Education 250: Second Language Acquisition

Welcome to the Library Research Guide for Education 250: Second Language Acquisition! It includes information and resources designed to aid you in locating research and managing sources for your assignments this semester.

For research questions:

• Email me at schaez1@stolaf.edu or schedule a research consultation if you have any questions!

For writing help:

• Make an appointment with the Writing Desk for assistance with organizing ideas and improving your writing style.

Slide 1: Education 250 Library Session

Slide 2: 

Ann Schaenzer
Research & Instruction Librarian for Social Sciences and Data Literacy
schaez1@stolaf.edu

[Image: photo of Ann Schaenzer.]

Slide 3: Our goals for today are…

• Use online encyclopedias to find background information
• Learn how to find and access second language acquisition journals
• Find relevant databases and search effectively
• Citing sources in APA style

Slide 4: Before we get started…

• Sit with your project partner if you have one
• We’ll be doing a graded quiz due by end of day today, 9/26. If you’re in a pair, one person can upload for the pair, as long as both names are included.
  • I strongly recommend you submit the quiz before you leave today; I’m happy to help if you have any questions

Slide 5: Common Sources for Research 

Slide 6: 

Reference Sources

Scholarly Encyclopedia
[Image: the cover of an encyclopedia of language and linguistics.]

Secondary Sources

Scholarly Journal
Scholarly Book
[Image: the covers of scholarly journal and scholarly book.]

Slide 7: Why use encyclopedias?

• Identify keywords
• Learn background info to better understand topic
• Find a bibliography of sources

Slide 8: 

[Image: the Catalyst box on the St. Olaf Library website homepage.]

Customized Course Research Guide at stolaf.edu/library

Slide 9: Now you try! Find Background Info

• Feel free to work with group members! Describe your initial topic for Question #6 on the quiz.
• Use the Find Background Info tab on the Course Research Guide to find at least one encyclopedia entry on your topic (not a quiz question).
• For Question #7 on the quiz, write down some possible keywords choices, important terminology, or other key terms that you discover.

Slide 10: 

[Image: the St. Olaf Library website homepage.]

Slide 11:

[Image: baby Yoda holding a cup with text that reads: me getting ready to become an APA master.]

Slide 12:

[Image: the first page of a scholarly article titled: Instruction, First Language Influence, and Developmental Readiness in Second Language Acquisition.]

Slide 13: 

Journal Title: The Modern Language Journal
Article Title: Instruction, First Language Influence, and Developmental Readiness in Second Language Acquisition
Authors: Nina Spada and Patsy M. Lightbown
Year of Publication: 1999
Pages: 1-22
Volume: 83
Issue: 1

[Image: arrow pointing from text to the first page of a scholarly article titled: Instruction, First Language Influence, and Developmental Readiness in Second Language Acquisition.]

Slide 14: 

Journal Title: The Modern Language Journal
Article Title: Instruction, First Language Influence, and Developmental Readiness in Second Language Acquisition
Authors: Nina Spada and Patsy M. Lightbown
Year of Publication: 1999
Pages: 1-22
Volume: 83
Issue: 1

[Image: arrowing point from above text to below properly formatted APA citation below.]
Spada, N., & Lightbown, P. (1999). Instruction, first language influence, and developmental readiness in second language acquisition. The Modern Language Journal, 83(1), 1–22.

Slide 15: Now you try! Find Scholarly Articles

• Go to the Find Articles tab on the Course Research Guide 
• Choose a database
• Search for scholarly articles using keywords
• Write down the full APA citation for one source you think could be useful for further research on this topic in a Google Doc or email draft (not a quiz question).
• Answer the remaining quiz questions (#8, #9, #10)

Slide 16: How to get help outside of class

• Connect at stolaf.edu/library 
• Make an Appointment at go.stolaf.edu/appointment
• Email Ann at schaez1@stolaf.edu

Slide 17: So about that quiz…

1. Name one reason to use an encyclopedia at the beginning of the research process.
2. What are two of the top journals in second language acquisition?
3. Name three databases that might be useful for finding scholarly articles.
4. If an article is not available in a St. Olaf database, how can you access it?
5. What is one resource you can use to find examples of properly formatted APA citations? 
6. What is a topic that you may be interested in focusing on for your Literature Review project?
7. What are three search terms you could use to find research on your topic?
8. Give an example of a topic that is too broad for this project.
9. Will you work alone or with a partner? (Indicate partner name.)
10. What is one challenge you anticipate in your project?

Slide 18: Zotero

Zotero is an easy-to-use tool that can help you stay organized when you research. How does it work?

1. Save sources to Zotero using a web browser connector.
2. Take notes right in Zotero.
3. Organize sources and/or share them in a group library.
4. Add citations automatically to your paper using Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
5. Generate a bibliography based on the sources you used—in seconds!

If you’d like to learn more about Zotero, check out the tab on the course research guide!