual and practical views. For example, she investigates the construct speaking itself, as well as how speaking can be taught in the classroom. 
• Paz Gonzalez’s research focuses on the process of the acquisition of grammar phenomena, mainly on how aspect and tense as used in a second language can be properly described. At the same time the research includes practical implications for the classroom.