Sociocultural Theory and the Pedagogical Imperative in L2 Education

Rejecting the dichotomy between theory and practice that dominates SLA and language teaching, this book proposes an approach based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, according to which the two activities are inherently connected.

James P. Lantolf is the George and Jane Greer Professor in Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics in the Department of Applied Linguistics at Penn State University, USA. Matthew E. Poehner is Associate Professor and Program Director of the K-12 teacher certification program in World Languages Education and Applied Linguistics in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State University, USA.

CONTENTS Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Theory/Practice Gap in Applied Linguistics Chapter 2 Sociocultural Theory and the Dialectic of Praxis: An Alternative to the Theory/Research-Practice Gap Chapter 3 Psychology of the Social Environment Chapter 4 A Theory of Developmental Education Chapter 5 L2 Systemic Theoretical Instruction: Experimental-Developmental Studies Chapter 6 L2 Systemic Theoretical Instruction: Intact Classroom Studies Chapter 7 The Zone of Proximal Development and Dynamic Assessment Chapter 8 Dynamic Assessment and L2 Development Chapter 9 Conclusion References