Gesture, Multimodality and SLA

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Gesture, Multimodality, and SLA

Convenors: 

  • Laura MORETT, University of Missouri, USA, AAAL
  • Elena NICOLADIS, The University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Canada

Scope: 

Gesture and multimodality play an integral role in second language acquisition, and the number of studies which incorporate these features have been increasing (see Stam, 2013; Stam & Buescher, 2018; Stam & Urbanski, 2023). Numerous studies have demonstrated that examining both speech and gesture provides a clearer picture of both learners’ and teachers’ conceptualizations (for reviews, see, Gullberg 2006; Gullberg & McCafferty, 2008;Gullberg, de Bot & Volterra, 2008; Stam, 2006; Stam, 2013, Stam & McCafferty, 2008; Urbanski & Stam, 2023). Because gesture and multimodality tend to be studied in an interdisciplinary manner in diverse fields such as education, psychology, and linguistics, there is no specific venue for applied linguists to collaborate to examine how gestures and multimodality function in SLA and discuss their most recent studies other than the AILA ReN: Gesture, Multimodality, and SLA. Therefore, we are reapplying for a ReN entitled “Gesture, Multimodality, and SLA” for the 2024-2027 cycle to promote multimodal SLA studies with both a strong theoretical framework and strong methodology.  

The goal of the Gesture, Multimodality, and SLA ReN is to provide a venue where applied linguists of different backgrounds can share their ongoing studies, get feedback, continue developing their projects, participate in AILA and other organization symposia and edited volumes, collaborate on new projects beyond their institutions to advance the field of SLA. 

Highlight of 3 scientific ReN works during the previous period:

  • A research guide co-edited by Gale Stam and Kimberly Urbanski with chapters authored by members of the ReN entitled Gesture and multimodality in second language teaching and learning: A research guide was published by Routledge in 2022
  • Laura Morett chaired a symposium with presentations by ReN members entitled "The Impact of Teachers’ and Learners’ Gestures on L2 Acquisition" at AILA 2024 (Kuala Lumpur) in July 2024.
  • A volume co-edited by Amanda Brown and Søren Wind Eskildsen with chapters authors by ReN members entitled Multimodality across Epistemologies in Second Language Research was published by Routledge in 2024

Some members: 

  • Francisca AGUILO-MORA,Columbia University (USA)
  • Brahim AZAOUI,University of Montpellier (France)
  • Jana BRESSEM,Technische Universität Chemnitz (Germany)
  • Heather BROOKES,Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
  • Amanda BROWN,Syracuse University (USA)
  • Marco CAPPELLINI,University of Lyon (France)
  • Søren Wind ESKILDSEN,Southern Denmark University (Denmark)
  • Farbod FARAHANDOUZ,Université Sorbonne Nouvelle (France)
  • Marianne GULLBERG,Lund University (Sweden)
  • Simon HARRISON,City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
  • Yukari HIRATA,Colgate University (USA)
  • Benjamin HOLT,Université de Lille (France)
  • Solène INCEOGLU,Australian National University (Australia)
  • Masaaki KAMIYA,Hamilton College (USA)
  • Nobuhiro KAMIYA,Gunma Prefectural Women’s University (Japan)
  • Hyeonah KANG,University of Arizona (USA)
  • Spencer KELLY,Colgate University (USA)
  • Chelsea KRAJCIK,N/A
  • Silva LADEWIG,Georg-August University of Göttingen (Germany)
  • Maarten LEMMENS,University of Lille (France)
  • Yen-Liang LIN,National Taipei University of Technology (Taiwan)
  • Niina LILJA,Tampere University (Finland)
  • Renia LOPEZ-OZIEBLO,Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong)
  • Ana Paula LOURES-ELIAS,N/A
  • Taiane MALABARBA,University of Potsdam (Germany)
  • Paula MARENTETTE,University of Alberta (Canada)
  • Yumi MATSUMOTO,University of Pennsylvania (USA)
  • Steven MCCAFFERTY,University of Nevada, Las Vegas (USA)
  • Francisco MEIZOSO,Defense Language Institute (USA)
  • Juan Pablo MORA GUTIERREZ,Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)
  • Laura MORETT,University of Missouri (USA)
  • Eduardo NEGUERUELA-AZAROLA,Princeton University (USA)
  • Minh NGHIA-NGUYEN,University of Massachusetts, Boston (USA)
  • Janet NICOL,University of Arizona (USA)
  • Elena NICOLADIS,University of British Columbia (Canada)
  • Gabriele NERI DA SILVA,Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil)
  • Yılmaz Doğukan Özlü,N/A
  • Julien PERREZ,University of Liège (Belgium)
  • Christina PIOT,University of Liège (Belgium)
  • Pilar PRIETO VIVES,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain)