Individual Differences in Language Learning

Explore individual differences

The resources on this page bring together different ways of looking at language learners. The mind map Differences in Learners includes age, aptitude, motivation, cognitive style, personality and learning strategies. Factors Affecting Language Learning also brings individual factors together, including attitudes and learning styles.

These maps offer a starting point for university students studying the topic and for teachers looking for material to discuss with learners.

Choose a starting point

Start with Differences in Learners for an overview of several factors. Then open Affective Factors to look more closely at emotion, values and self-esteem. Compare the ideas in the maps: which factors appear in both, and which receive more attention in one?

For another perspective, Foreign language anxiety covers types of anxiety, including communication apprehension and fear of negative evaluation. Use it alongside the other maps to consider how affective factors relate to language learning.

Study with maps and flashcards

The page lists no quizzes, so use the mind maps to organize your studying instead. Look at a branch, cover it, and try to recall the ideas before checking the map again. You can also compare branches across maps to see how the resources group related factors.

The flashcard deck on attitudes and theories toward learning to write offers a different format. It includes creative and rule-based approaches. Use the cards alongside the maps when studying the different perspectives represented on the page.

Connect with the wider unit

This topic is part of the language acquisition and second language acquisition unit in Education and pedagogy (incl. teaching methods, curriculum, educational psychology). The Learning of a Second Language connects individual learning factors with input and interaction, formal instruction, and bilingualism and multilingualism. It can help you place the individual factors from the other maps in that wider unit context.

Pick a mind map and use its branches to guide your next study session.