AWA: Academic Writing at Auckland

Individual differences are very important for teachers to consider in learning a second language (L2). Each individual brings with them to the classroom their own experiences, expectations and ways of learning. As a teacher, it is crucial that these individual differences are considered in order for students to get the most out of their L2 learning experience. When learning our first language (L1) the outcome is homogenous; regardless of individual differences we are all able to succeed. However, the result is variable when learning an L2, as success is subject to individual differences. These can include age, personality, learning styles and strategies, motivation and learning aptitude as well as anxiety and inhibitions. If teachers take these into account it can impact students’ learning success.
Motivation is one of the most influential factors for learning success and has two main types: instrumental and integrative. Integrative means the learner is learning the L2 because of interest in the culture, country or for personal enjoyment whereas instrumental motivation involves learning a language for immediate goals such as passing an exam (Lightbown, P., & Spada, N., 2013, p. 87).  Both motivation types have contributed towards L2 learning success, but sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between the two (p. 87). Aptitude is another contributing factor and has been found to be one of the most important individual differences (e.g. Cochran et al. 2010 as cited in Li, 2015).  According to Li (2015), aptitude differs from intelligence; some of us have strong aptitude and some don’t, and it is not subject to training or environmental factors (p. 387). Anxiety and inhibitions can affect or hinder ones L2 learning success because students can remain silent out of anxiety or fear and this could affect their L2 fluency. The age of the learner is also important. Our brain functions lose plasticity after puberty, so although adults may initially be better off, they will be caught up and surpassed later on by younger learners who are more likely to achieve native proficiency (Ortega, 2009, p. 16). Other individual differences to consider are learning styles and learning strategies.  While some learners use visual style and cognitive strategies to improve their progress, others may use social strategies such as immersion. Although there isn’t a thorough amount of research on these individual differences and their relation to learning success, they are still important to consider.

Profile A Willie’s achievement may be influenced by her age, first off.  Willie is learning English in instructional learning contexts and since children are better at implicit learning as they rely on lots of input, these environments, along with lack of cognitive maturity, could make it difficult for Willie to succeed because they do not involve diverse input. Children tend to have a strong desire to integrate and Willie is very talkative and friendly, so this can affect her learning success positively as she socializes with native speakers. She may also develop a native accent because of her exposure to English from such a young age. Children tend to have fewer inhibitions than adults, and although Willie’s speaking skills are reasonable, she ignores details while reading-this could perhaps be because she is not apprehensive to read in the L2. However, this could cause problems later. Another explanation could be that Willie’s cognitive style is field-dependent. Willie uses a compensation learning strategy of gestures to convey her ideas and though this is a good short-term solution this could eventually cause her to not feel the need to learn English. Willie uses a visual and aural learning style and this may be effective to learn how to speak in English fluently, however this won’t help her learn how to read or write better, which could explain why she isn’t attentive with her reading and why her writing isn’t grammatical.

Profile B, Titan, has high integrative motivation, which could mean he is likely to pursue English even after his goals are reached. This could benefit his learning success by encouraging him to keep pursuing English while also experiencing culture at the same time. Titan uses a social strategy, and his want to socialize with native speakers and use English often is a good way to improve in the L2. Titan has aptitude in memorising words and rules, but not in understanding English sentences. However, according to Skehan (1989), learners do not need to be proficient in all of the aptitude components to be successful in the L2 (as cited in Lightbown, P., & Spada, N., 2013, p. 81). Titan may not be able to read English as well as he can memorise, but it is said that learners with greater aptitude are able to understand language based on input, without needing to write or read in the L2 (p. 82). Titan uses a visual and aural sensory learning style, and by listening to English often he can learn new vocabulary. His inhibition towards conversational structured lessons could affect his learning success by hindering his confidence and fluency in speaking. Titan is field-independent, and by being meticulous with details, he could learn grammar points thoroughly.   

Profile C shows Jentel, a shy man who appears to be an introvert, which could make learning English difficult for him. Jentel’s anxiety about his age and speaking to the class could cause him to become uninterested to learn or even cause him to shy away and never learn to speak fluently. His inhibition to work in groups could also affect his conversational English. Because Jentel is sixty, retaining information is difficult and he would also be so familiar with his L1 that it would be difficult for him to ‘unlearn’, and so he may never become a proficient native speaker of English. Long (1990) concludes that adults can use cognitive abilities to learn the L2 quickly initially, but after a year the rate decreases and this could make it hard for Jentel to succeed (as cited in Ortega, 2009, p. 17).  Jentel uses flashcards as a memory-related strategy and this could affect his success by improving his working memory and vocabulary.

Profile D, Beatriz, is a young girl who despite being intelligent does not have much language learning aptitude. Beatriz has the ability to learn and excel in other subjects, but might not have many language aptitude components and this could make her English learning experience tedious and difficult. Beatriz also has inhibitions about participating in her class, and this could affect her success as her confidence in speaking could slowly decrease and she might not feel confident enough to continue to learn the L2. Beatriz has instrumental motivation, and because she is more concerned with doing well on school tests than her English communication skills, she may not continue to learn English once her goals have been reached. Beatriz uses a cognitive learning strategy; by taking notes and reading online she is broadening her working memory and this is useful for her future lessons. However, because she rarely speaks in English, her everyday communication skills could end up being poor.

All of these individual differences are very important for language instructors and teachers to be aware of. Teachers should create positive and supportive environments in the classroom to address these differences in their teaching (Dörnyei, 2001). This can motivate students like Beatriz, who may be only motivated to pass the course but not strive any further. If the classroom is a constructive place where the content is relevant and stimulating, students will enjoy going to class (Lightbown, P., & Spada, N., 2013).  Teachers can also offer rewards to motivate students (Dörnyei, 2001). If children only have a few hours of language exposure, teachers shouldn’t encourage them to start early unless there is a lot of diverse input because children such as Willie learn better in implicit learning settings. Students learn differently, like Titan, who prefers grammar-focused lessons over implicit conversational lessons, so teachers need to incorporate both communicative and grammatical lessons. Teachers can also vary their presentation style, because students can have different learning styles, so Power Points, lectures and also videos could be used in class. Just like Jentel, some students may be anxious or shy when it comes to the L2 so teachers should be supportive and encouraging but also allow small group work for conversations, not only daunting speeches in front of the whole class. Overall, teachers should be encouraging, supportive, diverse, and should create atmospheres where students feel comfortable and able to succeed with their individual differences.

References

Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Teaching and researching motivation. England: Pearson Education Limited.

Li, S. (2015). The associations between language aptitude and second language grammar acquisition: A meta-analytic review of five decades of research. Applied Linguistics, 36(3), 385-408.  doi: 10.1093/applin/amu054

Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. (2013). How languages are learned (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Ortega, L. (2009). Age. In Understanding second language acquisition. London: Hodder Education.