FACTORS AFFECTING SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

Summarized by FAJRI

1. Intelligence

The process of learning a second language is affected by some factors (characteristics) such as:

2. Aptitude
3. Personality 4. Motivation

and Attitude 5. Learner preferences 6. Learners beliefs 7. Age of acquisition

The process of learning a second language is affected by some factors (characteristics) such as:

Aptitude Personality Learner preferences Age of acquisition

APTITUDE

Aptitude refers to potential for achievement. An aptitude test is designed to make a prediction about an individuals future achievements. Aptitude for language learning is usually composed of four different types of abilities:
The ability to identify and memorize new sounds. 2) The ability to understand the function of particular words in sentences 3) The ability figure out grammatical rules from language samples 4) The ability to memorize new words
1)

APTITUDE

Research Findings: 1) Earlier research revealed a substantial relationship between aptitude for language learning and performance in foreign language that was taught with grammartranslation or audiolingual methods. 2) Ensure the teaching activities are sufficiently varied to accommodate learners aptitude profiles.

Personality

There are a number of personality characteristics that are likely to affects L2 learning, such as Extroversion vs. introversion Inhibition vs. risk-taking Self-esteem (self confidence) Anxiety empathy

Personality

Research findings: 1) Some studies have found that learners success in language learning is associated with extroversion such as assertiveness and adventurousness, while others have found that many successful language learners do not get high scores on measures of evtroversion. 2) Inhibition is a negative force for a second language pronunciation performance.

Personality

Research findings: 3) However, in general, the research does not show a clearly defined relationship between personality and SLA. The major difficultiy is identification and measurement of personality characteritics. 4) Personality may be a major factor only in the acquisition of conversational skills (i.e., oral communicative ability), not in the acquisition of literacy skills (i.e., reading and writing skills).

Learning Preferences (Learning Styles)

Learning style: An individuals natural, habitual, and preferred way of absorbing, processing, and retaining new informationand skills (Reid 1995). Types of learning styles related to L2 learning: - Perceptual learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic - Cognitive learning styles:
Field-independence vs. Field-dependence 2) Reflectivity vs. Impulsivity 3) Right-brain dominance vs. Left brain dominance 4) Tolerance of ambiguity
1)

Learning Preferences (Learning Styles)

Research findings and implications:

1)

2) 3) 4)

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. Learning styles exist on wide continuums, although they are often described as opposites. Learning styles exist are value-neutral: that is, no one style is better than others. Very little research has examined the interaction between different learning styles and success in L2 learning; however, students should be encouraged to stretch their learning styles so that they will be more empowered in a variety of learning situations.

Age of Acquisition

The relationship between a learners age and his/her potential for success in second language learning is complicated. The relationship needs to take into account 1) The stage of L2 development, 2) the goals of learning L2 (i.e., in what aspects of the L2 the learner has achieved), and 3) the contect in which the learner learns L2 (including language input, learning environment, and socio-cultural context).

Age of Acquisition

Research findings:
1.

L2 development in informal language learning environments where the TL is used primaliry: 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 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 basis in social, personal, professional, or academic interaction.

Age of Acquisition

Research findings:
2.

L2 development in formal language learning environments (i.e., classroom): In the early stages of 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.

Conclusions

Successful language learners are not necessarily strong in all of the components of aptitude. (i.e., Some may have strong memories but only average ability to figure out grammatical rules.) Teacher can select appropriate teaching approaches and activities based on learners aptitude profiles to accommodate their differences in aptitude. Those who support critical period hypothesis (CPH): Younger is better (particularly in the phonological achievement) Learning styles exist are value-neutral: that is, no one style is better than others. Older learners may well speak with an accent because they want to keep their L1 identity, and the language input for adults is different from that for children because they rarely get access to the same quantity and quality of language input that children receive in play setting.

THE END

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