Laura Gurzynski-Weiss

Laura Gurzynski-Weiss

Associate Professor, Spanish and Portuguese

Director, Undergraduate Studies

Education

  • Ph.D., with distinction, Georgetown University, 2010
  • M.S., Georgetown University, 2007
  • B.A., Marquette University, 2005

    About Laura Gurzynski-Weiss

    I conduct research in the field of instructed second language acquisition, which studies how non-native languages (L2s) are acquired in instructed contexts, and what can be done to maximize acquisitional outcomes. My work expands our understanding of the variables that may affect L2 learning by systematically examining input, interaction, feedback, modified output, and task-related factors primarily from cognitive-interactionist and psycholinguistic approaches. In utilizing quantitative and qualitative descriptive and quasi-experimental (laboratory or in-class experimental) designs, my empirical work investigates: (a) the presence of these aforementioned factors in instructed Spanish L2 settings; (b) the attention and cognitive processes directing instructor provision and learner perception and use of these factors; and (c) how instructor and learner individual differences—as well as contextual features such as task variables and mode of interaction—may influence the provision, cognitive processing, and use of these factors; within this latter area I also examine if individual differences are static or dynamic. I have recently expanded my research to investigate emerging bilingualism in elementary school exposure-track programs as well as how task-based domestic immersion may lead to L2 Spanish development.

    A cornerstone of my research is ensuring that the data I collect are impactful beyond academia. My work directly informs L2 learning opportunities in elementary, high school, and university contexts in our Bloomington and greater Indiana communities, and the vast majority of my work occurs in collaborative engagement with students at undergraduate and graduate levels, within and beyond the classroom. I teach two undergraduate courses regularly: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics (HISP-S326), and the Acquisition of Spanish (HISP-S430). For the former course, I co-authored a textbook with faculty colleagues Díaz-Campos and Geeslin (Introducción y aplicaciones contextualizadas a la lingüística hispánica, Wiley-Blackwell, 2017) and, with current and former students Daniel Jung, Carly Carver (Augusta University) and Nofiya Denbaum, collaboratively designed a task-based companion set of materials for use with the textbook.

    The graduate courses I teach include L2 teaching methodology (HISP-S517), the required training course for all of our associate instructors, as well as specialized courses in second language acquisition. The advanced graduate courses have most recently included Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning (TBLT), Individual Differences (IDs), Research Methodology, the Acquisition of L2 Spanish in Multiple Educational Contexts, and Second Language Acquisition for Spanish Teaching, an online course I co-designed with Josh Prada at IUPUI for Indiana high school Spanish teachers. Work originating from the teaching methods course and TBLT seminars can be seen on the Task Bank, a central hub for task-based researchers, language teachers, and teacher trainers alike to utilize and share task-based language learning tasks with a global community that is funded by the International Association of Task-Based Language Teaching.

    My largest professional service involvements are on the Executive Boards of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA), where I coordinate the 29 Research Networks worldwide and am the co-founder and co-organizer of AILA Ibero-America (AIALA), on the Executive Board of the International Association for Task-Based Language Teaching, and as the Founder/Project Director of the Task Bank. I am also currently serving as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, working with an incredible team to oversee our 200 courses and 3500 undergraduate students each semester.

