The Theoretical Implications of OILE

Abstract

The preceding four chapters have explored a number of different aspects of OILE. Firstly, the research landscape within which it is located has been sketched out. Secondly, the wide ranging practices of online informal learners have been examined and the way in which these practices may function as an interacting whole has been considered, Thirdly, the extent to which language acquisition may be taking place through, by and around OILE has been discussed. Before moving on to discuss the applications of these findings at a classroom and more generally formal learning level, it is useful to briefly take stock of the implications of these different strands of research at a theoretical level. In doing so, the groundwork can also be laid for the road map for future research suggested in Chapter 7, which it is hoped will allow OILE to grow into a significant area of second language acquisition research.