However, isolating one or several global individual characteristics can only give a partial explanation of success in second language learning. Clearly, some learners are more successful than others, and it is tempting to try to find the factor or combination of factors that can crack the code to success. Most studies have concentrated on a limited number of learner characteristics and have argued for the relative importance of some of these factors. Furthermore, the data reveal a strikingly positive attitude towards English and demonstrate that in some situations Flemish children prefer using English over their L1 with their peers.read more read lessĪbstract: A large body studies into individual differences in second language learning has shown that success in second language learning is strongly affected by a set of relevant learner characteristics ranging from the age of onset to motivation, aptitude, and personality. The study confirms that children learn English from the input they receive through different media (especially gaming and computer use). The results show that a significant proportion of the 11-year-olds can already perform tasks at the A2 level (The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) without having had any formal instruction. Information about learner characteristics was gathered through two questionnaires (for children and parents). In order to measure the children’s English proficiency, a receptive vocabulary test and a proficiency test (which measured listening skills, speaking skills, reading skills and writing skills) were used. The study looks into children’s English proficiency and the learner characteristics that can be associated with it. The present paper will track the trajectory of the above theoretical discussion and will explore the implications of the stage it has now reached.read more read lessĪbstract: In this paper the incidental language acquisition of 11-year-old Flemish children (n = 30) who have not received any formal English instruction is investigated. Working memory was also once thought of as a trait, but is now recognized as susceptible to the influence of experience and instruction (see e.g., Williams, 2012). Recently, this questioning has intensified (see Singleton, 2014), especially since the development of a widespread consensus that working memory needs to be recognized as an important component of language aptitude (see Wen, 2016). The view of language aptitude as an innate trait has, however, long been questioned (see e.g., Neufeld, 1978). The trait view of language aptitude tends towards the notion that it is innate, and indeed language aptitude has often been associated with the popular notion of a “gift for languages” (cf. This conception portrays language aptitude as a trait, in the sense of exhibiting stability over long periods of time and being immune to training. Regression analysis supports the conclusion that a variety of emotions, not just one or two key ones, are implicated in L2 motivation processes in this high-contact context.read more read lessĪbstract: The traditional definition of language aptitude sees it as “an individual’s initial state of readiness and capacity for learning a foreign language, and probable facility in doing so given the presence of motivation and opportunity” (Carroll, 1981, p. The positivity ratio, that is, the relative prevalence of positive over negative emotion, showed strong correlations with all of the motivation constructs. Correlations involving negative emotions are weaker and less consistently implicated in motivation. Results show that positive emotions are consistently and strongly correlated with motivation-related variables. They described their motivation and emotion with respect to learning German in a region of Italy (South Tyrol) that features high levels of contact between Italians and Germans. Respondents came from Italian secondary schools, and most participants were from monolingual Italian speaking homes. The emotions are correlated with core variables chosen from three well-known models of L2 motivation: Gardner’s integrative motive, Clement’s social-contextual model, and Dornyei’s L2 self system. The present article examines 10 positive emotions (joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love) and 9 negative emotions (anger, contempt, disgust, embarrassment, guilt, hate, sadness, feeling scared, and being stressed). Abstract: The role of basic emotions in SLA has been underestimated in both research and pedagogy.
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