Individual learner differences and SddLA.

Individual learner differences and SddLA.

1. General factors.

   • Age.
   • Aptitude.
   • Cognitive style.
   • Motivation.
   • Personality.

2. Effects of age.

   • Age does not alter the route of acquisition.
   • Age does not produce different order of development.
   • Starting age affects the rate of leaning.
   • Critical period hypothesis.

3. Cognitive explanation.

   • Differences in the ability to comprehend.
   • Childs respond not to what language is but to what it does.

4. Affective explanation.

   • Differences in affective states account for age differences in SLA.
   • Stages of acculturation.
     • Primary and secondary levels of language.

5. Intelligence.

   • Ability to master and use a whole range of academic skills.
     • Cognitive/Academic language ability.
   • Capacity rather than contents of the mind.

6. Cognitive style.

   • The manner in which people perceive, conceptualize, organize an recall information.

7. Attitudes and motivation.

   • Attitude: Social factor.
   • Motivation:L2 learner's overall goal or orientation.

8. Personality.

   • Number of personal traits measured by dichotomies.
   • Extroversion/Introversion.
   • Social skills.
     • Control the amount of exposure to the L2.
     • Inhibition.
       • Discourages the risk-taking which is necessary for rapid progress in a L2.

9. Characteristics of good learners reflect the social, cognitive and affective factors that have been seen to be important in SLA.