The Second Language Research Forum (SLRF) organizers invite proposals for papers, posters, and colloquium presentations for the 2011 conference at Iowa State University.

We welcome proposals for papers and posters in the following areas of second language research:
●                   Formal Approaches to SLA
●                   Functional Approaches to SLA
●                   Conversation Analysis (CA for SLA)
●                   Second Language Testing and Assessment
●                   Heritage Language Acquisition
●                   Psycholinguistic Approaches to SLA
●                   Second Language Classroom Research
●                   Naturalistic SLA
●                   Technology and SLA
●                   Learner Corpora and SLA
●                   Second Language Phonetics and Phonology

We are especially interested in proposals that contribute to our theme "Innovation in Second Language Acquisition Research: Converging Theory and Practice." This convergence can be examined in a wide range of areas, including (though not limited to) methodology, data collection, ethical issues, materials development, assessment and learning, multilingualism, technology and research-practice interfaces.

We ask that all proposals be submitted online at https://www.softconf.com/c/slrf2011/.  Proposals will not be accepted via email, snail mail, blog post, Facebook, or Twitter. Proposals will be selected based on the results of blind peer review.

Call Deadline: May 7, 2011
Notification of Acceptance: July 11, 2011

Guidelines for Papers and Posters Proposals

Individual paper presentations will be 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute discussion period.

Posters should consist of one piece of material no more than 3ft x 4ft (90cm x 120cm).

Abstracts should be limited to 250 words. Summaries should be no more than 50 words to be published in the conference program. The title should be no longer than 15 words.

Only one abstract submission per person, but a presenter may appear as a co-author (but not the first author) on other submitted abstracts. An author may also submit another proposal in an additional category (e.g., a poster or a colloquium).

 
Guidelines for Refereed Colloquium Proposals

Refereed colloquia will be included in the program. See additional call to submit abstracts for special colloquium below.

Each colloquium will consist of individual paper presentations on a specific or related topic of interest. Depending on the number of presenters, papers will be given 20 minutes for presentations (plus 5-10 minutes for discussion).

The refereed colloquium proposal, as well as its individual paper proposals, should be limited to 300 words each. Also included should be a 50-word summary for the colloquium as well as for each individual paper. All titles should be no longer than 12 words. The proposals and summaries should be submitted online.

For any proposal submission questions, please contact the SLRF 2011 Program Chairs at slrf2011@iastate.edu

Call for Contributors for a Special Colloquium
Interfaces between Second Language Acquisition and Language Assessment:
The Next Generation
 
Carol A. Chapelle and Dan Douglas, Iowa State University

We invite submissions for a special colloquium to be organized for SLRF 2011 on current issues in the SLA-Language Assessment interface. Submissions are invited from prospective participants whose research is discovering areas of necessary interface between second language acquisition and language assessment. Such areas arise for many reasons, but particularly in view of the technology-rich environments in which many language learners study and perform on a daily basis. In classroom and laboratory research computer technology is used for task construction as well as data collection, storage, summarization, and analysis. The capabilities for new forms of research task design and detailed data collection raise questions about sampling learners’ performance, data reduction, and validation. Capabilities for ongoing, detailed language assessment create new opportunities for research-informed assessments. Moreover, the opportunities for assisted second language performance raise questions about the nature of language ability and performance. In short, the needs for a well-articulated interface between second language acquisition and language assessment are even stronger today than they were in 1998 when Bachman & Cohen published their book entitled Interfaces between Second Language Acquisition and Language Testing (Cambridge University Press).

This SLRF colloquium aims to revisit the issue of interface raised in that volume particularly in view of the pervasive use of computer technology in second language research and assessment contexts. We invite 200-word proposals from prospective participants whose research prompts them to raise issues at the interface of SLA and language assessment. We are particularly interested in including papers from graduate students and researchers wishing to report on research in progress. Papers that are issue raising rather than problem solving are welcome. Examples of general areas of interest are the following:

▪           Description of conditions of online performance relative to conditions in previous studies
▪           Selection and summarization of learners’ language performance that is sensitive to change
             over the course of a study
▪           Reliability of performance samples gathered during online performance
▪           Analysis and interpretation of learner language gathered online longitudinally
▪           Validation of score meaning from research or assessment tasks
▪           Testing of findings from SLA in adaptive learning systems

Those wishing to propose a contribution for the colloquium should send a 200-word abstract to Carol A. Chapelle at carolc@iastate.edu by May 7, 2011. The abstract should indicate the point(s) of interface between SLA and language assessment addressed, the nature of the project in which the issue arises, and the approach the presenter will use to describe the issue. Helpful points to include in the abstract are 1) connections to issues raised in Bachman and Cohen’s book and in the call for proposals, 2) a description of how you will discuss the issue, and 3) how technology amplifies the need for an interface between SLA research and language assessment. Acceptances will be sent by May 22, 2011.