Individual Differences in SLL 82770598

Individual differences in SLL
ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Mar Gutiérrez-Colón Plana

[email protected]
Normal children, given a
normal upbringing, are
successful in the acquisition of
their first language.
This contrasts with our
experience of second
language learners, whose
success varies greatly.
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN SLL
Why are children successful in acquiring their
L1 and not that successful in learning the L2?
Why does the experience of second language

learners vary greatly?
 Intelligence
 Aptitude
 Learner preferences
 Personality
 Motivation and attitudes
 Anxiety
 Learner beliefs
 Age of acquisition
To know if a VARIABLE (such as motivation) affects second language learning, researchers
select a group of learners and give them:
1. QUESTIONNAIRE to measure the type and degree of motivation.
2. Then, a TEST to know the level of proficiency.
The procedure is called CORRELATION.
Activity 1: Imagine some possible results. What do you think that is going to happen?
Activity 2: What personal traits are you think that correlate in second language learning?
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence has been traditionally associated to performance

on IQ tests.
IQ scores predict success in SLL in reading, grammar,
vocabulary, but NOT in oral production skills.
These tests usually measure two types of intelligence:
verbal/linguistic and mathematical/logical intelligence.
INTELLIGENCE
In recent years: many educators have been

influenced by Gardner’s (1993) proposal that
individuals have multiple intelligences:
APTITUDE
It is the specific abilities thought to predict success in

language learning.
• Caroll (1991)-’the ability to learn quickly’.
Some individuals have an exceptional “aptitude” for language

learning.
How is APTITUDE measured?
The ‘aptitude factor’ has been investigated by researchers interested in developing tests which
can be used to predict whether individuals will be efficient learners of a foreign language in a
classroom setting.
Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT)
Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB)
What is language aptitude?
(or what do the tests measure?)
They 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.Remember new words
BUT:
these studies were conducted when SLT was based on translation and audiolingual methods (not
communicative SLA).
 The tests are geared towards a formal second language Instruction
 Communication is not included in the tests
Let’s add a new “player” in the game of second
language acquisition……
How your “working memory” makes sense of the world
Peter Doolitle
TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWKvpFZJwcE
9’29”
Slide by Mireia Ortega
LEARNING STYLE
Used to describe an individual’s natural, habitual, and preferred
way of absorbing and retaining new information and skills.
1. Perceptually-based learning styles:
2. Cognitive learning styles:
Field independent  tend to separate details from the general background

Field dependent  tend to see things more holistically
LEARNING STYLE
BUT research on learning styles should make

us skeptical of claims that a single teaching
method or textbook will suit the needs of all
learners.
The challenge is to find instructional approaches that meet

the needs of learners with a variety of aptitude and learning
style profiles
PERSONALITY
The available research does not show a

clearly-defined relationship between
personality traits and SLA
Difficulties in investigating personality

characteristics in terms of identification
and measurement.
Learner anxiety (feelings of worry, nervousness and
stress) interferes with the learning process.
PERSONALITY
Personality traits that have been There is a scale to measure the anxiety: Foreign
studied: language Classroom Anxiety. But these questionnaires
never take into account that anxiety can be temporary
and context-specific.
Introversion / extroversion:
Despite the topic, many successful  Certain amount of ‘tension’- term introduced by
language learners do not get high Spielaman & Radnofsky (2001)  can have positive
scores on measures of extroversion. effect and even facilitate learning.
Inhibition discourages risk-taking

(necessary for progress in language
learning).
** This is often considered to
be a particular problem for adolescents,
who are more self-conscious than
young learners.
MOTIVATION AND ATTITUDES
Motivation in SLA has been defined in terms of two factors:
 Learners’ communicative needs

 Attitudes towards the second language community
Gardner & Lambert (1972) coined the terms:

Instrumental motivation (Extrinsic)
language learning for immediate and practical goals
Integrative motivation (Intrinsic)
language learning for personal growth and cultural enrichment
These types of motivation are related to success in SLL, but the distinction is not always clear, as it
depends on the learning environment
Research findings:
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.
Intrinsic motivation is “the ideal” type of motivation

Process-oriented model of motivation (Dörnyei (2001a) consists of three phases:
‘choice motivation’ getting started and setting goals

‘executive motivation’  carrying out the necessary tasks to maintain motivation
‘motivation retrospection’ students’ appraisal of and reaction to their performance
ACTIVITY
Find the three different phases of motivation in this case:
A student is interested in Japanese manga films and he decides to take an online Japanese course for beginners.
After a few weeks, he gets frustrated because the writing and the grammar is too difficult, so he drops out. A few
weeks later, he gets an invitation to go to a manga film festival, so he decides to enroll in a face-to-face course
with a more communicative approach. In just a few weeks, he develops some basic Japanese conversational skills
and a feeling of accomplishment, so he decides to book a trip to Japan for the summer. When he comes back
from his trip, he decides to continue with the course, due to a very positive experience and satisfaction.
MOTIVATION IN THE CLASSROOM
Crookes & Schmidt (1991) point out 3
pedagogical practices that could increase
motivation:
1. Motivating students into the lesson.

