语法能力对外语学习者语言习得､语言发展起着重要作用,在二语语法教学和研究中占有重要地位｡为此,本研究采取内容分析和主题分析相结合的研究方法,借助质性分析软件NVivo 11,探究40年来国外二语语法能力研究状况｡研究发现,国外二语语法能力研究一直保持上升趋势,研究对象以大学生为主, 研究主题聚焦于中介语和学习者,理论框架多采取语言形式和认知心理视角,实证研究以定量和混合为主｡文章最后对未来二语语法能力研究提出建议｡

Grammatical competence plays a very important role in second language acquisition and development. Therefore, with the help of the qualitative analysis software (Nvivo 11), this study employs a combination of content analysis and thematic analysis to synthesize researches related to L2 grammatical competence published between 1981 and 2020. Research findings show that the number of reseraches related to L2 grammatical competenc has been on the rise; the majority of the empirical studies are focused on university students; most of the research themes place great emphasis on interlanguage and L2 learners; with regard to the theoretical frameworks, most studies adopt the linguistic, cognitive and psychological frameworks. Besides, quantitative research and mixed methods research dominate the empirical research. Finally, the paper puts forward some suggestions for future research on L2 grammatical competence.