Education English | Factors That Influence The Acquisition of A Second or Foreign Language | According to Shoebottom (1996), some students learn a new language more quickly and easily than others. This simple fact is known by all who have themselves learned a second language or taught those who are using their second language in school. Clearly some language learners are succesfully by virtue of their sheer determination, hard work and persistence. However there are other crucial factors influecing success that are largerly beyond the control of the learner. Shoebottom (1996) categorized the factors as follows :
- Internal Factors
Internal factors are those that the individual language learner bring with him or her to the particular learning situation.
a) Age : Second language acquisition is influenced by the age of the learner.
b) Personality : Introverted or anxious learners usually make slower progress, particularly in the development of oral skills. They are less likely to take advantage of opportunities to speak, or to seek out such oppurtinities.
c) Motivation : Instrinsic motivation has been found to correlate strongly with educational achievement. Extrinsic motivation is also a significant factor.
d) Experiences : Learners who have acquired general knowledge and experience are in a stronger position to develop a new language than those who haven’t.
e) Cognition : In general it seems that students with greater cognitive abilities will make the faster progress. Some linguists believe that there is a specific, innate language learning ability that is stronger in some students than in others.f) Native language : Students who are learning a second language which is from the same language family as their first language have, in general a much easier task than those who aren’t.
- External Factors
External factors are those characterized the particular language learning situation.
a) Curriculum : For ESL students in particular it is important that the totality of their educational experience is approriate for their needs. Language learning is less likely to place if students are fully submersed into the mainstream program without any extra assistance or conversely not allowed to be part of the mainstream until they have reached level of language proficiency.
b) Instruction : Clearly, some language teachers are better than others at providing appropriate and effective learning experiences for the students in their classrooms. These students will make faster progress.
c) Culture and status : There is some evidence that the students where their own culture has a lower status than that of the culture in which they are learning the language make slower progress. Access to native speakers : the opportunity to interact with the native speakers both within and outside of the classroom is a significant advantage. Native speakers are linguistic models and can provide approriate feedback. Clearly, second language learners who have no extensive access to native speakers are likely to make slower progress, particularly in the oral/aural aspect of language acquisition
Internal factors are those that the individual language learner bring with him or her to the particular learning situation.
a) Age : Second language acquisition is influenced by the age of the learner.
b) Personality : Introverted or anxious learners usually make slower progress, particularly in the development of oral skills. They are less likely to take advantage of opportunities to speak, or to seek out such oppurtinities.
c) Motivation : Instrinsic motivation has been found to correlate strongly with educational achievement. Extrinsic motivation is also a significant factor.
d) Experiences : Learners who have acquired general knowledge and experience are in a stronger position to develop a new language than those who haven’t.
e) Cognition : In general it seems that students with greater cognitive abilities will make the faster progress. Some linguists believe that there is a specific, innate language learning ability that is stronger in some students than in others.f) Native language : Students who are learning a second language which is from the same language family as their first language have, in general a much easier task than those who aren’t.
- External Factors
External factors are those characterized the particular language learning situation.
a) Curriculum : For ESL students in particular it is important that the totality of their educational experience is approriate for their needs. Language learning is less likely to place if students are fully submersed into the mainstream program without any extra assistance or conversely not allowed to be part of the mainstream until they have reached level of language proficiency.
b) Instruction : Clearly, some language teachers are better than others at providing appropriate and effective learning experiences for the students in their classrooms. These students will make faster progress.
c) Culture and status : There is some evidence that the students where their own culture has a lower status than that of the culture in which they are learning the language make slower progress. Access to native speakers : the opportunity to interact with the native speakers both within and outside of the classroom is a significant advantage. Native speakers are linguistic models and can provide approriate feedback. Clearly, second language learners who have no extensive access to native speakers are likely to make slower progress, particularly in the oral/aural aspect of language acquisition
Source : http://esl.fis.edu
No comments:
Post a Comment