Publication of MSU Working Papers in SLS

The editorial staff is pleased to announce the publication of the third issue of the MSU Working Papers in SLS. It is available online, and you can download a PDF of the entire issue. Below is a copy of the introduction. If you have any questions or comments, please email one of the co-editors, Scott (sterli27@msu.edu) or Betsy (betsy@msu.edu).

Dear Reader,

On behalf of the editorial team, we invite you to read the third issue of the MSU Working Papers in Second Language Studies, an open access publication. “Open access” means that all content is distributed freely online and is available to be read and enjoyed by everyone.

Before introducing the articles in this issue, we would like to briefly explain the process and purpose of the Working Papers. Ever since the inaugural issue, which was published in 2009, the Working Papers have been organized, written, reviewed, selected, proofread, and edited by volunteers affiliated with the Second Language Studies and TESOL programs at Michigan State University. The purpose is not to publish polished research articles but to provide a forum for students to publish high quality works in progress, book and software reviews, research proposals, and interviews with established researchers.

In this issue of the Working Papers, we are proud to include three interviews conducted by students in the Second Language Studies program. Each interview is with a distinguished researcher in our field. Betsy Lavolette discusses computer-assisted language learning with Dr. Julie Sykes, Le Anne Spino welcomes Dr. Bill Van Patten to MSU, and Yeon Heo talks shop with Dr. Rod Ellis. This issue also contains two research articles. The first, by Kelly Chen, attempts to show how native English speakers and Chinese ESL learners respond differently to compliments. The second, by Ayman Mohamed, is a mixed-methods investigation of incidental vocabulary learning in English conversation classes.

This issue includes one book review: Yunson Shin reviews Talk Time student book 2: Everyday English Conversation, by Susan Stempleski.

Because the Working Papers is intended to show works in progress, we accepted two proposals this year. It is our hopes that after reading these proposals that you will send any helpful comments to the authors. Magdaleen Corne Lotter proposes a qualitative study of the role of reading and writing skills in the development of oral proficiency of young learners of English in Taiwan. Next, Hyojung Lim and Young-Shin Kwon show the amount of effort that goes into making and testing a test.

Finally, in addition to the contributors to this issue, we would like to thank the volunteer copy editors and section editors. Their names are listed below. We are also indebted to the reviewers who provided valuable feedback on drafts of the articles, but who will remain anonymous. We also received invaluable support from Dr. Susan Gass and the rest of the SLS department, Russ Werner, who provided tech support for the Working Papers website, and SOSLAP, who for put out multiple call for papers and volunteers. Without the help of these tireless volunteers, the Working Papers would not be possible.

All of the following volunteers are MSU students, graduates, and alumni.

Copy editors:

Laura Ballard

Frances Lamielle

Ayman Mohamed

Ji-Hyun Park

Le Anne Spino

Jamie Thomas

Cristen Vernon

 

Section editors:

Wen-Hsin (Kelly) Chen

Solène Inceoglu

Hyo Jung Lim

Le Anne Spino

 

We hope you enjoy reading the 2012 edition of the MSU Working Papers in Second Language Studies.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Lavolette (betsy@msu.edu)
Scott Sterling (sterli27@msu.edu)
Co-Editors