New Perspectives on Individual Differences in Language Learning and Teaching

New Perspectives on Individual Differences in Language Learning and Teaching
Author: Mirosław Pawlak
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2012-04-07
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3642208495

The volume constitutes an attempt to capture the intricate relationship between individual learner differences and other variables which are of interest to theorists, researchers and practitioners representing such diverse branches of applied linguistics as psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, pragmatics or language teaching methodology. It brings together contributions by Polish and international authors, including leading experts in the field, touching upon changing perspectives on individual variation, cognitive, affective and social variables, learning deficits as well as their impact on learning and teaching. It offers a multifaceted perspective on these problems and shows how theory and research can be translated into classroom practice.

Individual Differences in Language Learning

Individual Differences in Language Learning
Author: Carol Griffiths
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2020-12-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3030529002

This textbook takes a Complex Systems Theory approach to examine individual differences between learners and the potential impact of these variables on the process of acquiring a second language. The authors argue that individual variables cannot provide the complete picture, and that they must instead be understood as part of an interconnected and dynamic system of different factors in order to be useful in a language learning context. Written in an accessible style and suitable for final-year undergraduate and Masters-level students, the book includes clear definitions of key terms, discussion questions for classroom use, practical exercises and activities, and examples of real empirical studies that students and teachers can replicate in their own contexts. This textbook will be of interest to students taking TESOL and SLA courses and modules, as well as those on broader Applied Linguistics programmes.

Individual differences in early instructed language learning

Individual differences in early instructed language learning
Author: Raphael Berthele
Publisher: Language Science Press
Total Pages: 254
Release:
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3961103240

Variability in predispositions for language learning has attracted scholarly curiosity for over 100 years. Despite major changes in theoretical explanations and foreign/second language teaching paradigms, some patterns of associations between predispositions and learning outcomes seem timelessly robust. This book discusses evidence from a research project investigating individual differences in a wide variety of domains, ranging from language aptitude over general cognitive abilities to motivational and other affective and social constructs. The focus lies on young learners aged 10 to 12, a less frequently investigated age in aptitude research. The data stem from two samples of multilingual learners in German-speaking Switzerland. The target languages are French and English. The chapters of the book offer two complementary perspectives on the topic: On the one hand, cross-sectional investigations of the underlying structure of these individual differences and their association with the target languages are discussed. Drawing on factor analytical and multivariable analyses, the different components are scrutinized with respect to their mutual dependence and their relative impact on target language skills. The analyses also take into account contextual factors such as the learners’ family background and differences across the two contexts investigated. On the other hand, the potential to predict learner’s skills in the target language over time based on the many different indicators is investigated using machine learning algorithms. The results provide new insights into the stability of the individual dispositions, on the impact of contextual variables, and on empirically robust dimensions within the array of variables tested.

The Psychology of the Language Learner

The Psychology of the Language Learner
Author: Zoltán Dörnyei
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2014-04-04
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135704783

The scope of individual learner differences is broad, yet there is no current, comprehensive, and unified volume that provides an overview of the considerable amount of research conducted on various language learner differences, until now.

Perspectives on Individual Characteristics and Foreign Language Education

Perspectives on Individual Characteristics and Foreign Language Education
Author: Wai Meng Chan
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1614510938

Learner characteristics have been at the center of second language acquisition and foreign language education research in response to the puzzling questions: Why are there often large differences in second language (L2) learning achievement and why do many learners, though proficient first language speakers, not succeed in learning a L2? The papers in this book explore and challenge the three key factors in individual difference research: language aptitude, language learning strategies and motivation.

Individual Learner Differences in SLA

Individual Learner Differences in SLA
Author: Janusz Arabski
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2011-09-02
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1847694365

Beginning from the conflict between individual learner differences and the institutionalized, often inflexible character of formal language instruction, Individual Learner Differences in SLA addresses the fact that despite this apparent conflict, ultimate success in learning a language is widespread. Starting with theoretically-based chapters, the book follows the thread of learner differences through sections devoted to learner autonomy; differentiated application of learning strategies; diagnostic studies of experienced learners’ management of the learning process; and reports on phonological attainment and development of language skills. Rather than providing an overview of all individual variables, the book reveals how some of them shape and affect the processes of language acquisition and use in particular settings.

Individual Differences and Instructed Language Learning

Individual Differences and Instructed Language Learning
Author: Peter Robinson
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 399
Release: 2002-09-27
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027297517

Second language learners differ in how successfully they adapt to, and profit from, instruction. This book aims to show that adaptation to L2 instruction, and subsequent L2 learning, is a result of the interaction between learner characteristics and learning contexts. Describing and explaining these interactions is fundamentally important to theories of instructed SLA, and for effective L2 pedagogy. This collection is the first to explore this important issue in contemporary task-based, immersion, and communicative pedagogic settings. In the first section, leading experts in individual differences research describe recent advances in theories of intelligence, L2 aptitude, motivation, anxiety and emotion, and the relationship of native language abilities to L2 learning. In the second section, these theoretical insights are applied to empirical studies of individual differences-treatment interactions in classroom learning, experimental studies of the effects of focus on form and incidental learning, and studies of naturalistic versus instructed SLA.

Individual Differences in Second Language Learning

Individual Differences in Second Language Learning
Author: Peter Skehan
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2014-04-04
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1317856546

Understanding the way in which learners differ from one another is of fundamental concern to those involved in second-language acquisition, either as researchers or teachers. This account is the first to review at book length the important research into differences, considering matters such as aptitude, motivation, learner strategies, personality and interaction between learner characteristics and types of instruction.

Lessons from Good Language Teachers

Lessons from Good Language Teachers
Author: Carol Griffiths
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2020-04-30
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1108489265

Explains how good language teachers work, drawing on teacher training theory as well as many examples and case studies.

Corrective Feedback, Individual Differences and Second Language Learning

Corrective Feedback, Individual Differences and Second Language Learning
Author: Sheen Younghee
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2014-07-22
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9789400735446

This book explores current thinking about the role of corrective feedback in language learning and teaching. Corrective feedback is a topic that is of relevance to both theories of second language learning and language pedagogy. Younghee Sheen, an Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at the American University in Washington D.C., offers a new perspective by reviewing a wide body of research on both oral and written corrective feedback and its contribution to second language acquisition. She also reports the results of her own study, pointing to the need to examine how individual factors such as anxiety and language aptitude mediate learners’ ability to benefit from the oral and written feedback they receive. This book is an important resource for students and scholars of applied linguistics and second language acquisition. It will also be of interest to language teachers and teacher educators wanting to deepen their understanding of error correction strategies in the classroom.