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This study measured the extent that language-learners' internal factors of linguistic universals were impacted by the external factor of input in a naturalistic learning context. The study's focus was on Spanish syntactic development and the acquisition of the null subject parameter properties by L2 learners during nine months of exposure to positive evidence. Data were collected before and after a one-year stay abroad in Barcelona, Spain, with grammaticality judgment tests and oral narratives from 31 American intermediate learners of Spanish. Statistical results showed that the L2 learners improved significantly on all properties. In comparison to native speakers, the results also showed that all properties were acquired by the more advanced intermediate students by the end of the program. This data contributes new evidence to SLA research about the beneficial effects of positive evidence on UG during L2 acquisition.
