Michael Leeser

Michael Leeser (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is professor of Spanish and linguistics. He also serves as the program coordinator for Spanish. His research focuses on second language acquisition and bilingualism, and he has directed over 15 dissertations in these areas. He has been nominated for undergraduate and graduate teaching awards, and he is the recipient of a Graduate Faculty Mentor Award. In his free time, he is an avid swimmer and cyclist.

Research Interests

Input processing in second language acquisition

Sentence processing in second language learners and bilinguals

The role of instruction in second language acquisition

The development of instructional materials that are psycholinguistically motivated

Courses Taught

Introduction to Linguistics (undergraduate)

Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World (undergraduate)

Second Language Acquisition (undergraduate/graduate)

Linguistic and Cognitive Perspectives on Second Language Acquisition (graduate)

Quantitative Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition (graduate)

Second Language Morphology: Representation, Acquisition, and Processing (graduate)

Selected Publications

• Leeser, M. J., & Sunderman, G. (in press, 2025). Origins and Foundations of Second Language Acquisition. In M. J. Leeser and G. Sunderman (Eds.), Second Language Acquisition. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
• Leeser, M. J. (2024). VanPatten’s Theory of Input Processing in L2 Acquisition. In W. Wong and J. Barcroft (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Input Processing. New York: Routledge.
• Leeser, M. J., & Pesce, P. (2023). Explicit Information, Working Memory, and Cognitive Control in Processing Instruction. Ampersand, 10, 1-9.
• Herman, E.D., & Leeser, M. J. (2022). The Relationship between Lexical Coverage and Type of Reading Comprehension in Beginning L2 Spanish Learners. The Modern Language Journal, 106, 284-305.
• Leeser, M. J., & Herman, E. D. (2022). Methodological Issues in Research on Working Memory and L2 Reading Comprehension. In J. W. Schwieter and Z. Wen (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Working memory and Language (pp. 611-634). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Leeser, M. J. (2021). Why does Processing Instruction Work? The Role of PI within a Framework of Language and Second Language Development. In M. J. Leeser, G. D. Keating, and W. Wong (Eds.), Research on Second Language Processing and Processing Instruction: Studies in Honor of Bill VanPatten (pp. 295-323). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.