Second Language Acquisition (8)

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN L2 ACQUISITION

A.    Language Aptitude

John Carroll led to the identification of a number of components of language aptitude. These are:

1.      Phonemic coding ability

It is about the ability to identify the sounds of foreign language so that they can be remembered later.

2.      Grammar sensitivity

It is about the ability to recognize the grammatical function of words in sentences.

3.      Inductive language learning ability

It is about the ability to identify patterns correspondence and relation between form and meaning.

4.      Rote learning ability

It is about the ability to form and remember associations between stimuli.

B.     Motivation

Various kinds of motivation have been identified. They are:

1.      Instrumental motivation

Learners may make efforts to learn an L2 for some functional reason (to pass examination, to get better job, or to get a place at university).

2.      Integrative motivation

Learners may choose to learn a particular L2 because they aare interested in the people and culture represented by the target language group.

3.      Resultative motivation

An assumption of the research referred to above is that motivation is the cause of learning. However, it is also possible that motivation is the result of learning.

4.      Intrinsic motivation

This kind of motivation involves the arousal and maintenance of curiosity and can ebb and flow as a result of such factors as learners’ particular interests and the extent to which they fell personally involves in learning activities.

C.     Learning Strategies

Learning strategies are the particular approaches or techniques that learners employ to try to learn L2. There are three different kinds of learning strategies. They are:

1.      Cognitive Strategies

It is all that are involved in the analysis, synthesis, or transformation of learning materials.

2.      Metacognitive Strategies

It is all that are involved in planning, monitoring, and evaluating learning.

3.      Social/affective Strategies

It concerns the ways in which learners choose to interact with other speakers.

There have been various attempts to discover which strategies are important for L2 acquisition. One way is to investigate how good language learners try to learn. Good language learners are active and pay attention to both form and meaning.

Other studies show that successful learners use more strategies than unsuccessful learners. They have also shown that different strategies are related to different aspects of L2 learning. Thus, strategies that involved formal practice (for example, rehearsing a new word) contribute to the development of linguistic competence whereas strategies involving functional practice (for example, seeking out native speakers to talk) aid the development of communication skills.