Hossein Nassaji is Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. His teaching and research interests include second language acquisition, corrective feedback, form-focused instruction, and the application of sociocultural theories to second language research and pedagogy. He has also maintained active research interests in L2 reading processes, lexical inferencing, and classroom discourse. His current research focuses on the role of interactional feedback and focus on form in classroom and laboratory settings, involving both experimental/quantitative and descriptive/qualitative research.
His research has been published in numerous leading journals in the field, including Applied Linguistics, Applied Psycholinguistics, Language Learning, Modern Language Journal, TESOL Quarterly, Canadian Modern Language Review, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Language Awareness, Language Teaching Research, and Foreign Language Annals. His recent books are Form-Focused Instruction and Teacher Education: Studies in Honour of Rod Ellis, 2007, Oxford University Press (with Sandra Fotos) and Teaching Grammar in Second Language Classrooms: Integrating Form-Focused Instruction in Communicative Context, forthcoming, Routledge (with Sandra Fotos). He is also the co-editor (with Daphnée Simard) of the forthcoming 2010 Canadian Modern Language Review Special Issue on Current Developments in Form-focused Interaction and Second Language Development.
In 2001, he was awarded the twenty-first annual Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize of Modern Language Association of America for the article he co-authored with Gordon Wells of the University of California, Santa Cruz, What's the Use of Triadic Dialogue?: An Investigation of Teacher-Student Interaction. Dr. Nassaji’s other works have also earned special awards and recognition in the field. His 2002 article in Language Learning titled “Schema theory and knowledge-based processes in second language reading comprehension: A need for alternative perspectives” was selected and republished in the Best of Language Learning Series of the Journal (57, pp. 79-113). The Best of Language Learning Series is a supplement to the journal of Language Learning that reprints outstanding research articles published previously in that journal. His 2004 article, “The Relationship Between Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge and L2 Learners' Lexical Inferencing Strategy Use and Success” published in The Canadian Modern Language Review (CMLR), and also his earlier 1999 article, “Towards integrating form-focused instruction and communicative interaction in the second Language classroom: Some pedagogical possibilities” originally published in CMLR, were both selected and republished in The Modern Language Journal as Exchange articles. Exchange articles are selected by a Joint committee of The Modern Language Journal and The Canadian Modern Language Review on the basis of the quality of the research presented and its potential impact on second language learning and teaching.
Selected Recent Works
Publications
BOOKS
Nassaji, H. & Fotos, S. (2010). Teaching Grammar in Second Language Classrooms: Integrating Form-Focused Instruction in Communicative Context. Routledge.
Fotos, S. & Nassaji, H. (Eds.) (2007). Form-Focused Instruction and Teacher Education: Studies in Honour of Rod Ellis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nassaji, H. & Simard, D. (Eds.) (in press). Current Developments in Form-Focused Interaction and Second Language Development. Special issue. Canadian Modern Language Review.
ARTICLES IN REFEREED JOURNALS
Nassaji, H. & Hu, M. (to appear). The relationship between task-induced involvement load and learning words from context. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching (IRAL).
Nassaji, H. (forthcoming). The relationship between SLA research and Language Pedagogy: Teachers’ perspectives. Language Teaching Research.
Nassaji, H. (in press) Immediate learner repair following interactional feedback and its relationship with learning targeted forms. System.
Nassaji, H. (in press). The occurrence and effectiveness of spontaneous focus on form in adult ESL classrooms. Canadian Modern Language Review.
Nassaji, H. (in press). Issues in second language reading: Implications for acquisition and instruction. Reading Research Quarterly.
Nassaji, H. & Simard, D. (in press). Introduction: Current developments in Form-focused interaction and L2 Acquisitions. Canadian Modern Language Review.
Amrhein, H. R. & Nassaji, H. (2010). Written corrective feedback: What do students and teachers prefer and why? Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 13, 95-127.
Nassaji & Tian, J. (2010). Collaborative and individual output tasks and their effects on learning English phrasal verbs. Language Teaching Research, 14, 397–419.
de la Campa, J. & Nassaji, H. (2009). The amount, purpose, and reasons for using L1 in L2 classrooms. Foreign Language Annuals, 4, 742-759.
Nassaji, H. (2009). The Effects of Recasts and Elicitations in Dyadic Interaction and the Role of Feedback Explicitness. Language Learning, 59, 411-452.
Nassaji, H. (2007). Elicitation and Reformulation and their Relationship with Learner Repair in Dyadic Interaction, Language Learning, 57, 4, 511-548.
Nassaji, H. (2007). The development of spelling and orthographic knowledge in English as an L2: A longitudinal case study. The Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10, 77-98.
Nassaji, H. (2007). Schema theory and knowledge-based processes in second language reading comprehension: A need for alternative perspectives. Language Learning, 57, supplement 1, 79-113.
Nassaji, H. (2006) The relationship between depth of vocabulary knowledge and L2 learners' lexical inferencing strategy use and success (exchange article), Modern Language Journal, 90, 387-401.
