Second language acquisition research
“Second language acquisition research” studies the psychology and sociology of the learning process. Because of second language acquisition research, the field of language training has grown and developed.
A few days ago, I wrote about the Silent Way developed by Caleb Gattegno, a model that promotes the independence of the learner. This learning method is almost similar to the case method of learning at top business schools, such as Harvard, where the role of the teacher is not to impart knowledge to the learner, but to facilitate learning.
Schumann’s “Acculturation model” is another interesting model. Schumann’s model contends that learners will succeed in second language acquisition only to the extent they acculturate into the group that speaks the target language natively. That’s why language immersion is the most effective way to learn a language. Living in the country where the language is natively spoken enables the learner to “acculturate” into the locals and accelerates acquisition of the target language.
Meanwhile, Krashen’s “Monitor model” focuses on the inputs that the student is receiving and how it affects the whole learning process. However, for the Monitor to be successfully used, three conditions must be met:
- The acquirer/learner must know the rule
This is a very difficult condition to meet because it means that the speaker must have had explicit instruction on the language form that he or she is trying to produce. - The acquirer must be focused on correctness
He or she must be thinking about form, and it is difficult to focus on meaning and form at the same time. - The acquirer/learner must have time to use the monitor
Using the monitor requires the speaker to slow down and focus on form.
These three models of second language acquisition have helped more and more researchers understand the field of language acquisition. However, in spite of the rich second language acquisition research available, there is no model that has become widely accepted because of the nature and complexity of the topic. Experts agree that this might continue to be the case even in the foreseeable future.
9 comments
My all time favorite by far is Krashen. It is interesting that you made note of the Monitor Hypothesis which of all that Krashen wrote about was actually my least favorite. All in all, Krashen got me started thinking about conscious and unconscious learning and attention. For Krashen unconscious learning (called tacit learning by others) is the most powerful kind of learning. At the time this set language learning at odds with other kinds of conscious, deliberate learning. Wouldn’t it, for example, be great to be able go to a new land and learn math by just interacting with the locals???
Now that you have brought us down this path you may have to address the role of grammar in learning a language. Or are you staying away from the fireworks?
Ha! The role of grammar is an interesting topic
If Krashen were here commenting on this blog post, he would say likely say that language learning does not require extensive use of conscious grammar rules, since learning a language requires meaningful interaction in the target language – an interaction in which speakers are concerned not with the form of what they are saying but with the messages and meaning they are conveying and understanding. I’m going to write an article about the role of grammar in one of my next posts, as that topic really fascinates me! For example, most of the students who book language immersion programs at our company Language International are interested in learning grammar in school, but how critical is that, really?
Krashen says teach them grammar because that is what they expect but keep it to about 5% of the course so it doesn’t “get in the way” of much more important things. By dealing with their expectations you mitigate their affective filter.
You might find this interesting: http://www.tesolacademic.org/keynotes.htm by the way. I especially appreciated Keith Johnson’s staid approach.
Thanks for sharing that link. Really interesting!
I guess, if the teacher teaches grammar rules in English and does not use the student’s native language, that’s just as effective as facilitating a conversation in English under any another topic.
An interesting thought. But students and teacher rarely have true conversations about grammar. It is usually just a one-way street.
The problem with grammar is that it is like trying to hold onto water. Much of what you say slips right through the mind of the listener and you are never sure that, of the little that is left, any of it is correctly remembered.
well written blog. Im glad that I could find more info on this. thanks
this is awesome man
ok how is this supposed to mean?
Hola,
ЎGracias! Ahora me irй en este blog cada dнa!
Garretot
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