3 factors affecting l2 learning.ppt

7/22/2019 3 Factors Affecting L2 Learning.ppt

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Individual Differences in

Second Language Learning

Intelligence

Aptitude Learning styles

Personality

Motivation and Attitudes Identity and ethnic group affiliation

Learner beliefs

Age of acquisition


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The Good Language Learner

Are there personal characteristics that make

one learner more successful than another?

In your experience, as an English learner, whichcharacteristics seem to you most likely to be

associated with success in L2 acquisition?

(Please turn to p. 55 and do the questionnaire)

Then share your opinion with your group members.

Find three most important and three least important

learner characteristics.


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A good language learner:

a) is a willing and accurate guesser

b) tries to get a message across even if specific language knowledgeis lacking

c) is willing to make mistakes

d) constantly looks for patterns in the language

e) practices as often as possiblef) analyzes his or her own speech and the speech of others

g) attends to whether his or her performance meets the standards

he or she has learned

h) enjoys grammar exercisesi) begins learning in childhood

j) has an above-average IQ

k) has good academic skills

l) has a good self-image and lots of confidence 3


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Before looking atlearner characteristics

What problems can you see in the

following statements?

a) Extroverted learners learn a foreign language

more successfully than introverted learners.

b) Low motivation causes low achievement in

English language learning.


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Before looking atlearner characteristics

Difficulties in research on learner characteristics and

second language acquisition (SLA):

1) definition and measurement of variables

e.g., willing to make mistakes

2) definition and measurement of language proficiency

literacy/academic skills vs. conversational skills

3) correlation vs. causal relationship

4) socio-cultural factors

e.g., power relationship between L1 and L2,social/cultural identity


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Intelligence (I)

Intelligence has multiple types:

Traditionally, intelligence refers to the mental abilities

that are measured by an IQ (intelligence quotient) test.

It usually measures only two types of intelligence:

verbal/linguisticand mathematical/logicalintelligence.

There are other types of intelligence such as spatial

intelligence, bodily-kinestheticintelligence, musicalintelligence, interpersonalintelligence, and

intrapersonalintelligence.


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Multiple Intelligences(Howard Gardner, 1993)

Linguistic intelligence: speaking, using words, writing, giving

presentations, solving word problems.

Logical-mathematical intelligence: using numbers, logic,

calculations; learning and understanding grammar rules.

Spatial intelligence: drawing, painting, using color, art,graphics, pictures, maps, and charts.

Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: muscular coordination,

athletic skill, body language, drama and theater.

Musical intelligence: using music, tones, hearing; producing

the intonation and rhythm of a language. Interpersonal intelligence: talking with other people,

understanding them, using language to communicate.

Intrapersonal intelligence: self-knowledge, self-confidence,

using language to analyze yourself.


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Intelligence (II)

Research Findings:

1. Intelligence, especially measured by verbal IQ tests,

may be a strong factorwhen it comes to learning that

involves language analysisand rule learning.

2. On the other hand, intelligence may play a less

important rolein language learning that focuses more

on communicationand interaction.

3. It is important to keep in mind that intelligenceis

complexand that a person has many kinds of abilities

and strengths.


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Aptitude (I)

Aptitude refers to the ability to learn quickly (Carroll, 1991)

and isthought topredict success in learning.

It is hypothesized that a learner with high aptitude may

learn with greater ease and speed. (But other learnersmay also be successful if they persevere).

Language aptitude tests usually measure the ability to:

1) identify and memorize new sounds

2) understand the function of particular words in sentences

3) figure out grammatical rules from language samples

4) memorize new words


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Aptitude (II)

Research findings:

1) Early research revealed a substantial relationshipbetween

performance on language aptitude tests and performance in

foreign language learning that was based on grammar

translationor audiolingual methods.

2) However, performance on language aptitude tests seems

irrelevantto L2 learning with the adoption of a more

communicative approachto teaching.

3) Successful language learners may not be strong in all of the

components of aptitude. Learners strengths and weaknesses

in the different components may account for their ability to

succeed in different types of instructional programs.


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Learning Styles

Learning stylerefers to an individuals natural, habitual,

and preferredway of absorbing, processing, and

retaining new information and skills (Reid 1995).

Types of learning styles related to L2 learning:

1. Perceptual learning styles:

visual, aural/auditory, and haptic(kinesthetic &tactile)

2. Cognitive learning styles:

field-independentvs. field-dependent

(tendency to see the trees or the forest)

right-braindominance vs. left-braindominance


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Learning Styles

field-independent vs. field-dependent

Heres a puzzle for you. Look at the row of strange

shapes below. Can you find what the message is?


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Can you find the

hidden pictures?


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Learning Styles

field-independent:see things more analytically

field-dependent:see things more holistically

Research findings:

FIis related to classroom language learning that involvesanalysis, attention to details, and mastering of exercise, drills,

and other focused activities.

