SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION FROM BEHAVIOURISM TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Keywords:
Applied Linguistics, Input Hypothesis, Interaction Hypothesis, Language Learning, Second Language Acquisition, Systematic Literature ReviewAbstract
Several decades of research into SLA have not yielded a single universally accepted theoretical framework to explain the complexities involved. The present systematic research paper seeks to synthesize and integrate dominant SLA theories, empirical findings, and ongoing developments in the field, and to identify the shortcomings of present research and future directions. methodology was conducted, which focused on analyzing peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly books, and conference proceedings published from 2000 to 2025, and seminal texts that have been of critical importance to the SLA field. The collected data were then subjected to thematic analysis. Findings revealed that the learning process of a second language is multidimensional and influenced by a range of linguistic, cognitive, psychological, socio-cultural, and technological factors. Recent findings indicated that comprehensive input, meaningful interaction, learner output, motivation, corrective feedback, cognition, and learning context collectively contribute to successful second language learning. Moreover, computer-assisted language learning (CALL), mobile-assisted learning (MAL), and the use of artificial intelligence have an increasingly significant role in fostering personalized instruction, autonomy of the learner, and the development of authentic communication skills. Finally, the research paper highlighted the requirement for additional interdisciplinary and context-specific research, with a stronger focus on multilingual settings and developing countries. The research paper provided a synthesis of the present understanding of the field of SLA to the broader scholarly community and has practical applications for those involved in second language learning, education, and policy.
Downloads
References
Chomsky, N. (1959). Research paper on Verbal Behavior by B. F. Skinner. Language, 35(1), 26–58. https://doi.org/10.2307/411334
de Groot, A. M. B., & Kroll, J. F. (Eds.). (1997). Tutorials in bilingualism: Psycholinguistic perspectives. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
DeKeyser, R. M. (Ed.). (2007). Practice in a second language: Perspectives from applied linguistics and cognitive psychology. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667275
Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (2021). Teaching and researching motivation (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351006743
Gregg, K. R. (1984). Krashen's Monitor and Occam's razor. Applied Linguistics, 5(2), 79–100. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/5.2.79
Izumi, S. (2003). Comprehension and production processes in second language learning: In search of the psycholinguistic rationale of the Output Hypothesis. Applied Linguistics, 24(2), 168–196. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/24.2.168
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.
Lado, R. (1957). Linguistics across cultures: Applied linguistics for language teachers. University of Michigan Press.
Loewen, S., & Sato, M. (2018). Interaction and instructed second language acquisition. Language Teaching, 51(3), 285–329. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444817000120
Long, M. H. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413–468). Academic Press.
McLaughlin, B. (1987). Theories of second-language learning. Edward Arnold.
Ortega, L. (2009). Understanding second language acquisition. Hodder Education.
Robinson, P. (Ed.). (2003). Cognition and second language instruction. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524780
Schmidt, R. (1990). The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 11(2), 129–158.
https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/11.2.129
Skinner, B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Swain, M. (1985). Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development. In
S. Gass & C. Madden (Eds.), Input in second language acquisition (pp. 235–253). Newbury House.
Swain, M. (1995). Three functions of output in second language learning. In G. Cook & B. Seidlhofer (Eds.), Principle and practice in
applied linguistics: Studies in honour of H. G. Widdowson (pp. 125–144). Oxford University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
White, L. (2003). Second language acquisition and Universal Grammar. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815065
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Zoha Niaz, Raza Ullah, Farhan Nazir, Syeda Ujala Zahra, Raheela Majeed (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