Opening stages of the lesson, comments on
forthcoming activities.
2. Varying the activities, tasks, and materials.
3. Using co-operative rather than competitive
goals. Students work together in order to
complete a task or solve a problem (e.g. TBL)
 self-confidence of students, including
Motivated students are usually those who participate actively in class, weaker ones.
express interest in the subject-matter, and study a great deal.
If we can make our classrooms places where students enjoy coming, we
can make a positive contribution to students’ motivation to learn.
IDENTITY AND ETHNIC GROUP AFFILIATION
Social factors such as social dynamics

and power relationship between
languages can affect others (e.g.
motivation, attitudes, etc.)
Children as well as adults are sensitive to

social dynamics and power relations.
LEARNER BELIEFS
Second language learners have strong beliefs and opinions about how their instruction should be
delivered.
These beliefs are usually based on previous learning experiences and the assumption (right
or wrong) that a particular type of instruction is the best way for them to learn.
Teachers can use this information to help learners expend their repertoire of learning strategies and thus
develop greater flexibility in their ways of approaching language learning.
AGE OF ACQUISITION
The relationship between a learners’ age and his or her potential

for success in second language acquisition is the subject of much
lively debate.
Learning a second language: as a child or as an adult?
AGE OF ACQUISITION
Main differences (1)
Critical period
language learning which occurs after the end of
the CP may not be based on the innate
biological structures believed to contribute to
FLA or SLA in early childhood.
Older learners depend on more general learning
abilities.
https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa16/2016/11/11/is-there-actually-an-age-barrier-for-learning-languages/
AGE OF ACQUISITION
Main differences (2)
Learning conditions
young learners in informal language learning
environments usually have more time to devote to learning
language, but older learners are believed to be more
efficient than younger learners due to their metalinguistic
knowledge, memory strategies, problem-solving skills
Rate of learning:
Some research suggests that older learners may have one important advantage: they appear to
learn faster in the early stages of L2 learning.
Article: MIT Scientists prove adults learn language to fluency nearly as well as children https://medium.com/@chacon/mit-
scientists-prove-adults-learn-language-to-fluency-nearly-as-well-as-children-1de888d1d45f
Comparing the
performance
of the top
quartile of
over-20
learners with
students who
started
learning before
5 (red), before
10 (yellow)
and before 20
(green)
CONCLUSION: Given the same amount of time, the top quarter of learners from the over-20
group do just as well as the average of those who started before 10.
At what age should second language instruction begin?
General belief ‘younger is better’
The key question is:

What are the goals of an instructional programme and the context in which it occurs?
Adults do not get the same quantity and quality of language input that children receive in school
and play settings
BUT many times children and young learners don’t get it either… When learners receive only a few
hours of instruction per week, learners who start later (9-10 years) often catch up with those
who began earlier.
Native-like mastery of the target language learners should be surrounded by the language as
early as possible
AGE OF ACQUISITION
School programs should be based on realistic estimates of how long it

takes to learn a second language.
One or two hours a week will not produce very advanced SL speakers,
no matter how young they were when they began.
AGE OF ACQUISITION
A critical review of age-related Research on L2 ultimate attainment.
By Muñoz & Singleton (2011).
They critically explore the widely-held view that ultimate attainment in an additional language is
predictable overwhelmingly or even solely on the basis of the chronological age at which exposure
commences.
Individual differences in SLL
ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Mar Gutiérrez-Colón Plana

[email protected]

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Individual differences in SLL

ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Mar Gutiérrez-Colón Plana

Why does the experience of second language

Intelligence has been traditionally associated to performance

In recent years: many educators have been

It is the specific abilities thought to predict success in

• Caroll (1991)-’the ability to learn quickly’.

Some individuals have an exceptional “aptitude” for language

They measure the ability to:

1.Identify and memorize new sounds

Field independent  tend to separate details from the general background

BUT research on learning styles should make

The challenge is to find instructional approaches that meet

The available research does not show a

Difficulties in investigating personality

Inhibition discourages risk-taking

Motivation in SLA has been defined in terms of two factors:

 Learners’ communicative needs

Gardner & Lambert (1972) coined the terms:

Both integrative and instrumental types of

Intrinsic motivation is “the ideal” type of motivation

‘choice motivation’ getting started and setting goals

1. Motivating students into the lesson.

Social factors such as social dynamics

Children as well as adults are sensitive to

The relationship between a learners’ age and his or her potential

The key question is:

School programs should be based on realistic estimates of how long it

ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Mar Gutiérrez-Colón Plana

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