FDis related to the communicative aspects of language

learning that require social outreach, empathy, perception of

other people, and communicative skills.

FI/FDmay also prove to be a valuable tool for

differentiating childand adultlanguage acquisition due to

the fact that FI increases as a child matures to adulthood.


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Learning Styles

right-brain vs. left-brain dominance

The right brainperceives and remembers visual, tactile,

and auditory images. It is more efficient in processing

holistic, integrative, and emotional information. The left brainis associated with logical, analytical thought,

with mathematicaland linearprocessing of information.

Though we all tend to have one hemisphere that is more

dominant, it is important to remember that the left and righthemispheres need to operate together as a team.


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Learning Styles

Research findings and implications:

1) Every person, student or teacher, has a learning style;

therefore, there is no particular teaching or learning method

that can suit the needs of all learners.

2) Learning styles exist on wide continuums, although they are

often described as opposites.

3) Learning styles are value-neutral; that is, no one style is

better than others.

4) Very little research has examined the interaction betweendifferent learning styles and success in L2 learning; however,

students should be encouraged to stretchtheir learning

stylesso that they will be more empoweredin a variety of

leaning situations.


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Personality

There are a number of personality characteristics

that may affect L2 learning, such as

Extroversion vs. introversion Inhibition vs. risk-taking

Anxiety

Self-esteem Empathy


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Extroversion vs. Introversion

Are you more extroverted or introverted?

It is often argued that an extroverted person is well

suited to language learning. However, research does

not always support this conclusion.

Some studies have found that learners success in

language learning is associated with extroversion

such as assertiveness and adventurousness, whileothers have found that many successful language

learners do not get high scores on measures of

extroversion.

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Inhibition vs. risk-taking

It has been suggested that inhibition discourages risk-taking, which is necessary for progress in languagelearning.

Inhibition is often considered to be a particular problemfor adolescents, who are more self-consciousthanyounger learners.

Inhibitionis a negativeforce, at least for second

language pronunciationperformance.

Be aware that inhibition may have more influence inlanguage performancethan in language learning.


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Anxiety (I)

Trait Anxietyvs. State Anxiety:

a) Trait anxiety: a more permanent predisposition to be

anxious

b) Stateanxiety: a type of anxiety experienced in relationto some particular event or act; temporaryand

context-specific

More recent research acknowledges that anxiety is more

likely to be dynamic and dependent on particularsituations and circumstances.

Anxiety can play an important role in L2 learning if it

interfereswith the learning process.

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Anxiety (II)

Debilitative(harmful)Anxietyvs. Facilitative (helpful)

Anxiety: Not all anxiety is bad and a certain amount of

tensioncan have a positive effect and facilitate learning.

A learners willingness to communicatehas also beenrelated to anxiety. It is often affected by the number of

people present, the topic of conversation, and the

formality of the circumstances.

Willingness to communicateor state anxietycan also beaffected by learners prior language learning & use

experience, self-confidence, and communicative

competence.

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Conclusions for Personality

In general, the research does notshow a single clearly-defined

relationship between personality traits and SLA.

1. The major difficulty is that of identificationandmeasurementof personality characteristics.

2. Personality variables may be a major factor onlyin theacquisition of conversational skills, notin the acquisition ofliteracy or academic skills.

3. Most research on personality traits has been carried out

within a quantitativeresearch paradigm (i.e., an approachthat relies on measuring learners scores on personalitysurveys and relating these to language test performance).More qualitativeresearch is needed to adequately capturethe depth and complexity of the relationship.


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Motivation & Attitudes

Questions:

1. Do positive attitudes and motivation produce

successful learning or does successful learningengender positive attitudes and motivation?

2. Are there other factors that affect both attitudes/

motivation and the success of learning?


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Types of motivation(in terms of communicative needs):

PurposeSource Intrinsic (Internal) Extrinsic (External)

IntegrativeThe learner wishes tolearn L2 for personal

growth and cultural

enrichment.

Someone else (e.g., thelearners parents)wishes

the learner to know L2 for

an integrative reason.

Instrumental

The learner wishes to

achieve more

immediate or practical

goals using L2 (e.g., for

a career).

External power wants the

learner to learn L2 for a

practical purpose (e.g., a

corporation asks its staff to

get language training).


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Research findings:

1) Both integrativeand instrumentaltypes of

motivation are related to success in L2 learning.

Most L2 learning situations involve a mixture ofeach type of motivation.

2) Research strongly favors intrinsic motivation,

especially for long-term retention. Intrinsically

motivated learners are striving for excellence,

autonomy, and self-actualization.


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Drnyei (2001)a process-oriented model of

motivation that consists of 3 phases:

1)choice motivation: getting started and setting goals

2) executive motivation: carrying out the necessary

tasks to maintain motivation

3) motivation retrospection: appraisal of and reactionto learners performance


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Motivation in the Classroom

Motivating students into the lesson. The contentneeds

to be relevant to their age and level of ability, and the

learning goalsneed to be challenging yet manageable

and clear.

