1. FACTORS AFFECTING SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUSITION H.
BLOKCUOLU
2. INTRODUCTION It is quite observable that some learners learn
a new language more quickly than others, because they are
successful by virtue of their strong determination, hard work and
persistence. Yet, some other learners are not very successful in
learning a new language, and it is obvious that there are some
crucial factors influencing success, which are mostly beyond the
control of the learner. These factors can roughly be categorised as
individual (internal) factors, external factors, and lastly as
affective factors.
3. I. INDIVIDUAL FACTORS 1. Age 2. Personality 3. Motivation 4.
Experiences 5. Cognition 6. Native language
4. II. EXTERNAL FACTORS 1. Curriculum 2. Instruction 3.
Culture&Status 4. Motivation 5. Access to Native Speakers
6. 1.1. AGE the age of the learner influences the 2LA Children
having strong literacy skills in their own language, seem to be in
a better position to acquire a new language in a more effective
way. Very motivated, older learners can do it, but usually they
should try hard to become a native- like speaker. You can't teach
an old dog new tricks (Idiomatic Expression)
7. It has been hypothesised that there is a critical period in
2nd LA just like there is for 1st LA. CHP: there is a time in human
developement when the brain is predisposed for success in language
learning. Opposite findings Language learning that occurs after the
end of CP may not be based on innate(biological) structures, but
rather depend on more general learning abilities, and innate
capacities are much more effective for lang.learning. The CP ends
somewhere around puberty. Patkowski (1982) found that age of
acqusition is very important factor in setting limits on the
developement of native-like mastery of a 2LA, and this limit does
not only apply to accent, but also applies to syntax and morpology.
He found that learners who started earliest achieved the higest
scores on the grammatical tasks, and those who began later didnt
have native like language abilities. Studies demonstrate that
adults and adolescents learnt faster than children in the first
year of 2LA developement. (Asher & Price, 1967; Snow &
Hoefnagle-Hoechle, 1978 cited in McLaughlin, 1992)
8. Effects of age on RATE of second language learning Adults
are superior to children in rate of acquisition Older children
learn more rapidly than younger children With regards to morphology
and syntax, the adolescents do best, followed by the adults and
then the children Grammar differences diminish over time, and
children begin to catch up, but adults outperform children in the
short term Where pronunciation is concerned, adults do not always
progress more rapidly than children do Thus: adults learn faster
than children, and this is more applicable to grammar than
pronunciation, although in the case of formal learning situations
adults seem to do better even in the pronunciation area. It is not
clear when children start to catch up. (http://www4.ujaen.es/~glu
que/Topic4factors.pdf)
9. 1.2. PERSONALITY Introverted or anxious learners usually
perform slower progress, especially in the development of oral
skills. They are less likely to take opportunities to speak. More
outgoing students will not worry about the inevitability of making
mistakes. They do not care about taking risks; thus they get more
chances to do much more practice in the TL. "I know one thing, that
I know nothing (Socrates)
10. 1.3. EXPERIENCES Learners who have already developed
general knowledge and experience are in a stronger position to
develop a new language than those who haven't. For instance, a
learner who has been to two/three foreign countries and exposed to
different cultures build a stronger ground for learning an extra
language than those learners who have not had such an
experience.
11. 1.4. MOTIVATION Intrinsic motivation shows itself when you
want to do something, an internal desire to perform a particular
task. People do certain activities because they give them pleasure,
develop a certain skill or they are morally the right thing to do.
Extrinsic motivation is when somebody else or something tries to
make you do something Instransically motivated students are bound
to do much better in classroom activities since they are willing
and eager to learn. Yet, extrinsically motivated ones may have to
be bribed to perform the same tasks.
12. 1.5. COGNITION Generally speaking, apparently students with
greater cognitive abilities make a faster progress. Some Chamskyan
linguists suppose that there is a specific, innate language
learning ability which is believed to be stronger in some students
than in others.
13. II. EXTERNAL FACTORS 1. Curriculum 2. Instruction 3.
Culture and Status 4. Motivation 5. Access to native speakers
14. 2.1. CURRICULUM Particularly for the ESL students, it is
essential that the totality of thier educational experiences should
be suitable to their needs. If learners are entirely submersed into
a mainstream program without having any additional assistance, then
language learning is less likely to occur.
