SLA THEORIES

SLA THEORIES

1. INPUT HYPOTHESIS

   • Understanding how learners make form-meaning connections during language acquisition involves delving into several critical aspects:
     • Conditions for Initial Connections
       • What circumstances lead learners to connect language forms with meanings initially?
     • Variability in Connection Formation
       • Why do learners connect some form-meaning pairs at certain times but not others?
     • Psycholinguistic Strategies in Comprehension
       • What mental processes and strategies do learners use to understand sentences, and how do these affect language acquisition?

2. GENERATIVE LINGUISTIC ACQUISITION

   • Generative linguistic theory seeks to characterize and explain the linguistic competence of both native speakers in first language (L1) acquisition and second language learners in second language (L2) acquisition.
     • For L1 acquisition, it aims to describe how children acquire the innate knowledge of their native language.
     • In L2 acquisition, it focuses on understanding how learners develop interlanguage competence, a rule-governed linguistic system influenced by both their first language and the target language they are learning.

3. PROCESSABILITY THEORY

   • Explains the sequence in which L2 learners acquire linguistic structures.
   • The key premise is that learners can only produce and comprehend linguistic forms that their current processing abilities can handle.
   • Describes the architecture of the language processor, which handles language production and comprehension.
   • Identifies hierarchical developmental stages through which learners progress.
   • Emphasizes that learners can only acquire linguistic forms that their current stage of development allows, based on psycholinguistic constraints.

4. SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY

   • Posits that human mental functioning is mediated by cultural artifacts, activities, and concepts.
   • Emphasizes that individuals use and create cultural tools to regulate and control their material and symbolic activities.
   • Development occurs through active participation in culturally and linguistically shaped settings such as family life, peer interactions, public spaces, workplaces, and formal educational contexts.

5. COMPLEX DYNAMIC SYSTEM THEORY

   • Is transdisciplinary in two ways:
     • It informs various disciplines, such as applied linguistics, by providing insights into complex phenomena.
     • It introduces new cross-cutting themes that focus on how complex order emerges from the interactions of components within a system, similar to themes like constructuralism and evolution. This approach shifts the focus from reductionism to understanding the emergence of phenomena through interconnectedness.

6. CONNECTIONISM

   • According to Keramati (2008), children go through three phases when learning irregular verbs:
     • Phase 1: Initially, children produce the correct form of irregular verbs, such as "went."
       • Phase 2: In this phase, children over-generalize the regular past tense ending to irregular verbs. For example, they might produce "goed" instead of "went." This phenomenon is known as the U-shaped curve of learning for irregular verbs.
         • Phase 3: Finally, children learn to produce the irregular form correctly, returning to "went" instead of "goed."

7. BEHAVIOURISM

   • Human Role Models and Language Acquisition:
     • When a child attempts to speak or emulate sounds and speech forms, they typically receive praise and affection for their efforts. This positive reinforcement of praise and affection serves as a reward for the child's attempts at language use.
   • Supported by studies:
     • Skinner (1985) suggested that language acquisition can be facilitated through reinforcement and positive feedback, similar to how behaviorist principles apply in other areas of learning.
     • Alghazo (2018), Bingjun (2013), and De La Fuente (2020) emphasized that second language (L2) acquisition does not necessarily require tedious drills. Instead, they argue for using the learner's first language (L1) as a bridge to acquire the target language (L2) in the classroom. This approach helps children feel accepted, comfortable, and less anxious when attempting to use L2, both in written and oral forms.
     • Iswati et al. (2018) also support this idea, suggesting that creating a comfortable environment where L1 is used to facilitate L2 acquisition can reduce anxiety and improve language learning outcomes.