The foreign TA problem from an acquisition-theoretic point of view

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to relate research on second language acquisition and research on the language problems of foreign teaching assistants and their remediation. On the one hand, SLA findings could improve the specific instructional programs required for foreign teaching assistants. On the other hand, second language acquisition research has not addressed specific data of this type. I argue that several vogue models of second language acquisition cannot explain the specific data without amendments. In particular, the psychological construct of attention is an important factor in determining whether or not the specific language use expected of college teachers will be attained by foreign students.