    Specializations

    • Instructed second language acquisition
    • Interaction- and task-based classroom research and curricular design
    • Instructor characteristics and learner individual differences
    • Emerging bilingualism in elementary-aged children
    • Feedback use and perception
    • Teacher cognition
    Books
    Special issue
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2020). In pursuit of the dynamic nature of learner individual differences. [Special issue]. Studies in Second Language Learning and Language Teaching, 10(1).
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Long, A. Y., & Solon, M. (Eds.) (2017). TBLT and L2 pronunciation: Do the benefits of tasks extend beyond grammar and lexis? [Special issue]. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 39(2).
    Peer-reviewed articles and chapters
    • Baralt, Sachs, & Gurzynski-Weiss (in press). Applied psycholinguistics outside of the lab: Psycholinguistics in the language classroom. In A. Godfroid & K. VanGorp (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of applied psycholinguistics. Routledge.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (in press). Learner individual differences and L2 speaking. In P. Hiver, M. Papi, & S. Li (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and individual differences. Routledge.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Jarrett, D., & Giacomino, L. (in press). Examining high school learners’ experience of task motivation and difficulty in a two-week Spanish immersion camp. In M. Ahmadian & M. H. Long (Eds.). Cambridge handbook of task-based language teaching and learning. Cambridge University Press.
    • Henderson, C., Jung, D., & Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2020). Does learner engagement predict learning? A mode comparison of L2 Spanish. In S. Mercer, P. Hiver, & A. Al-Hoorie (Eds.), Engagement in the second language classroom (pp. 120-142). Multilingual Matters.
    • Geeslin, K. L., & Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2020). Tenure and promotion. In L. Plonsky (Ed.), Professional development in applied linguistics: A guide to success for graduate students and early career faculty (pp. 181-202). John Benjamins.
    • Jung, D., Gurzynski-Weiss, L., DiBartolomeo, M., Giacomino, L., Melero-García, F. (2020). Dynamic individual differences? An empirical example of a longitudinal design. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 10(1), 177-219.
    • Philp, J., & Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2020). On the role of the interlocutor in second language development: A cognitive-interactionist approach. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Cross-theoretical explorations of interlocutors and their individual differences (pp. 20-50). John Benjamins.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Geeslin, K. L., Daidone, D., Linford, B., Long, A. Y., Michalski, I., & Solon, M. (2018). L2 classrooms as multifaceted sources of input: The synergy of variationist and usage-based approaches. In A. Tyler, L. Ortega, M. Uno, & H. I. Park (Eds.), Usage-inspired L2 instruction: Researched pedagogy (pp. 293-313). John Benjamins.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2017c). Instructor individual characteristics and L2 interaction. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Expanding individual difference research in the interaction approach: Investigating learners, instructors, and other interlocutors (pp. 151-172). John Benjamins.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2017b). Introduction. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Expanding individual difference research in the interaction approach: Investigating learners, instructors, and other interlocutors (pp. 3-18). John Benjamins.
    •  Gurzynski-Weiss, L., & Plonsky, L. (2017). Look who’s interacting: A scoping review of research involving non-teacher/non-peer interlocutors. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Expanding individual difference research in the interaction approach: Investigating learners, instructors, and other interlocutors (pp. 305-324). John Benjamins.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Geeslin, K. L., Long, A. Y.; Daidone, D. (2017). Linguistic variation in instructor provision of oral input. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Expanding individual difference research in the interaction approach: Investigating learners, instructors, and other interlocutors (pp. 225-254). John Benjamins.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Henderson, C., & Jung, D. (2017). Examining timing and type of learner-modified output in relation to perception in face-to-face and synchronous computer-mediated chat task-based interaction. In M. Ahmadian & P. García Mayo (Eds.), Multiple perspectives on task-based language teaching and learning (pp. 53-76).  de Gruyter.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Solon, M., & Long, A. Y. (2017). Introduction. In Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Long, A. Y., & Solon, M. (Eds.), TBLT and L2 pronunciation: Do the benefits of tasks extend beyond grammar and lexis? [Special issue]. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 39(2), 213-224.
    • Solon, M., Long, A. Y., & Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2017). Task complexity, language-related episodes, and production of L2 Spanish vowels. In Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Long, A. Y., & Solon, M. (Eds.). TBLT and L2 pronunciation: Do the benefits of tasks extend beyond grammar and lexis? [Special issue]. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 39(2), 347-380.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2017a). L2 instructor individual characteristics. In S. Loewen & M. Sato (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of instructed second language acquisition (pp. 451-467). Routledge.
    • Révész, A., & Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2016). Teachers' perspectives on second language task difficulty: Insights from think-alouds and eye-tracking. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 36, 182-204.
    • Baralt, M., Gurzynski-Weiss, L., & Kim, Y. (2016). The effects of task type and classroom environment on learners’ engagement with the language. In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer interaction and L2 learning (pp. 209-239). John Benjamins.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2016b). Spanish instructors’ operationalization and interpretation of task complexity and sequencing in non-experimental foreign language lessons. The Language Learning Journal 44(4), 467-486.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2016a). Factors influencing Spanish instructors’ in-class feedback decisions. Modern Language Journal, 100(1), 255-275.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Al-Khalil, M., Baralt, M., & Leow, R. (2015). The roles of type of feedback and type of linguistic item on L2 awareness in computer-mediated communication. In R. Leow, L. Cerezo, & M. Baralt (Eds.), Technology and second/foreign language learning: A psycholinguistic approach (pp. 151-170). de Gruyter.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., & Baralt, M. (2015). A closer look at learner responses to feedback and their effect on noticing in face-to-face and computer-mediated task-based interaction. Applied Psycholinguistics, 36(6), 1393-1420.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., Long, A. Y., & Solon, M. (2015). Comparing interaction and use of space in traditional and innovative classroom spaces. Hispania, 98(1), 61-78.
    • Plonsky, L., & Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2014). Research methods. In C. Fäcke (Ed.) Manual of language acquisition(pp. 31-49). de Gruyter.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., & Baralt, M. (2014). Exploring learner perception and use of task-based interactional feedback in face-to-face and computer-mediated modes. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 36(1), 1-37.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2014b). Triangulating graduate instructor learning in FL teaching methods: Questionnaires, concept maps, and reflective teaching journals. In Proceedings of the World Conference on Learning, Teaching and Educational Leadership, 141, 171-181.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2014a). Graduate instructor in-class cognition and feedback provision over time. In R. T. Miller, K. I. Martin, C. M. Eddington, A. Henery, N. M. Miguel, A. Tseng, A. Tuninetti, & D. Walter (Eds.), Selected proceedings of the 2012 Second Language Research Forum, 227-239.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2013). Instructor characteristics and classroom-based second language acquisition of Spanish. In K. L. Geeslin (Ed.), The handbook of Spanish second language acquisition (pp. 530-546). Wiley-Blackwell.
    • Gurzynski-Weiss, L., & Révész, A. (2012). Tasks, teacher feedback, and learner modified output in naturally occurring classroom interaction. Language Learning, 62(3), 851-879.
    • Baralt, M., & Gurzynski-Weiss, L. (2011). Comparing learners’ state anxiety during task-based interaction in computer-mediated and face-to-face communication. Language Teaching Research, 15(2), 201-229.

