Tracking developmental patterns in SLA: boosting learner corpus research by delving into additional data types

The talk will first briefly review some of the research data and methods that have been used to track development in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) studies. In the second part of the talk, I will narrow down the focus to data and methods in learner corpus research (LCR). Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies will be compared, as will the methodological issues that each approach entails. I will then plead for the use of mixed-method research approaches as they are key to more fine-grained descriptions of and explanations for developmental patterns found in learner corpora. In the third part of the talk, I will illustrate how such mixed-methods can take place concretely by presenting an ongoing research project on the acquisition of L2s (English and Dutch) in immersive and non-immersive settings. This 5-year multidisciplinary research project aims to assess Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in French-speaking Belgium by gaining insight into the interplay between linguistic, cognitive, socio-affective and educational aspects of CLIL.