A brief overview of the various methodologies used to study second-language acquisition focuses on the particular complexities presented by the interdisciplinary character of the field and its effects on such aspects as theory construction, empirical methodology, epistemological positions, data collection, hypothesis testing, and data…

A review of data collection methods used in 39 studies of interlanguage pragmatics, focusing on the validity of different types of data resulting from discourse completion, role play, observation of authentic speech, and multiple approaches, concludes that caution is needed in determining the true validity of the collected data. (72 references)…