    Honors & Awards

    • Vice Provost for Research Grant for “Emerging bilingualism in elementary-level exposure track Spanish: A collaboration with Monroe County.” $44,600; 2020-2022
    • Center for Rural Engagement Grant for “Emerging bilingualism in elementary-level exposure track Spanish: A collaboration with DuBois County.” $16,300; 2020-2022
    • Outstanding Mentor Award; Department of Spanish & Portuguese Graduate Student Advisory Committee; 2020
    • Graduate Research Assistantship; Department of Spanish & Portuguese; Spring 2021
    • Institute for Advanced Study Individual Research Award for “Task-based Spanish Immersion in the US: The intersection of L2 research and pedagogy.” $3000; 2020
    • Graduate Research Assistantship; Department of Spanish & Portuguese; Spring 2020
    • Graduate Research Assistantship; Department of Spanish & Portuguese; Spring 2019
    • 2018 Distinguished Research Award (with Andrea Révész, University College London); Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
    • International Conference Travel Grant; Office of the Vice Provost of International Affairs; $800; 2017
    • Graduate Research Assistantship; Department of Spanish & Portuguese; Fall 2016
    • Trustees Teaching Award; Spring 2016
    • Office of the Vice Provost of International Affairs Short-Term International Visitors Grant for “Symposium on Interlocutor Individual Differences in Cognition and Second Language Acquisition”; $1500; 2015
    • College Arts and Humanities Institute Conference Grant for “Symposium on Interlocutor Individual Differences in Cognition and Second Language Acquisition”; $7576; 2014
    • Outstanding Mentor Award; Department of Spanish & Portuguese Graduate Student Advisory Committee; 2014
    • Graduate Research Assistantship; Department of Spanish & Portuguese; Fall 2014
    • International Conference Travel Grant; Office of the Vice Provost of International Affairs; $1500; 2014
    • Grant-in-Aid, Office for the Vice Provost of Research; $3000; 2014
    • Institute for European Studies International Travel Grant; $800; 2013
    • Short-Term Faculty Exchange with the Universidad de Sevilla, Office for the Vice Provost of International Affairs; 2013; 2014
    • Center for Arts & Humanities Institute Grant for Hispanic Linguistics Guest Lecture; $1000; 2012
    • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research Grant from the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education; $5000; 2011-2012

    Selected current research projects

    • Founder and Project Director, The Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Task Bank, https://tblt.indiana.edu
    • Co-Founder/Co-Organizer, Ibero-American Association of Applied Linguistics (AIALA),  https://aila.info/about/regionalization/aila-ibero-america/
    • Project Investigator & Director of Curricular Design for the IUB Spanish language summer immersion camp (SLIC), a task-based program with built-in research measures triangulating Spanish learning, perceptions of task complexity and task difficulty, motivation, engagement, and other learner individual differences
    • Emerging bilingualism in elementary-level exposure-track (collaboration with IUB students Mackenzie Coulter-Kern, Madison Wray, and Matt Williams)
    • Heritage Spanish at IU (collaboration with Josh Prada, IUPUI, & Sean McKinnon, IUB)
    • Investigating the dynamicity of individual differences: Tracking learner and teacher IDs over time (collaboration with IUB students Daniel Jung, Megan DiBartolomeo, Lindsay Giacomino, Fernando Melero-García; and Carly Carver, Augusta University, and Marian Hidalgo, University of Navarra)
    • Founder/Convenor, Interlocutor Individual Differences in Cognition and SLA, International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA) Research Network (ReN) http://www.individualdifferencesinsla.com/