Contact Information
707 S. Mathews Ave. | MC-176
Urbana, IL 61801
Research Interests
classroom second language acquisition
heritage language acquisition
language testing and assessment
Education
Georgetown University, Ph.D. (with distinction)
Georgetown University, M.S.
University of Virginia, B.A. (with highest distinction)
Awards and Honors
Helen Corley Petit Scholar (AY2011-2012), College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Spanish and Portuguese
Head, Spanish and Portuguese
Adjunct Professor, Educational Psychology
Honors & Awards
Helen Corley Petit Scholar (AY2011-2012), College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Highlighted Publications
Book Contributions
Montrul, Silvina, and Melissa A. Bowles. "Instructed heritage language acquisition." The Routledge Handbook of Instructed Second Language Acquisition, edited by Shawn Loewen, edited by Masatoshi Sato. New York: Routledge, 2017, p. 488-502.
Bowles, Melissa A, and Rebecca J. Adams. "An interaction approach to learner-learner interaction in second and foreign language classrooms." Handbook on Classroom Discourse, edited by Numa Markee. Boston: Wiley, 2015, p. 198-212.
Bowles, Melissa A, and Silvina A. Montrul. "Instructed L2 acquisition of Differential Object Marking in Spanish." Georgetown University Roundtable on Linguistics, Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2009.
Bowles, Melissa A, and Silvina Montrul. "The role of explicit instruction in the L2 acquisition of the a-personal." Proceedings of the 2006 Hispanic Linguistics Symposium, Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press 2008, p. 25-35.
Montrul, Silvina, and Melissa A. Bowles. "Negative evidence in instructed heritage language acquisition: A preliminary study of Differential Object Marking." Proceedings of the 2007 Second Language Research Forum, Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project, 2008, p. 252-262.
Leow, Ronald P, and Melissa A. Bowles. "Attention and awareness in SLA." Mind and context in adult second language acquisition: Methods, theory, and practice, Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2005, p. 179-203.
Journal Articles
Bowles, Melissa A, Rebecca J. Adams, and Paul D. Toth. "A comparison of L2-L2 and L2-HL interactions in Spanish language classrooms.." The Modern Language Journal, vol. 98, no. 2, 2014, p. 497-517.
Bowles, Melissa A. "Heritage Spanish speakers in university language courses: A decade of difference." ADFL Bulletin, vol. 43, no. 1, 2014, p. 112-122.
Bowles, Melissa A. "Exploring the role of modality: L2-heritage learner interactions in the Spanish language classroom." The Heritage Language Journal, vol. 8, no. 1, 2011, p. 30-65.
"Measuring implicit and explicit linguistic knowledge: What can heritage language learners contribute?" Studies in Second Language Acquisition, vol. 33, 2011, p. 247-271.
Bowles, Melissa A. "Concurrent verbal reports in second language research." Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, vol. 30, 2010, p. 111-127.
Montrul, Silvina, and Melissa A. Bowles. "Is grammar instruction beneficial for heritage language learners: Dative case marking in Spanish." The Heritage Language Journal, vol. 7, no. 1, 2010, p. 47-73.
Montrul, Silvina, and Melissa A. Bowles. "Back to basics: Incomplete knowledge of Differential Object Marking in Spanish heritage speakers." Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, vol. 12, no. 3, 2009, p. 363-383.
Bowles, Melissa A. "Task type and reactivity of verbal reports in SLA: A first look at an L2 task other than reading." Studies in Second Language Acquisition, vol. 30, no. 3, 2008, p. 359-387.
Bowles, Melissa A, and Ronald P. Leow. "Reactivity and type of verbal report in SLA research methodology: Expanding the scope of investigation." Studies in Second Language Acquisition, vol. 27, no. 3, 2005, p. 415-440.
Encyclopedia Entries
Bowles, Melissa A. "Awareness." Encyclopedia of Second Language Acquisition, New York: Routledge, 2012.
Bowles, Melissa A. "Protocol analysis." Encyclopedia of Second Language Acquisition, New York: Routledge, 2012.
Books
Bowles, Melissa A. The think-aloud controversy in language acquisition research. Routledge, 2010.
Recent Publications
Leow, R. P., & Bowles, M. A. (2023). Verbally mediated data: Concurrent/retrospective verbalizations via think-aloud protocols and stimulated recalls. In R. M. Manchón, & J. R. de Larios (Eds.), Research Methods in the Study of L2 Writing Processes (pp. 104-122). (Research Methods in Applied Linguistics; Vol. 5). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.5.05leo
Bowles, M. A., & Torres, J. (2022). Instructed Heritage Language Acquisition. In S. Montrul, & M. Polinsky (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Heritage Languages and Linguistics (pp. 826-850). (Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108766340.037
Bowles, M. A. (2022). Introduction: Why and How to Examine Outcomes of Heritage Language Instruction. In M. A. Bowles (Ed.), Outcomes of University Spanish Heritage Language Instruction in the United States (Georgetown Studies in Spanish Linguistics). Georgetown University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv296mt6k.5
Bowles, M. A. (Ed.) (2022). Outcomes of University Spanish Heritage Language Instruction in the United States. (Georgetown Studies in Spanish Linguistics). Georgetown University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv296mt6k
Bowles, M. A. (2022). Using instructor judgment, learner corpora, and DIF to develop a placement test for Spanish L2 and heritage learners. Language Testing, 39(3), 355-376. https://doi.org/10.1177/02655322221076033