NonLinguistic Factors that influence Second Language Learning

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Non-Linguistic Factors that influence Second
Language Learning

• CH 16 TESOL
• Dr. Schneider

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OUTLINE

• Age factor
• Degree and type of exposure to L2
• Cognitive learning styles
• Personality traits
• Motivation
• Relationship of social distance and language
  acquisition
• Circumstances that lead to L2 learning
• Cognitive abilities

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Age Factor

• Critical Period Hypothesis
• The younger the learner the more successful and
  faster L2 learning is (Lenneberg, 1964)
• Supported by Krashen (1980s) who shared brain
  pictures of children indicating that a much
  larger space in the brain is available for
  language learning up to age 10/11 than later. At
  that stage another brain pruning phase occurs

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Age Factor

• Critical Period Hypothesis
• Is not supported in research literature by all
  language acquisition experts
• E.g Flege one strong critic
• native-like proficiency in L2 (L3, L4) is more
  likely than after puberty has set in is generally
  accepted, especially for pronunciation and
  fluency

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Age Factor

• Reasons for early learning benefits
• up to 9 months, a child can learn any language in
  the world because wiring for language has not
  been specified evolutionary benefit
• Child has longer exposure to L2 than when older
• Child is less inhibited by naturally exploring
  language and making mistakes than an older
  person.
• A three-year multilingual child can correct any
  post puberty person on mistakes because the
  crosslinguistic flexibility has been established

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Degree and Type of Exposure to L2

• Simultaneous bi/multilingualism
• More than 1 language learned at same time
• Sequential bi/multi-lingualism
• More than 1 language learned after L1 was
  established
• Additive bi/multilingualism (Lambert term)
• Learning the language of the non-dominant group
  without loosing any of L1 the dominant language
  and culture

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Degree and Type of Exposure to L2

• Subtractive bi/multilingualism (Lambert term)
• Learning the language of the dominant culture at
  the cost of loosing some of L1, especially when
  learners are young
• Compound bi/multilingualism
• More than one language is stored in the brain in
  the same area

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Cognitive Learning Styles

• WHAT IS A COGNITIVE STYLE?
• A cognitive learning style is determined by the
  way a learner approaches as task, conceptualizes
  and organizes information.
• A) REFLECTIVE
• B) IMPULSIVE

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Cognitive Learning Styles

• A) REFLECTIVE
• thinks before producing language gt fewer
  errors
• B) IMPULSIVE
• spontaneous in producing language gt more
  errors
• Read faster and try to make sense by guessing
  more than using decoding and encoding skills

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Cognitive Learning Styles

• C) FIELD DEPENDENT
• Depends on teacher showing the dynamics of a
  concept because less likely to start analyzing
  the why and how on his/her own
• D) FIELD INDEPENDENT
• Learner analyzes and distinguishes between parts
  of a whole
• Responds well to explicit instruction because
  WHY and HOW is answered directly
• More likely to ask why something needs to be
  done in the language the way you say
• Less dependent on teacher guidance

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Cognitive Learning Styles

• D) ACTIVE vs. INACTIVE LEARNER
• This is a term from Special Education and refers
  to students who have learned to use their
  disability-related helplessness to encourage
  the environment to enable them to remain
  helpless.
• Explicit, interactive, multisensory and
  fine-structured learning can gear students away
  from inactive learners to active learners
• At the University of Kansas researchers
  Schumacher and Deshler have built a metacognitive
  learning institute that aims at this problem
  effectively.

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Cognitive Learning Styles

• Culture can also influence the approach to
  learning
• In some cultures, girls receive distinctly
  different models for learning than girls (e.g.
  Moslem world)Some cultures value
  interdependence rather than independence
  meaning that they do not see is as important to
  help their children become independent from home
  through certain content and skill training in
  school

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Cognitive Learning Styles

• MESSAGE FOR TEACHERS
• Do not judge errors of impulsive learners as
  careless
• Offer learning in different ways to meet
  different learning style needs
• Find out what the values towards learning of the
  cultures are that your ELLs come from .
• Find out if and how girls and boys receive
  different value messages for learning in their
  home environment.

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Personality Traits

• IMPULSIVITY RISK TAKING
• Language learners who take risks in applying and
  using the new language in context have been found
  to unconsciously adjust their performance to the
  communication partners knowledge of L2
• They elaborate more with native speakers of L2
  than others
• EXTROVERT vs. INTROVERT
• Literature on extroverts being more successful in
  learning another language than introverts is
  non-congruent

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Personality Traits

• ANXIOUS vs. NON-ANXIOUS
• Language learning literature discusses the
  influence of anxiety on success in a FL/SL plenty
  (McIntyre, Oxford, Krashen)
• This literature suggests teachers create a
  learning environment that keeps anxiety for
  learning and test taking as low as possible.
• It puts the responsibility for poor performance
  and grades on the teacher
• This literature fails to recognize that poor
  performance can also be due to undiagnosed
  learning disabilities, especially in the area of
  language processing (dyslexia, dysgraphia,
  central auditory processing disorders)

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Personality Traits

• ANXIOUS vs. NON-ANXIOUS cont.
• It puts the responsibility for poor performance
  and grades on the teacher
• This literature fails to recognize that poor
  performance can also be due to undiagnosed
  learning disabilities, especially in the area of
  language processing (dyslexia, dysgraphia,
  central auditory processing disorders)
• See Ganschow Sparks on the LINGUISTIC CODING
  DIFFERENCES HYPOTHESIS

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Motivation Attitude

• 2 types of motivation that influence L2 learning
  (Gardner Wallace, 1972)
• A) INTEGRATIVE
• L2 learning comes from the students internal
  wish to fit into the new culture and become a
  respected member there the goal is to keep L1
  culture ties and gaining new culture ties.
• B) INSTRUMENTAL
• Learning L2 is linked to external reasons such as
  integration into a team, scholarships,

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Motivation Attitude

• 2 other types (Maslow, 1970)
• C) INTRINSIC motivation
• Student is internally interested in L2 learning
  because it is his/her personal interest to fit
  in make new friends
• D) EXTRINSIC motivation
• Student engages in L2 learning only because
  someone else wants him/her to do so or because
  there are rewards connected with it that s/he
  would otherwise not get. REASON FOR LEARNING IS
  EXTERN, outside of learner him/herself

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Motivation Attitude

• CRITICAL POINTS MISSED IN YOUR BOOK
• Here again, the CULTURE aspect that can play a
  role in the type of attitude and motivation for
  L2 learning is missing.
• Also,not taken into account is the influence of
  the reason for having to learn a new language.
• A refugee still under shock from horrifying
  experiences in immigration and before may have an
  emotional barrier that needs to melt before L2
  learning can be truly successful
• Feelings of guilt for leaving L1 culture and
  loved ones behind can have a stagnating effect on
  L2 learning

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Motivation Attitude

• CRITICAL POINTS MISSED IN YOUR BOOK
• Third, not taken into consideration is the
  influence of difference between the L1 and L2
  culture with respect to learning and being a good
  student (see INDEPENDENT vs. INTERDEPENDENT
  cultures)