Knell, G., Cipitria, S., de Cuypere, L., Housen, A., & Struys, E. (2025). Stand-out: A Systematic Review of the Role of Salience in Second Language Acquisition. Journal of the European Second Language Association, 9(1), 1–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22599/
Abstract
Salience is frequently cited as a post-hoc explanation of results in second language acquisition (SLA) research. However, how salience is operationalized varies considerably and empirical investigations into the causal effect of salience are sparse. This systematic review analyzes studies that manipulated theorized salience manifestations in second-language contexts toward three primary objectives: (1) to provide an overview of how salience has been empirically operationalized in SLA research, (2) to synthesize existing findings on the impact of salience on second-language learning, and (3) to identify gaps in the current literature to guide future research toward a more comprehensive understanding of salience and its role in second-language acquisition. We extracted 473 references from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, retaining 42 studies for detailed analysis. Results indicate a positive relationship between higher levels of salience and second-language learning outcomes. Findings also show remaining gaps regarding isolated salience manifestations in general and psycholinguistic manifestations in particular.