15. 2.2. INSTRUCTION Very clearly, if language learners are
exposed to appropriate and effective learning experiences in their
classrooms, they will make faster progress. Thus, the job of the
language teachers should be to provide suitable and effective input
though their instuctions. Interventionist view: Intervention. An
academic intervention is a strategy used to teach a new skill,
build fluency in a skill, or encourage a child to apply an existing
skill to new situations or settings. An intervention can be thought
of asa set of actions that, when taken, have demonstrated ability
to change a fixed educational trajectory (Methe & Riley-
Tillman, 2008; p. 37). As an example of an academic intervention,
the teacher may select question generation (Davey &
McBride,1986.; Rosenshine, Meister & Chapman, 1996), a strategy
in which the student is taught to locate or generate main idea
sentences for each paragraph in a passage and record those gist
sentences for later review. L2 instruction can have an effect on
how learners acquire a L2 (Ellis 1991, Long 1983, 1988; Rutherford
& Sharwood-Smith 1985) "L2 instruction is effective in its own
right" (Norris & Ortega 2000:480) "while instruction may not
always be necessary to achieve competence in the L2, it undoubtedly
helps"(Ellis 2005: 725). In some contexts, for some learners, for
some L2 features, or for some aspects of L2 proficiency,
instruction may even be necessary(DeKeyser 2000; Doughty 2003;
White 2003)
16. 2.3. CULTURE&STATUS There is some evidence that
students under the condition in which their mother culture has a
lower status than the target languages culture that they are
learning will make a slower progress. Social factors can affect
motivation, attitudes and language learning success. Children, just
like adults, are quite sensitive to social dynamics and power
relationships. Imigrant learners are quickly labelled identities
such as successful/unsuccessful, talkative/quiet etc...
17. 2.4. ACCESS TO NATIVE SPEAKERS Since native speakers of the
TL can act as linguistic models and since they can provide
effective feedback for the TL learners, it is very advantegous to
have the opportunity to interact with the native speakers, not only
in the classroom setting, but also outside of it. It is obvious
that those 2L learners having no extensive access to native
speakers of the TL are supposed to make slower progress, especially
in the aural/oral aspects of language acqusition.
18. 3. AFFECTIVE FACTORS Affective factors are emotional
factors which influence learning, such as: 1.Self-Esteem
2.Inhibition 3.Risk Taking 4.Anxiety 5.Empathy
19. 3.1. SELF-ESTEEM Self-esteem refers to a personal
evaluation and judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the
individual's attitude towards him or herself or his or her
capabilities. Low motivation, low self-esteem, and debilitating
anxiety can lead to a raise in the affective filter and form a
'mental block' that hinders comprehensible input from being
employed for acquisition. (Krashen cited by Schtz, 2007)
20. 3.2. INHIBITION Inhibition in a person emerges when he/she
attempts to defend or protect his/her self-image. If the learner
considers the mistakes he/she makes in the second language as a
threat to his/her emotional well-being and self perception, then
acquisition will not take place or will occur much more
slowly.
21. 3.3. RISK TAKING One of the characteristics that has been
found to exist in "good" language learners is the willingness to
guess. If the learner is less inhibited, he/she is more willing to
take a chance on producing a "correct" utterance in the second
language.
22. 3.4. ANXIETY Anxiety is associated with the feelings of
uneasiness, self- doubt, worry or fear that a person feels under
certain circumstances. A threatening environment does not promote
language acquisition. Factors such as an emphasis on competition
between students or forcing students to produce in the second
language before they are ready can cause anxiety.
23. 4.5. EMPATHY Empathy refers to an individual's ability to
put him/herself in the other's shoes. When a learner is acquiring a
second language, he or she is also acquiring, in a sense, a new
personality, and a new culture. It is essential in the language
acq. process to open yourself to new cultural experiences and adopt
these experiences as your own.
24. Conclusion Being successful in second language acquisition
depends on many factors. Age and motivation factors are among the
most important ones. In studies, it has been found that if a
learner has a competency in his or her own language, he or she is
more advantageous than those who lacks competence in his first
language. As to motivation, it has been revealed that motivated
students are more successful in second language acquisition than
those who are demotivated. Also, the role the psychological aspects
play in gaining an extra language cannot be denied.
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