Every ESLPod Research Article, Grouped by Topic
This is the complete index of the research articles on ESLPod. Each one answers a single question that adult English learners sometimes ask. I use published studies rather than opinion to answer these questions, and name all of my research sources.
The nine sections below run in the order an English learner usually needs them, starting with how a second language is learned and ending with how long it takes. Sections with no links yet are being written. The argument these articles rest on is on the science page, and what it means for our lessons is on the method page.
1. How English is learned
Here I discuss what the research says about how a second language gets into your brain, why studying a language and learning a language are two different things, and what comprehensible input means in practice.
2. Getting past intermediate
Learn why fewer than one in four learners who reach the intermediate level go on to become advanced, and what the evidence says about getting past that point.
3. Speaking
Find out what the research says about speaking practice, error correction, accent, conversation classes, and the anxiety that stops learners from speaking at all.
4. Vocabulary
Learn how many times you have to meet a word before you know it, how many words English conversation actually needs, and which ways of learning words the evidence supports.
5. Reading
Discover how to choose a book at your level, what graded readers are for, and what reading gives your English that studying does not.
6. Listening and watching
I discuss podcasts, movies, television, and subtitles, and how to use each of them at a level you understand instead of one that defeats you.
7. Apps and AI
Learn about the independent evidence on language apps, tutoring sites, and AI tools, and the one thing AI is genuinely useful for.
8. Podcasts and what to listen to
I give some honest comparisons of the English podcasts and courses learners ask about most, including ours, judged on whether you can understand them.
9. Age, time, and expectations
You will learn how many hours fluency takes, whether your age matters, whether a talent for languages is real, and what to expect month by month.
What can you do today?
Pick the section that matches the question you came here with, and read one article all the way through before you change anything about how you study.
If the research makes sense to you, take a look at Unlimited English, with more than 1,800 audio lessons and complete Learning Guides, all designed as comprehensible input for intermediate learners.
~ Dr. Jeff McQuillan, Center for Educational Development, Los Angeles, California