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Children vs. Adults in second-language learning

Children vs. Adults in second-language learning. 3308 심리언어학 Chapter 6. Children are better: a common belief 2. Basic psychological factors affecting second-language learning -Intellectual processing -Memory -Motor skills -Two other important psychological

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Children vs. Adults in second-language learning

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  1. Children vs. Adults in second-language learning 3308심리언어학 Chapter 6

  2. Children are better: a common belief 2. Basic psychological factors affecting second-language learning -Intellectual processing -Memory -Motor skills -Two other important psychological variables 3. Social situations affecting second-language learning

  3. -The natural situation -The classroom situation -Who is better? Children or adults? - ESL or EFL community context 4. Is there a critical age for second- language learning?

  4. What are the differences between children and adults? • Age (critical period of learning) • Motivation • Attitude • Environment (ESL vs. EFL)

  5. Theories on the second language acquisition - During childhood, language learning is very easy. Our brains are ready for language learning. As we are getting older, people loose childhood ability (Lenneberg, 1964). • The attainment of second language is constrained by the age at which learning begins (Birdsong & Molis, 2 001, p. 235). - “Acquisition of a normal language is guaranteed for children up to the age of six, is steadily compromised from then shortly after puberty, and is rare thereafter” (Pinker, 1994, p. 298).

  6. Psychological factors: Intellectual processing 1. Explication - The process whereby the rules and structures of a second language are explained. - It is impossible for it to be learned entirely by explication (e.g., tense, article). - Explication is rarely applicable to young children (e.g., dogs/z/-voiced consonant, ducks/s/-unvoiced consonant). - Simple rules can be learned by explication.

  7. Psychological factors: Intellectual processing 2. Induction - Self-discovery of the rules - For young learners: (John danced then John sang-> John danced and then he sang) It is able to use and understand the complicated structures. -For the second-language learners: beyond the learner’s level of syntactic understanding?

  8. Psychological factors: Memory • Syntax learning and episodic memory - Memory is crucial for the learning of grammatical structures and rules. - Episodic memory: the learner must remember the situations in which the sentences are uttered in order to derive the meaning. 2. Children’s memory ability - 7 to 12 years old: cognitive ability - Under 7 years old: rote memorization

  9. Psychological factors: Motor skills • Articulators of speech - Motor skills: the use of muscles in performing certain skills(e.g., walking, writing, speech). 2. Decline in general motor skills - Around at the age of 12 years: due to some change in central functioning in the brain. 3. Decline in ability for new articulations - Children have the flexibility in motor skills that adults generally have lost.

  10. Three important psychological factors • Induction and Explication 2. Memory 3. Motor skills

  11. Psychological factors: Motivation • Motivation (according to the situation) - At the age of 1-2: no motivation. - At the age of 4-5: need motivation - The planned learning situation(classroom) : need motivation  the amount of attention+ effort 2. Other variables involved in second language learning: personality, social situation, intergroup attitude, self-confidence, desire etc.

  12. Psychological factors: Attitude 1. Attitude: negative vs. positive  determination, persistence. 2. Other variables involved in second language learning: status, cultural background.

  13. Social situations • Natural situation: it is similar to that in which the first language is learned. 2. Classroom situation: it involves the social situation of the school classroom. 3. Community context: it allows students to have access to a natural situation and thereby supplement their classroom learning.

  14. Social situations: the natural situation • Characteristics of the natural situation 2. With age, language is more essential for social interaction 3. Older children can have problems

  15. Social situations:the classroom situation • The classroom is isolated from other social life 2. Learning languages as part of a group and not as an individual

  16. Social situations:who is better? children or adults? • In a natural situation

  17. Social situations:who is better? children or adults? • In the classroom situation

  18. Environment for the second language learning • ESL: English as a second language 2. EFL: English as a foreign language

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