Individual_Differences_in_Second_Language_Learning.pptVIP

* 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. Identity Ethnic Affiliation * Learner Beliefs What is your learner belief? How should language be learned? 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. Learner beliefs can be strong mediating factors in learners’ experience in the classroom. * Learner Beliefs Conclusions: Learners’ preference for learning, whether due to their learning styles or to their beliefs about how language are learned, will influence the kinds of strategies they choose to learn new material. Teachers can use this information to help learners expand their repertoire of learning strategies and thus develop greater flexibility in their second language learning. * Age of Acquisition The relationship between a learner’s age and his/her potential for success in second language learning is complex or controversial. The relationship needs to take into account 1) the learner’s cognitive development 2) the learner’s motivation 3) the learner’s goal for learning L2 (i.e., in what aspects of the L2 the learner has achieved) 4) the contexts in which the learner learns L2 (including quantity quality of language input, learning environment, learning time, and socio-cultural contexts) * Age of Acquisition Research findings: 1) L2 development i