FACTORS AFFECTING LANGUAGE

LEARNING/ACQUISITION
Lecture 1
REMEDIAL INSTRUCTION in ENGLISH
1st Sem SY 2018-2019
Today, we attempt to find answers to these
three questions:

1. What are the factors that affect language learning?

2. What are some salient findings from research studies on these

factors that affect language learning?

3. What are the implications in teaching and remediating language?

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH SKILLS

INTERNAL/ EXTERNAL
INDIVIDUAL
INTERNAL/INDIVIDUAL

1. Intelligence
2. Aptitude
3. Learning styles
4. Personality
5. Motivation and Attitudes
6. Identity and ethnic group affiliation
7. Learner beliefs
8. Age of acquisition
The “Good Language Learner”

Are there personal characteristics

that make one learner more
successful than another?
A good language learner:
a) is a willing and accurate guesser
b) tries to get a message across even if specifi
c language knowledge is lacking
c) is willing to make mistakes
d) constantly looks for patterns in the language
e) practices as often as possible
f) analyzes his or her own speech and the spe
ech of others
A good language learner:

a) enjoys grammar exercises

b) begins learning in childhood
c) has an above-average IQ
d) has good academic skills
e) has a good self-image and lots of confidence
f) attends to whether his or her performance
meets the standards he or she has learned
 1. Intelligence
• 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/linguistic and
mathematical/logical intelligence.
– There are other types of intelligence such as spatial
intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical
intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal
intelligence.
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 1. Intelligence
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/linguistic and
mathematical/logical intelligence.
– There are other types of intelligence such as
spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence,
musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence,
and intrapersonal intelligence.
 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
• Research Findings:
1. Intelligence, especially measured by verbal IQ tests, may be a strong
factor when it comes to learning that involves language analysis and rule
learning.

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

language learning that focuses more on communication and interaction.

3. It is important to keep in mind that “intelligence” is complex and that a

person has many kinds of abilities and strengths.
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 2. Aptitude
• Aptitude refers to the ability to learn quickly (Carroll, 1991) and is
thought to predict success in learning.
• It is hypothesized that a learner with high aptitude may learn with
greater ease and speed. (But other learners may 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 relationship between performance
on language aptitude tests and performance in foreign language learning
that was based on grammar translation or audiolingual methods.
2) However, performance on language aptitude tests seems irrelevant to L2
learning with the adoption of a more communicative approach to
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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 3. Learning Styles
Learning style refers to an individual’s natural, habitual, and
preferred way 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-independent vs. field-dependent
(tendency to see the trees or the forest)
• right-brain dominance vs. left-brain dominance
 Learning Styles
• field-independent: see things more analytically
field-dependent: see things more holistically
• Research findings:
– FI is related to classroom language learning that involves analysis,
attention to details, and mastering of exercise, drills, and other
focused activities.
– FD is related to the communicative aspects of language learning that
require social outreach, empathy, perception of other people, and
communicative skills.
– FI/FD may also prove to be a valuable tool for differentiating child and
adult language 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 brain perceives and remembers visual, tactile, and
auditory images. It is more efficient in processing holistic,
integrative, and emotional information.
– The left brain is associated with logical, analytical thought, with
mathematical and linear processing of information.

• Though we all tend to have one hemisphere that is more

dominant, it is important to remember that the left and right
hemispheres 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 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 leaning situations.

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 4. Personality
There are a number of personality characteristics that
may affect acquisition of skill
– Extroversion vs. introversion
– Inhibition vs. risk-taking
– Anxiety
– Self-esteem
– Empathy

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 Conclusions for Personality
• In general, the research does not show a single clearly-defined
relationship between personality traits and acquisition.
1. The major difficulty is that of identification and measurement of
personality characteristics.
2. Personality variables may be a major factor only in the
acquisition of conversational skills, not in the acquisition of
literacy or academic skills.
3. Most research on personality traits has been carried out within
a quantitative research.More qualitative research is needed to
adequately capture the depth and complexity of the relationship.
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 5. Motivation & Attitudes
• Questions:
1. Do positive attitudes and motivation produce
successful learning or does successful learning
engender positive attitudes and motivation?

2. Are there other factors that affect both attitudes/

motivation and the success of learning?
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 Motivation & Attitudes
• Types of motivation (in terms of communicative needs):
Source Intrinsic (Internal) Extrinsic (External)
Purpose

The learner wishes to learn L2 Someone else (e.g., the learner’s

Integrative for personal growth and cultural parents) wishes the learner to know
enrichment. L2 for an integrative reason.

The learner wishes to achieve External power wants the learner to

more immediate or practical learn L2 for a practical purpose
Instrumental
goals using L2 (e.g., for a career). (e.g., a corporation asks its staff to
get language training).
 Motivation & Attitudes
• Research findings:
1) Both integrative and instrumental types of motivation are
related to success in L2 learning. Most L2 learning
situations involve a mixture of each 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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 Motivation in the Classroom
– Motivating students into the lesson. The content needs to be relevant
to their age and level of ability, and the learning goals need to be
challenging yet manageable and clear.
– Varying the activities, tasks, and materials to increase students’
interest levels.
– Using cooperative rather than competitive goals to increase students’
self-confidence.
– Cultural and age differences will determine the most appropriate way
for teachers to motivate students.
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 Identity & Ethnic Affiliation
• An imbalanced power relationship between 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 affiliation and L2
learners’ mastery of pronunciation can be complex. Learners may
want to speak with a strong “foreign accent” to maintain their L1
identity.
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 7. Learner Beliefs
• What is your learner belief? How should skills be acquired?
• Virtually all learners, particularly older learners, have
strong beliefs about how their language instruction should
be delivered.
• Learner beliefs are usually based on previous learning
experiences and the assumption that a particular type of
instruction is better than others.
• Can be strong mediating factors in learners’ experience in
the classroom.
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 Learner Beliefs
• Conclusions:
1) Learners’ preference for learningwill influence the kinds of
strategies they choose to learn new material.
2) Teachers can use this information to help learners expand
their repertoire of learning strategies and thus develop
greater flexibility in their language learning.

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Age of Acquisition
Research findings:
1) L2 development in informal language 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 basis in social, personal,
professional, or academic interaction.
 Age of Acquisition
- At what age should acquisition begin?

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 Age of Acquisition
– Age is only one of the characteristics which affects L2 learning.

– The opportunities for learning (both inside and outside the

classroom), the motivation to learn, and individual differences in
intelligence, aptitude, personality, and learning styles have also
been found to be important determining factors that affect both
rate of learning and eventual success in acquiring skills.

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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 definitions and methods for measuring individual
characteristics
b) 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 individual’s characteristics
will influence his or her success as a language learner.
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.
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EXTERNAL FACTORS
Natural context

Instruction

Culture
Thank you for listening!
For questions, please
contact me at
studilektor1@live.com or
kbumila@ubaguio.edu