Individual differences insecond language learning.

Individual differences insecond language learning.

1. Identity and ethnic group affiliation.

   • Social factors can affect motivation, attitudesand language learning success.
   • Children & adults are sensitive to social dynamics and power relationships.
   • Identities impact on SLL, but they can change over time.
   • Investment.
     • Capture relationship between learner & changing social world.

2. Learner beliefs.

   • Can be mediating factors.
   • Often mismatch between students' & teachers' views.

3. Critical period.

   • There is a critical period for SLA just as there is for FLA.
   • Older learners - foreign accent.
   • Only people below 15y/o can achieve full native-like mastery of a SL.
   • Age is closely related to SLA.
     • Adult learners may do so in a different way than childrens.

4. Rate of learning.

   • Adolescents and adults learned faster than children in the first months.
     • Eventually childrens surpassed adults.

5. At what age should SL instruction begin?

   • When the objective of second language learning is native-like mastery, it's better if the learner is surrounded by the language as early as possible.
   • When the goal is basic communicative ability or the child wont use SL as much as NL, it's better if SLL starts later.