Individual differences in SLA (aptitude, motivation, & anxiety in second language acquisition)
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into the significance of individual differences in second language acquisition (SLA), highlighting factors like language aptitude, motivation, and language anxiety that influence SLA success. It clarifies that while all healthy children can acquire their first language, not everyone succeeds in learning a second language. The script discusses the role of language aptitude as a talent for language learning, the impact of motivation on SLA, and how language anxiety can negatively affect performance. It also touches on the types of motivation and the potential for anxiety to have both positive and negative effects, emphasizing the importance of recognizing these individual differences in language teaching.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Individual differences significantly impact second language acquisition, unlike first language acquisition where all healthy children succeed.
- 🔍 Language aptitude, motivation, and language anxiety are the main individual differences known to influence second language learning.
- 🎓 Language aptitude is a specific talent for learning new languages and is distinct from general intelligence.
- ⏳ The Foreign Service Institute data shows that diplomats with higher language aptitude acquire speaking proficiency faster in a second language.
- 📊 Language aptitude is measurable using tests like the Modern Language Aptitude Test, which predicts success in learning an L2.
- 🔄 While language aptitude is generally stable and not easily trainable, newer research suggests it may change to some extent.
- 🚀 Motivation is crucial for successful second language learning, with more highly motivated learners tending to be more successful.
- 🔄 Motivation types such as integrated and instrumental motivation have different impacts on L2 learning in various contexts.
- 🤔 The relationship between motivation and L2 achievement is complex and may involve both correlation and causation.
- 😓 Language anxiety can negatively affect L2 performance, but it can also fluctuate based on the learning context and individual experiences.
- 🔄 Anxiety's impact on L2 learning is bi-directional; it can be both a cause and a result of poor language performance.
- 👨🏫 Teachers should recognize individual differences, work to maintain high motivation and low anxiety among learners, and provide positive experiences to enhance L2 learning.
Q & A
Why are individual differences important in second language acquisition?
-Individual differences are important because they can significantly affect the success of learning a second language, unlike first language acquisition where all healthy children can naturally acquire their mother tongue given enough linguistic input.
What is language aptitude and how does it influence second language acquisition?
-Language aptitude is a natural talent for learning new languages. It influences second language acquisition by allowing some individuals to learn a second language faster or more easily than others, given the same amount of exposure and learning time.
How does the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) help in predicting language learning success?
-The MLAT measures four abilities crucial for language learning: phonemic coding ability, grammatical sensitivity, rote learning ability, and inductive language learning ability. Scores from this test can predict how quickly and successfully an individual might learn a new language.
Is language aptitude the same as general intelligence?
-No, language aptitude is distinct from general intelligence. A person can have a high IQ but not necessarily have high language aptitude, and vice versa.
What is the relationship between motivation and second language acquisition success?
-Higher motivation tends to lead to more successful second language acquisition. Motivated learners are more likely to persist and engage in the learning process, which contributes to their language proficiency.
What are the different types of motivation mentioned in the script?
-The script mentions integrated motivation, which is the desire to be part of the target language community, and instrumental motivation, which views language learning as a tool to achieve a specific goal.
How does language anxiety affect second language performance?
-Language anxiety, which includes feelings of nervousness, worry, and stress, tends to result in poorer second language performance. It can hinder learners' ability to effectively communicate and learn in their second language.
Can language aptitude change or is it stable over time?
-Language aptitude is generally considered stable and does not change dramatically within the same individual. While newer research suggests it may be trainable to some extent, the evidence is not yet convincing.
What is the correlation between language anxiety and second language achievement?
-Language anxiety has a negative correlation with second language achievement, meaning that higher levels of anxiety are associated with lower levels of language proficiency.
How can teachers address individual differences in second language acquisition in their teaching?
-Teachers should recognize and accommodate individual differences by keeping learners' motivation high and anxiety low. They can provide positive experiences and feedback to enhance motivation and reduce anxiety.
What is the potential positive effect of a certain level of anxiety in language learning?
-A moderate level of anxiety or nervousness can sometimes have a positive effect by helping learners concentrate more on the learning process.
Outlines
😀 Individual Differences in Language Learning
This paragraph introduces the concept of individual differences in second language acquisition and their significance. It contrasts the universal acquisition of first languages with the varying success in learning second languages. The speaker highlights factors such as language aptitude, motivation, and language anxiety as key individual differences affecting language learning outcomes. The paragraph also mentions that while age is an important factor, it will not be discussed due to the complexity and breadth of the topic.
📚 Understanding Language Aptitude
The second paragraph delves into the concept of language aptitude, which is defined as a natural talent for learning languages. It explains that while all healthy individuals can learn their first language, some people have a higher propensity for acquiring second languages. The Foreign Service Institute's data is cited to illustrate how different levels of language aptitude can affect the speed and proficiency of second language learning. The paragraph also clarifies that language aptitude is distinct from general intelligence and introduces the Modern Language Aptitude Test as a tool for measuring this aptitude.
🔍 The Stability of Language Aptitude
This paragraph discusses the traditional belief that language aptitude is stable and not easily changeable within an individual. It mentions that newer research challenges this view, but the evidence remains inconclusive. The speaker suggests that while language aptitude may not dramatically change, it could potentially be influenced to some extent, indicating a need for further research on the malleability of this trait.
