MODELS AND METHODS IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
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MAIN ASPECTS AFFECTING LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
UzSWLU
Mallayev A.
Scientific adviser :
Parpiyeva Dilnura group 2004
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12514360
Abstract:
The article discusses the importance of recognizing and
considering the impact of learner characteristics such as age, learning style and
learning strategies on successful language acquisition. It develops the viewpoint
that learners’ specific learning needs such as style preferences, age factors and
learning strategy specifications should be taken into account while teaching
English to students in the EFL classrooms.
Key words:
foreign language acquisition, age factors, learning styles,
learning strategies, motivation, aptitude, accomplish, reflective, impulsive.
There are some key factors influencing successful language acquisition in
the procedure of language learning and teaching. These factors are mostly
composed of some basic learner characteristics including personality, aptitude,
motivation, learning styles and strategies and the factor of age. From the
perspective of age, it should be specifically noted that the relationship between
age and success in second language acquisition is a complex and controversial
subject matter dealt with in the research of language acquisition study. [1:p.9]
In our opinion, it is important to clarify the concept of language acquisition
at this point. The terms “language acquisition” and “language learning” are
widely used in methodology, however, they carry different meanings and mostly
understood in different senses. For example, Longman Dictionary of Language
Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines these terms in the following way:
language acquisition (
n)
-
the learning and development of a person’s language.
The learning of a
native first language is called first language acquisition, and of
a second or foreign language, second language acquisition. Some theorists use
“learning” and “acquisition” synonymously. Others maintain a contrast between
the two terms, using “learning” to mean a conscious process involving the study
of explicit rules of language and monitoring one’s performance, as is often
typical of classroom learning in a foreign language context, and using
“acquisition” to refer to a non-conscious process of rule internalization resulting
from exposure to comprehensible input when the learner’s attention is on
meaning rather than form, as is more common in a second language context.
Still others use “acquisition” only with reference to the learning of one’s first
language. Moreover, Stephen Krashen also claims that there is a clear distinction
MODELS AND METHODS IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
6
between acquisition and learning. To be more concise, the former is
subconscious and anxiety free, whereas learning is a conscious process where
separate items from the language are studied and practiced in sequence.
Krashen also suggests that teachers should concentrate on acquisition rather
than learning and that the role of the language teacher should be to provide the
right kind of language exposure, namely
comprehensible input
(that is,
language that the students understand more or less, even if it is a bit above their
own level of production). From these arguments it is clear that the relationship
between age and language acquisition is so interrelated that it is important for
teachers to be aware of this so that they can choose the right choice of language
teaching methods, approaches and techniques.
In addition to the age factor influencing the language acquisition process,
there are other key issues of teaching individuals a foreign language that should
be taken into consideration during the teaching procedure. In this connection, it
should be highlighted that learning styles and strategies are considered to be the
most essential points to which English language teachers should pay much
attention when they teach students a language. It is an irrefutable fact that the
way students learn is different, therefore English language teachers should have
the necessary skills for dealing with different learning styles and strategies in
the classroom so as to enable their students to learn most efficiently according
to their learning style and strategy preferences. The terms learning styles
and
learning strategies
can be confusing. According to the standard definition,
learning styles refer to “an individual’s natural, habitual, and preferred ways of
absorbing, processing and retaining new information and skills”. From this
definition it is clear that every learner has their own way of learning something
new and they apply them in the process of learning.[ 2:p.8]
These learning styles seem to be the root of the effectiveness and success of
their learning. Therefore, the English language teachers’ interest in learning
styles has dramatically increased in recent years. Furthermore, in the last
decade the number of the works specifically devoted to learning styles and
English language teaching such as Reid, Kinsella, Oxford, and Oxford and
Anderson has increased significantly. The perceptual learning styles such as
visual, auditory, kinesthetic,
and tactile are the most prevalent types of learning
styles. However, they are only one piece of a much
larger learning-style picture.
Therefore, it is important to see the different learning styles
as connected
because learners will have more than one learning style. In
addition, different
tasks may be approached in different ways, more than one learning style can be
MODELS AND METHODS IN MODERN SCIENCE
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significant to accomplish a given task. The following three broad categories of
learning styles have been regarded as the best taxonomy working well for
English language teachers. [3:p.270]
Table 1:
Learning Style Classification for the Second Language Classroom
Cognitive styles
Sensory styles
Personality styles
Field
Dependent
—
learns
best
when
information
is
presented in context.
