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Theories of Second language Acquisition. Different models have been proposed: The behaviorist perspective The i nnatist perspective The cognitive/developmental perspective The sociocultural perspective. The Behaviorist Perspective.
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Different models have been proposed: • The behaviorist perspective • The innatist perspective • The cognitive/developmental perspective • The sociocultural perspective
The Behaviorist Perspective • Learning is explained in terms of imitation, practice, reinforcement, and habit formation • It had a powerful influence on second and foreign language teaching between the 1940s and the 1970s. • The Audiolingual method of second language teaching stemmed out of behaviorism: emphasis on mimicry and memorization
Students memorized dialogues and sentence patterns by heart. • Learning a language is a process of habit formation: habits of L1 will surely interfere with the new habits of L2 that the learner wants to form=} Contrastive hypothesis
The Innatist Perspective • Humans are born with innate knowledge of the principles of Universal Grammar: UG • UG allows all children to acquire the language of their environment during a critical period of their development.
Researchers are divided on the applicability of UG to second language acquisition: A. Some think that the UG provides an adequate explanation only for first language acquisition.
Application:Krashen’s Model • It is one of the models that adopt the innatist perspective • It was quite influential in the 1970s. • It emphasizes the role of exposure to comprehensible input in second language acquisition.
It is based on 5 hypotheses: 1. Acquisition/learning hypothesis 2. Monitor hypothesis 3. The natural order hypothesis 4. The input hypothesis 5. The affective filter hypothesis
The Cognitive/Developmental Perspective: Information Processing
Application: The Interaction Hypothesis • It is one of the hypotheses that have emerged within the cognitive developmental perspective. • Claims of the hypothesis: • According to this hypothesis, conversational interaction is an essential, if not sufficient, condition for second language acquisition. • Interactional modification, i.e. modified speech, promotes acquisition.
It makes claims not only about comprehension (processing input), but also about production (output): Corrective feedback during interaction forces learners to produce comprehensible output.
The Sociocultural Perspective • Vygotsky’s theory proposes: • Cognitive development, including language development, arises as a result of social interaction. • Learning occurs how? When an individual • interacts with an interlocutor • within his ZPD ( a situation where the learner is capable of performing at a higher level because there is support from the interlocutor.
According to the theory, second language learners acquire language when they collaborate and interact with other speakers. • Interlocutors co-construct knowledge collaboratively. • Through collaborative dialogues, learners co-construct knowledge while engaging in production tasks that draw their attention to both form and meaning. It is cognitive activity as well as social activity.