How Languages Are Learned

4th edition
Chapter 3 Individual differences in second language learning
SAME EXPERIENCE, DIFFERENT RESULT
LO CAMBIAMOS???
• Two or more English learners are attending the same
English class, having the same instructors and
materials, doing the same activities and exercises,
proceeding for the same duration of course program,
and living in the same environment.

• In the end of the program, these learners undergo a

kind of English competency assessment. But they
achieve different level of competence
THE QUESTIONS CAMBIAR TITULO?

•How could one learner be more

successful than another?
•What factor or factors, other than
instructors, materials, activities,
environment, may affect the result of
learning?
They include:
• Intelligence/aptitude
• Learning styles
• Personality
• Motivation and attitudes
• Identity and ethnic group affiliation
• Learner beliefs
• Age VER EL ORDEN
 Aspects of SLA that may be influenced by
individual learner factors
There are two possibilities:
1- Differences in age, learning style, aptitude, motivation
and personality may result in differences in the ROUTE of
SLA
2- These factors influence only the RATE and the ultimate
SUCCESS of SLA

SACARIA SUCCESS PORQ ES LO Q MENOS SE INVESTIGO Y LIGHTBOWN & SPADA

NO LO NOMBRAN
PONER???
They’re present in all learners.
They differ in the extent to which they’re present or the
manner in which they’re realized.
They can be subdivided into:
*Modifiable (likely to change during SLA eg, motivation)
*Unmodifiable (don’t change in strength or nature eg, aptitude)

NO PONDRIA NADA DE BICS Y CALP ????

1- Intelligence and aptitude

Learning a L2 in a classroom involves two

sets of intellectual abilities:
1- INTELLIGENCE: a general academic or
reasoning ability.
2- APTITUDE: a kind of ability that consists of
specific cognitive qualities needed for SLA.
B- Aptitude OPCION 1 SON PALABAS + dificiles pero es lo mismo
q la diapositive q sigue

It’s difficult to define. Several test have been used to measure

it.
1. Phonetic Coding Ability, which consists of the ability to perceive
and memorize new sounds.
2. Grammatical Sensitivity, which is the individual’s ability to
demonstrate awareness of the syntactical patterning of sentences
of a language.
3. Inductive ability, which consists of the ability to notice and identify
similarities and differences in both grammatical form and meaning.
O PONER ESTA q es la del ppt de libro
Identify and memorize new sounds.
• Understand the function of particular words in sentences.
• Figure out grammatical rules from language samples.
• Remember new words.

– Working memory may be most important.

– Successful learners may not be strong in ALL aspects of aptitude.
PONERLO????
• Success in second language learning is related not only to a general cognitive
ability that covers a whole range of skills linguistic and non-linguistic
(intelligence) but also to a more language-specific set of learning abilities
(aptitude)
• APTITUDE / INTELLIGENCE is used to refer to performance on certain kinds of
tests (generally associated with success at

school). APTITUDE / INTELLIGENCE, especially measured by verbal IQ tests,

may be a strong factor when it comes to learning which involves language
analysis and rule learning but it may play a less important role in classrooms
where the instruction focuses more on communication and interaction.
• APTITUDE / INTELLIGENCE is composed of different types
of abilities: A) the ability to identify and memorize new
sounds; B) the ability to understand the function of
particular words in sentences; C) the ability to figure out
grammatical rules from language samples and D)
memory for new words. When communicative
approaches began to be used, many teachers and
researchers saw APTITUDE / INTELLIGENCE as irrelevant
to the process of language acquisition.
Intelligence: Conclusions

1- Intelligence may be a powerful predictor of SUCCESS in classroom

SLA. SACAR???

2- The effects of intelligence are limited to the RATE / ROUTE of SLA.

3- There is no evidence that intelligence affects the RATE / ROUTE of

acquisition.
LES PONEMOS LOS 2 Y Q TENGAN Q DECIR CUAL ES POR EL CHAT????
LO Q ESTA EN ROJO ES LA CORRECTA (si o me equivoque)
Aptitude: Conclusions

1- There is no evidence to suggest that aptitude has any effect on the

RATE / ROUTE of acquisition.
2- Aptitude can be expected to influence the RATE / ROUTE of
development, particularly where formal classroom learning is
concerned.
3- Aptitude MAY / MAY NOT be age-related. It MAY / MAY NOT develop
along with the general ability for abstract thinking.
4- Aptitude is also likely to affect ultimate SUCCESS in SLA. SACAR
2- Learning Styles (cognitive style or learner prefereces)

 It’s the term used to refer to the manner in which

people perceive, conceptualize, organize, and recall
information.
 Various dimensions of cognitive style have been
identified.
 They’re presented as dichotomies (Holistic VS.
analytic). They’re not alternatives but poles in a
continuum, with individuals varying in the extent
they lean towards one end or the other.
The HOLISTIC learner perceives language as a whole; the parts are fused with
the background whereas the ANALYTIC learner perceives language in terms
of its component parts; the parts are distinguished
from the background.
HATCH (1974) makes a distinction between: LO PONEMOS???
DATA GATHERERS RULE FORMERS
1- Fluency 1- accuracy
2- Use chunks 2- identify language forms
3- Vocabulary is more 3- don’t speak until
important than rules they’re sure
Ventriglia: Braiders Beaders ESTO NOOOOO
SE PUEDE SACAR PERO ESTA EN EL
LIBRO
• According to their preferences, learners can be described as visual,
AUDITORY / ORAL or kinaesthetic.
• Field DEPENDENT / INDEPENDENT learners tend to separate details
from the general background; they are quick to pick out the hidden
figures in a complicated drawing. This ability helps the learner to
perceive relevant items and patterns in the language he is exposed to.
On the other hand, field DEPENDENT / INDEPENDENT learners are
more inclined to see the whole drawing and have difficulty separating it
into parts. Another difference might be whether the learner uses a
deductive (going from rules to examples) or an inductive (discovering
rules from examples) style.
Learning style: Conclusions

1- It is very difficult to state what aspect of SLA is influenced

by cognitive style.
2- Existing research does not
conclusively show that cognitive style is a major factor
concerning SUCCESS in SLA. sacar
3- There has been no research into the effects of cognitive
style on the
RATE / ROUTE of acquisition.
4- It might be an important factor determining RATE / ROUTE
of development.
“CONCLUSION”
To claim that individual differences influence the
ROUTE would contradict the evidence in favour
of a “natural” route of acquisition.

It’s difficult to identify and classify the factors

that may influence SLA because it’s not possible
to observe qualities such as aptitude, motivation
or anxiety directly