Questions (creative title, huh?)

I officially started my bibliographic essay last night. [Hold for applause] Not that I've put any words on paper, of course, but I did read a few articles on ESL. Because Cameron has decided to research this topic as well, the anxiety of influence has urged me to seek a niche, parting from the typical purview of ESL tutoring practicum. And I think I've found that niche:

Tutoring and language acquisition.

Information on this topic is less than copious, though online databases house an encyclopedic wealth of articles on both tutoring and language acquisition -- but not specifically "tutoring to promote language acquisition among L2 students of English." Harris and Silva do address the subject, but in order to meet the essay requirements, I'd have to plumb deeper into language acquisition theory. I'd have to find researchers others than Harris and Silva. I'd have to use articles that, though not written specifically about tutoring, are nonetheless relevant to tutoring. My question, then, is this:

Is it okay to consult articles on linguistic theory and apply their principles to tutoring?