Nassaji, H. (2004). The relationship between depth of vocabulary knowledge and L2 learners' lexical inferencing strategy use and success, Canadian Modern Language Review, 61, 1, 107-134.
Nassaji, H. & Fotos, S. (2004). Current developments in research on the teaching of grammar. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 126-145.
Nassaji, H. (2004). Input modality and remembering name-referent associations in vocabulary learning. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7, 39-55.
Nassaji, H. (2003). L2 vocabulary learning from context: Strategies, knowledge sources, and their relationship with success in L2 lexical inferencing. TESOL Quarterly, 37, 645-670.
Nassaji, H. (2003). Higher-level and lower-level text processing skills in advanced ESL reading comprehension. The Modern Language Journal, 87, 261-276.
Nassaji, H. (2002) Schema theory and knowledge-based processes in second language reading comprehension: A need for alternative perspectives, Language Learning, 52, 439-481.
Nassaji, H. (2000). Towards integrating form-focussed instruction and communicative interaction in the second Language classroom: Some pedagogical possibilities (Exchange article). The Modern Language Journal, 84, 241-250.
Nassaji, H. (2000). A reply to Sheen. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 56, 507-513.
Nassaji, H. & Cumming, A. (2000). What is in ZPD: A case study of a young ESL student and teacher interacting through dialogue journals. Language Teaching Research, 4, 95-121.
Nassaji, H. & Swain, M. (2000). A Vygotskian perspective on corrective feedback: The effect of random versus negotiated help on the learning of English articles. Language Awareness, 9, 34-51.
Nassaji H. & Wells, G. (2000). What's the use of 'triadic dialogue'?: An investigation of teacher-student interaction. Applied Linguistics, 21, 376-406.
Nassaji, H. (1999). Towards integrating form-focused instruction and communicative interaction in the second language classroom: Some pedagogical possibilities. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 55, 385-402.
Nassaji, H. & Geva, E (1999). The contribution of phonological and orthographic processing skills to adult ESL reading: Evidence from native speakers of Farsi. Applied Psycholinguistics, 20, 241-267.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Nassaji, H. (to appear). Schemata. In P. Robinson (Ed.). The Routledge Encyclopedia of Second Language Acquisition. New York/London: Routledge.
Nassaji, H. (to appear). Significance level. In P. Robinson (Ed.), The Routledge Encyclopedia of Second Language Acquisition. New York/London: Routledge.
Nassaji, H. (forthcoming). Significance tests and their relation to generalizability of research results: A case for replication. In G., Porte (Ed.). Replication research in applied linguistics and second language research: A practical guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nassaji H. & Fotos, S. (2007) Current issues in form-focused instruction. In. S. Fotos & H. Nassaji (Eds.). Form-focused instruction and teacher education: Studies in honour of Rod Ellis (pp. 7-15). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nassaji, H. (2007). Reactive focus on form through negotiation on learners’ written errors, In. S. Fotos & H. Nassaji (Eds.). Form-focused instruction and teacher education: Studies in honour of Rod Ellis (pp. 117-129). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nassaji, H. (2007) focus on from through recasts in dyadic student-teacher interaction: A case for recast enhancement. In C. Gascoigne (Ed.), Assessing the impact of input enhancement in second Language Education (pp. 53-69). Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.
BOOK REVIEWS
Nassaji, H. (2010). Review of Young, Richard, Discursive practice in language learning and teaching. Malden MA, & Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. (2009), Modern Language Journal, 94, 663-664.
Nassaji, H. (2010). Review of Byrnes, Heidi, Advanced language learning: The contribution of Halliday and Vygotsky. London/New York: Continuum, 2007, Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics.
Nassaji, H. (2009). Review of Bruce, Ian, Academic writing and genre: A systematic analysis. London/New York: Continuum, 2008, Modern Language Journal, 93, 441-443.
Nassaji, H. (2008) Review of Ädel, Annelie. Metadiscourse in L1 and L2 English: Studies in Corpus Linguistics. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 2006, Modern Language Journal, 92, 332-333.
Nassaji, H. (2007). Review of “Task-based language education: From theory to practice” by K. Van den Branden, K. (Ed.), 2006. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Modern Language Journal, 91, 707–708.
Nassaji, H. (2007). Review of “The Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (Vol 25). A Survey of Applied Linguistics, M. McGroarty (Ed.), New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.” Modern Language Journal, 91,130-132.
Nassaji. H. (2006). Review of “Vygotsky's and A.A. Leontiev's semiotics and psycholinguistics: Applications for education, second language acquisition, and theories of language” by D. Robbins, 2003. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Modern Language Journal, 90, 133-134.
Nassaji, H. (2004) Book Review, “Second language acquisition and universal grammar,” by L. White, 2003. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. The Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7, 160-163.
Nassaji, H. (2004) Review of “Words count: Effective vocabulary instruction in action,” by S. C. Greenwood, 2004. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, Education Review, http://edrev.asu.edu/brief/oct04.html#5.
Nassaji, H. (1999). "Content-based instruction in foreign language education" by S. B. Stryker and B. L. Leaver (Eds.), book review. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 55, 416-420.