They are often more
fluent language learners
1-Perceptual:
Visual
-learns
best
when there is visual
reinforcement such as
charts, pictures, graphs,
etc.
Tolerance
of
Ambiguity:
refers to
how
comfortable
a
learner
is
with
uncertainty;
some
students do well in
situations where there
are several possible
answers;
others
prefer
one
correct answer
Field
Independent
-
learns most effectively
step-by-step and with
sequential instruction.
They are often more
accurate
language
learners
Auditory
-learns more
effectively by listening
to information
Hemisphere
Dominance:
Left-brain dominant
learners tend to be
more visual, analytical,
reflective
and
self-
reliant
Analytic
-works more
effectively alone and at
his/her own pace
Tactile
-learns
more
effectively when there
is an opportunity to use
manipulative resources
Right-brain dominant
learners tend to be
more auditory, global,
impulsive
and
interactive
Global
-works
more
effectively in groups
Kinesthetic
-learns
more effectively when
there
is
movement
associated with
learning
MODELS AND METHODS IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
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Reflective
-learns more
effectively when they
have time to consider
new information before
responding
2-
Environmental:
Physical
-sensitive
to
learning environment,
such
as
light,
temperature, furniture
Impulsive
-learns more
effectively when they
can respond to new
information
immediately;
as
language learners , they
are risk takers
Sociological-
sensitive
to relationships within
the
learning
environment
It is clear from the content of the table that style preferences of learners should
be recognized and taken into account by teachers while they select appropriate
teaching methods and approaches to teach them effectively. Therefore, it should
be particularly highlighted that in order to recognize different styles in their
learners and create lesson plans and classroom activities that address these
varied styles, teachers should have certain knowledge of the general categories
of learning styles. The main reason for this is that every student in the classroom
will have cognitive, sensory, and personality type learning styles.
However, learning strategies are different from learning styles. Learning
strategies refer to “characteristics we want to stimulate in students to enable
them to become more proficient language learners.” Firstly, it should be stressed
that strategies are important to a given task. To be more precise, strategies are
chosen in conformity with the task set by the teacher. For example, teachers
usually ask learners to make a presentation on a specific topic that they have
recently discussed in a language classroom. According to the given task, students
should present and reveal the main assumptions of the topic.
To deal with this particular task learners apply a cognitive strategy, auditory
representation in particular. Strategies are specific means that learners use to
learn or improve their language. There are many different kinds of learning
strategies, depending on the context and tasks. Therefore, it is expedient to focus
on the general learning strategies. In the cognitive academic language learning
approach, Chamot and O ’Malley (1994) identified some general learning
MODELS AND METHODS IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
9
strategies (see the 2
nd
-table) that contribute to second language students’
success in academic and classroom environments. The general learning
strategies are important for all language learners in formal classroom
environments. General learning strategies are classified into three broad areas:
metacognitive (i.e., strategies to help students think about their own learning),
cognitive, and socio-affective.[ 4:p.423]
In conclusion, the following implications and final reflections can be drawn:
Learner characteristics such as age, learning styles and learning strategies play a
significant role in language acquisition development;
Teaching methods, techniques and strategies should be adapted and based on
the learner needs such as age, learning style and strategies;
Learner peculiarities in terms of their learning styles, strategies and age factors
should be taken into consideration in order to promote success in EFL
classrooms
References:
1.
Rebecca L. Oxford “Language Learning Strategies”. Oxford, 1990,p.9
2.
Reid “Language Learning Styles and Strategies”. Oxford Journals, 1995,p.8
3.
Zoltan Duryea. The psychology of the language learner individual differences
in second language acquisition. -New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.,
2005.-270 p.
4.
Jack C. Richard and Richard Schmidt. “Language and Communication”-
Douglas Brown. Principles of language learning and teaching. – California: Pearson
Education, 2007. - 423 p.
5.
David Nunan “Language Teaching Methodology”. Prentice Hall,2003, p.272