Varyingthe activities, tasks, and materials to increase

studentsinterest levels.

Using cooperativerather than competitive goals to

increase studentsself-confidence.

Cultural and age differenceswill determine the most

appropriate way for teachers to motivate students.


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Identity & Ethnic Affiliation

The social dynamicor power relationship

between L1 and L2:

Minority group members learning the language of

a majority groups may have different attitudes and

motivation from those of majority group members

learning a minority language.

Think of why an ESL learners and an EFL learnersattitude may differ in motivation and attitudes.


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An imbalanced power relationshipbetween L1 and L2

may limit the opportunities learners have to practice

and to continue to develop the L2.

Identities are not static and can change over time.Learners identities will impact on what they can do and

how they can participate in classrooms, which affects

how much they can learn.

The relationship between feelings of ethnic affiliationand L2 learners mastery of pronunciationcan be

complex. Learners may want to speak with a strong

foreign accent to maintain their L1 identity.

Identity & Ethnic Affiliation


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Learner Beliefs

What is your learner belief? How should language be

learned?

Virtually all learners, particularly older learners, have

strong beliefsabout how their language instructionshould be delivered.

Learner beliefs are usually based on previous

learning experiencesand the assumptionthat a

particular type of instruction is better than others.

Learner beliefs can be strong mediating factorsin

learners experience in the classroom.


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Learner Beliefs

Conclusions:

1) Learnerspreference for learning, whether due to

their learning styles or to their beliefs about how

language are learned, will influence the kinds ofstrategiesthey choose to learn new material.

2) Teachers can use this information to help learners

expand their repertoire of learning strategiesand

thus develop greaterflexibilityin their second

language learning.


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Age of Acquisition

The relationship between a learners ageand his/her

potential for success in second language learning is

complex orcontroversial.

The relationship needs to take into account1) the learners cognitive development

2)the learners motivation

3)the learners goal for learningL2 (i.e., in what aspects

of the L2 the learner has achieved)4) the contexts in which the learner learns L2 (including

quantity & quality of language input, learning

environment, learning time, and socio-cultural contexts)


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Age of Acquisition

Research findings:

1) L2 development in informallanguage learning

environments where the L2 is used primarily:

Children can eventually speak the L2 with native-like fluency,but their parents and older learners (i.e., post-puberty

learners) are hard to achieve such high levels of mastery of

the spoken language, especially in pronunciation/accent.

Adults and adolescents can make more rapid progress

toward mastery of an L2 in contexts where they can make

use of the language on a daily basisin social, personal,

professional, or academic interaction.


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Age of Acquisition

Research findings:

2) L2 development in formallanguage learning conditions

(i.e., classrooms) where the L1 is used primarily :

In the early stagesof the L2 development, older learners(adolescents and adults) are more efficient than younger

learners (children).

Learners who began learning an L2 at the elementary school

level did not necessarily do better in the long run than those

who began in early adolescent.

It is more difficult for post-puberty learners to attain native-

like mastery of the spoken language, including pronunciation,

word choice, and some grammatical features.


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Age of Acquisition

Conclusions (I):

- At what age should L2 instruction begin?

Those who support critical period hypothesis(CPH):

Younger is better(particularly in the phonological

achievement)

Those who consider that the age factor cannot be separated

from factors such as motivation, social identity, and the

conditions for learning:

Older learners may well speak with an accentbecause theywant to keep their L1 identity, and the language inputfor

adults is differentfrom that for children because they rarely

get access to the same quantity and quality of language

input that children receive in play setting.


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Age of Acquisition

Conclusions (II):

When the goal is basic communicative abilityof the TL,

rather than native-like mastery, and when childrens native

language remains the primary language, it may be more

efficient to begin L2 or FL learning later (e.g., in early

adolescence at age 10, 11, or 12).

When learners receive only a few hours of instructionper

week, those who start later often catch up with those who

began earlier. One or two hours a week will not produce very advanced L2

speakers, no matter how young they were when they began

learning. Older learners may be able to make better use of

the limited leaning time.


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Age of Acquisition

Conclusions (III):

Ageis onlyoneof the characteristics which affects L2

learning.

The opportunities for learning(both inside and outside theclassroom), the motivationto learn, and individual

differences in intelligence, aptitude, personality, and

learning styleshave also been found to be important

determining factors that affect both rate of learningand

eventual successin learning the L2.


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Summary

1. The research on individual differences is complex and the

results of the research are not easy to interpret.

This is because of

a) the lack of clear definitionsandmethods for measuring

individual characteristicsb) The fact that the characteristics are not independent of one

another: learner variables interact in complex ways.

2. It remains difficult to predict how a particular individuals

characteristics will influence his or her success as a languagelearner.

3. Teachers should take learners individual differences into

account and to create a learning environment in which more

learners can be successful in learning an L2.

3 factors affecting l2 learning.ppt

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