scholarly journals THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE-ANALYTIC ABILITY IN CHILDREN’S INSTRUCTED SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1111-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Roehr-Brackin ◽  
Angela Tellier
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Metalinguistic Awareness ◽  
Children's Achievement ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Cognitive Maturity ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractLanguage-analytic ability, or the ability to treat language as an object of analysis and arrive at linguistic generalizations, is at the core of the constructs of language learning aptitude and metalinguistic awareness, which are implicated in our ability to learn explicitly. In the context of child second language (L2) learning, it has been argued that children learn primarily implicitly and that the most important component of aptitude may be memory ability. However, no empirical research to date has investigated the relationship and development of aptitude and metalinguistic awareness longitudinally as well as examined their predictive power for children’s L2 achievement in the classroom. In a study with English-speaking learners aged 8–9 (N = 111), we found that although aptitude and metalinguistic awareness were (still) dynamic, they significantly predicted children’s achievement in L2 French. Moreover, language-analytic ability proved to be the component with the strongest predictive power. This finding suggests that it may not be level of cognitive maturity alone that determines children’s approach to L2 learning; experiencing explicit, form-focused instruction may foster the role of language-analytic ability even in children as young as 8–9 years.

scholarly journals Metalinguistic awareness in children with differing language learning experience

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 81-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Tellier ◽  
Karen Roehr-Brackin
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Metalinguistic Awareness ◽  
Learning Difficulty ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Explicit And Implicit Knowledge ◽  
Levelling Effect

Theoretical research concerned with the notion of second language (L2) learning difficulty has resulted in specific criteria that can be used to predict the learning difficulty of different languages in terms of both explicit and implicit knowledge. The characteristics of the constructed language Esperanto suggest that this language has lower explicit and implicit learning difficulty than other languages. It may therefore be a suitable ‘starter language’ for child L2 learning in the classroom. Specifically, we propose that Esperanto may facilitate the development of metalinguistic awareness and, as a consequence, boost children’s budding capacity for explicit learning. This would be particularly advantageous in the minimal-input setting of the average foreign language classroom. We present findings from an empirical study which compared 11 to 12-year-old English-speaking children who had learned Esperanto and a European L2 (N = 35) with children who had learned various combinations of European and non-European L2s (N = 168) in terms of their performance on a measure of metalinguistic awareness. No significant differences in overall level of metalinguistic awareness were identified, but the Esperanto group significantly outperformed the comparison group on one of the eleven metalinguistic tasks included in the measure. Moreover, the Esperanto group displayed a more homogeneous performance than the other groups of children. This suggests that learning Esperanto may have a lasting levelling effect, reducing differences between children with varying metalinguistic abilities.

scholarly journals Language Learning Exposure and Grammatical Proficiency of Intermediate Pupils

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-74
Author(s):  
Marz Kimberly T. Salas ◽  
Ma. Judy B. Legaspi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Catholic School ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Holistic Process ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship

The Philippines is recognized globally as one of the largest English-speaking nations. The majority of its population has at least some degree of fluency in the language. Filipinos are exposed to the heavy usage of English, not just in school but also in their everyday lives. Exposing elementary pupils to different language learning sources (home, friends, school, and media) can help them acquire the language more easily. Thus, the second-language acquisition is a holistic process, which means acquiring the second language is not confined within the four walls of the classroom. This paper describes the extent of language learning exposure and the level of grammatical proficiency of Grade 6 pupils of a Catholic school in Bacolod City. Similarly, it explores the difference in the pupils' extent of language learning exposure and level of grammatical proficiency. Also, it determines the relationship between language learning exposure and grammatical proficiency.   

The use of English as a lingua franca in the Japanese second language classroom

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blake Turnbull
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
First Language ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
English Speaking

AbstractDespite the growing interest surrounding the use and role of the first language in the second language classroom, the vast majority of research in the field has been conducted in classrooms where English is taught as a second language in English-speaking countries. Very little research has investigated the role of English as a lingua franca (ELF) in other language learning environments, such as those in which Japanese is learnt as a second language (JSL) in Japan. This paper investigates the purposes for which ELF is employed, and the perspectives of learners from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds on the use of ELF, in the JSL classroom. The findings show that English is employed to varying degrees in relation to proficiency level, and that learners themselves are generally welcoming of this use. The author suggests that learners seek security and comfort in what they already know, with ELF easing the gap between their L1 and their developing Japanese skills.

Grammar and parsing and a transition theory

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Juffs
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Transition Theory ◽  
Syntactic Processing ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
The Relationship

The article by Clahsen and Felser (CF) on grammatical processing in language learning is a timely and much-needed synthesis of research on this topic. It correctly identifies both morphological processing and syntactic processing as key areas that require attention. This commentary raises two issues: the relationship between the grammar and the parser, and the need for a transition theory in adult second language (L2) learning.

scholarly journals IS A RED CARD FOR LEARNERS’ USE OF THEIR L1 IN L2 LESSONS FAIR? A SOCIOCULTURAL ACCOUNT

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Van Canh ◽  
Pham Thi Hang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
First Language ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Effective Use

One of the controversial issues in second language acquisition research is the role of learners’ first language in their second language learning. Traditionally, first language was assumed to get in the way or interfere with the learning of the L2, and therefore, the first language must be banned in the foreign language classroom. However, this view has recently been reexamined and questioned by empirical studies conducted within the sociocultural perspectives. The goal of this paper is to provide new insights into the mediating role of the first language by reviewing those studies. The paper suggests that L1, when appropriately and systematically used, can be an enabling tool that scaffolds learners in completing cognitively complex and demanding L2 learning tasks. Towards this goal, research directions are also suggested. However, it is important to note that this paper is not intended to encourage teachers and learners to use the L1 in the L2 classroom unsystematically and inappropriately; rather its goal is to encourage teachers to research their classroom in order to find optimal and effective use of L1 for mediating the success of L2 learning.

