Instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) research has recently attracted more focal attention due to the publications of three books and as the theme of the 2016 Second Language Research Forum (SLRF) conference that celebrated its 35th anniversary in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Recent definitions (e.g. Loewen, 2015) have underscored the context (instructed vs. naturalistic setting), the 'mechanisms of learning' (cognitive processes), and the potential manipulation of these processes or the conditions under which such processes take place by instructional intervention. This article goes a step further to consider the curricular aspect of the ISLA context that exists within the language curriculum, the type of learning that does take place in an instructed environment and should be promoted in the instructed setting, and the pedagogical implications for the instructed L2 environment, given its curricular status (Leow & Cerezo, 2016). To this end, this article (1) provides a critical discussion of the context of ISLA, (2) presents a succinct overview of cognitive processes reported to play a role in the L2 learning process, (3) reports the findings of empirical research on implicit/incidental and explicit/intentional learning, and (4) reports on one recent study that purports to acknowledge these variables. Recommendations for future ISLA research are provided.