Alternative Assignment

Hooper, Simon, and Michael J. Hannafin. "Psychological Perspectives on Emerging Instructional Technologies: A Critical Analysis." Educational Psychologist 26.1 (1991): 1-27. Professional Development Collection. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=111&sid=462ea688-f327-47bf-952d-493390d8d06b%40sessionmgr113&vid=11>.

This article takes on a psychological perspective on technologies in education.  It talks about the instructional methods and how they affect the students’ need based on their cognition.  This will help my project in that it takes into account different instructional methods/technologies according to students’ cognition, an aspect of individual learner differences.

Green, Anthony. "Washback to Learning Outcomes: a Comparative Study of IELTS Preparation and University Pre-sessional Language Courses." Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice 14.1 (2007): 75-97. Print.

This article is a study on different advantages/disadvantages test preparations had on learners in their writing test scores.  The International English Language Testing System academic writing test was what was used.  The different types of preparation were those with a test preparation, those to introduce academic writing in the university, and those with both.  The findings are relevant to my topic because they show differences in participants with their questionnaires and test data.  These findings stated that there weren’t any advantages to those with a test preparation focus.  The differences among learners will be what I look for in this article.

Harper, Candace, and Ester De Jong. "Misconceptions About Teaching English-language Learners." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 48.2 (2004): 152-62. Print.

This article discusses effective teaching of ESL and its misconceptions.  It also touches on teaching methods for native English speakers as well as ESL learners.  The article includes much of the pedagogical aspect of learning in ESL.  I will focus on the TESOL aspect in individual learner differences from this article.

Hawson, Anne. "A Neuroscientific Perspective on Second-language Learning and Academic Achievement." Bilingual Review 21.2 (1996): 1-22. Print.

This article states that there is controversy on what factors influence academic results for second-language learners.  It discusses the relationship between the two and different perspectives on it.  The Threshold Hypothesis, by Cummins, is included here and is examined.  The article states that immersion causes learners to have a shift from auditory to visual processing, and states that this is beneficial to learning but it also inhibits learning in concepts that depend on auditory learning.  This article will be helpful in connecting the different learning strategies and second language acquisition for my topic.