An Ethnographic Approach to Exploring Personality, Language Learning Strategies, and Second Language Acquisition

Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 149-157
Author(s):  
Yukiko Oki
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Language Learning Strategies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Japanese English

This paper is a case study examining the relationship between two individual difference (ID) factors, namely personality and language learning strategies (LLS), and language learning of two Japanese English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students. A qualitative analysis of their language learning histories, learner diaries, and interviews aims to uncover the role of personality in language learning and how personality seems to be reflected in their uses of LLS.

scholarly journals An Ethnographic Study: The Role of “Play” in the Development of English Listening and Speaking Ability of Two Chinese Children in a Multilingual Setting

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjuan He
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Young Children ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Chinese Children ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Listening And Speaking

Much scholarship on “play” activities has focused on enhancing children’s learning processes and developing interest towards learning second language (Nair, Yusof, Arumugam, 2014). Many of these studies, however, adopt the survey to conduct their study. This study explored how “play with local kids” activities effect the development of English speaking and listening of two Chinese children in the Philippines, employing an ethnographically based approach to observe the two participants playing with local kids, which lasted about 4 months. The findings of the study revealed that “play” activities can not only help young children have a better understanding of their English conversations, and make them have more confidence to speak English, but also inspire them to speak English in such environment. In view of the results, it is obvious that “play with local kids” is a very good way for young children to acquire a second language in a multilingual setting. It is strongly recommended that language researchers and teachers should pay more attention and do more research on the relationship between “play” and second language acquisition.

scholarly journals Crosslinguistic influence and L2 grammar learning: Proposed replications of Ellis and Sagarra (2011) and Tolentino and Tokowicz (2014)

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Kevin McManus
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Digital Repositories ◽  
Language Knowledge ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Crosslinguistic Influence ◽  
Advance Knowledge

Abstract Investigations of crosslinguistic effects in second language acquisition (SLA) have contributed rich understandings about the ways in which prior language knowledge and experience can influence additional language learning. Building on this work, one recent line of research has examined the extent to which SLA findings about crosslinguistic influence can be used to improve L2 learning, indicating that explicit instruction tailored to address the nature of the crosslinguistic learning problem can benefit L2 performance. At the same time, however, this line of inquiry is relatively novel and under-researched. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to suggest further research which might advance knowledge and understanding about the ways in which explicit instruction can facilitate second language (L2) learning of crosslinguistically difficult target features. To this end, I lay the ground for a series of close replications designed to understand the role of prior language knowledge and experience in L2 learning: Ellis and Sagarra (2011) and Tolentino and Tokowicz (2014). These studies were selected because they are grounded in empirical SLA research and SLA theory. In addition, the selected studies facilitate replication because they have either (i) made their data collection materials available in digital repositories or (ii) have robustly described their design and provided the stimuli used.

A Review of Studies on Languaging and Second Language Learning (2006-2017)

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruiying Niu ◽  
Lijia Li
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
L2 Learning

Since Swain postulated the concept “languaging” in 2006 to capture the role of language production in second language (L2) learning, a growing body of empirical studies has been conducted on languaging. However, little research has reviewed these studies. The present paper reviews 15 empirical studies that were conducted over the past decade on languaging in L2 learning, followed Vygotsky’s socioculutral theory of mind, and directly took languaging as the treatment or part of the treatment. We distinguished task-prompted and teacher-imposed languaging in the paper. All studies reviewed focused on teacher-imposed languaging. On the basis of reviewing the foci and findings of the studies, we offer our critical comments and recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals Second Language Learning and the Clash of Civilizations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Salwa Al harthi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Clash Of Civilizations ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Arab Muslim ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This researchinvestigates the relationship amongsecond language learning, identity, culture, and motivation in Saudi Arabia (SA). SA’s education system concentrates on teaching, while identity and social aspects have only been given little attention. The researcher seeks to redress this balance by exploring the impact of pupils’ negative views toward the linguistic communities and of themselves as Muslim pupils. It aims to investigate how negative views toward the English language speaking communities could affect or demotivate Arab Muslim female learners to learn the language. The researcher supports the arguments using a qualitative approach and data drawn from pupils’ focus group interviews and one-to-one teachers’ interviews. The current study involves 132 second-year pupils from a secondary public school in Taif city, in SA and three Saudi English language teachers.The findings indicate the impact of various social factors relevant to the Saudi identity and culture on pupils’ English as a second language (ESL) learning in the Saudi context. Participants’ beliefs and practices of ESL appear to be influenced by certain negative views towardthe English- speaking communities.Finally, the study recommends extending the setting of the sample for future study to include more than one city in order to compare cultural and social attributes that impact ESL, ascultures and identities vary from one area to another in SA.

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