💪 The Role of Motivation in Language Learning
The fourth paragraph examines motivation as a critical factor in second language acquisition. It differentiates between two types of motivation: integrative, which is the desire to join the target language community, and instrumental, which views language learning as a means to an end. The speaker explains how these motivations can impact language learning in different contexts, such as naturalistic and foreign language settings, and how motivation levels can affect the success of language acquisition.
😬 The Impact of Language Anxiety
The fifth paragraph addresses language anxiety, the feelings of nervousness and stress associated with learning and using a second language. It describes how anxiety levels can vary among learners and change depending on the situation. The speaker discusses the negative effects of high language anxiety on language performance and the potential for a bi-directional relationship between anxiety and language learning success, where poor performance can lead to increased anxiety, and vice versa.
👨🏫 Educational Implications and Summary
The final paragraph summarizes the impact of individual differences such as language aptitude, motivation, and anxiety on second language acquisition (SLA). It emphasizes the dynamic nature of motivation and anxiety and their potential to influence SLA either positively or negatively. The speaker also touches on the importance of recognizing these differences in educational settings and suggests strategies for teachers to maintain high motivation and low anxiety among learners. The paragraph concludes by reiterating the significance of these factors in the language learning process.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Individual Differences
💡Second Language Acquisition
💡Language Aptitude
💡Motivation
💡Language Anxiety
💡Foreign Service Institute
💡Integrated Motivation
💡Instrumental Motivation
💡Correlation
💡Causation
💡Educational Implications
Highlights
Individual differences in second language acquisition are significant as not all people succeed in learning a second language, unlike first language acquisition.
Learners differ in many factors that affect their success in second language acquisition, such as language aptitude, motivation, and language anxiety.
Language aptitude is a talent for learning new languages, with some individuals having a higher aptitude than others.
Motivation plays a crucial role in second language acquisition, with stronger motivation leading to more successful learning outcomes.
Language anxiety can negatively impact second language performance, with higher anxiety levels often resulting in poorer proficiency.
The Foreign Service Institute data shows that diplomats with higher language aptitude acquired different levels of speaking proficiency after 720 hours of training.
Language aptitude is distinct from general intelligence, with individuals having high IQs not necessarily having high language aptitude.
The Modern Language Aptitude Test is a widely used tool to measure language aptitude and predict the success of language learning.
Language aptitude is considered stable and not easily trainable, with newer research not yet providing convincing evidence of changeability.
Different types of motivation, such as integrated and instrumental motivation, have varying impacts on second language acquisition in different contexts.
Integrated motivation is positively correlated with second language achievement in naturalistic settings, while instrumental motivation is a weaker predictor.
In foreign language learning contexts, instrumental motivation is also positively correlated with second language proficiency.
The relationship between motivation and second language achievement is bi-directional, with motivation potentially causing successful learning and vice versa.
Language anxiety can change within the same individual depending on the situation, and it can have both positive and negative effects on learning.
Anxiety can negatively affect second language performance, but a moderate level of nervousness might help with concentration.
Teachers should recognize individual differences among learners and strive to maintain high motivation and low anxiety levels in the classroom.
Positive experiences provided by teachers can lead to higher motivation and lower anxiety, contributing to better language learning outcomes.
While language aptitude, motivation, and anxiety are key factors, other individual differences such as age also impact second language acquisition.
Transcripts
in this video i'm going to talk about
individual differences in second
language acquisition
so why are individual differences in
secondary equation
important everyone probably knows that
not all people succeed in secondary
nucleation
this is in sharp contrast with false
language acquisition
because all healthy children can acquire
their mother tongue or first language
given enough linguistic input
however we all know that not all
individuals succeed
in acquiring a second language
and the individual differences in
success in secular
acquisition come from
at least some of them come from
individual differences
that are part of the learners themselves
so the learners individuals
they differ in many factors and some of
those factors
have strong effects on secondary
acquisition
so these are the main individual
differences that are known
to influence secondary psychologically
language aptitude motivation and
language anxiety
language aptitude is a talent for
learning new languages
and some some people have higher
languation than others
motivation what is motivation
i think you know what a motivation is um
but i i'm i'm gonna explain it later
stronger motivation leads to more
successful second language acquisition
and also motivation is influenced by
many factors
language anxiety
higher language anxiety tends to result
in poorer
second language performance
so obviously these are important
in this video i'm not going to talk
about
the learner's age even though this is
also a very important
factor in second language acquisition
because
i just can't talk all of it
um this is too important um
so um i'm not going to talk about
dalan's age
in this video
so first let me talk about language
aptitude
so language aptitude is a talent for
language learning
and but but it's also true that everyone
has an ability
for language learning because healthy
people can acquire their l1
giving enough input but it's it's also
true that some people are better
at learning a second or foreign language
than others
so these people can learn their l2
faster or more easily than other people
so given um the same time
in the same input some people are faster
than
other people who are slower
so so in this case um we say that these
people
have higher language aptitude so they
can learn
l2 faster or more easily
so this is a very interesting data
so this data shows that uh elite
learners with higher language aptitude
countdown and l2 faster
so this data comes from this
organization
called the foreign service institute
institute in america
i'm not quite sure whether this
institute still exists because this data
is quite old
but it seems that this at this institute
um
diplomats diplomats are trained
and this uh data among other things
reports
uh excuse me this data report among
other things
that after 720 hours of elite learning
at this place english-speaking diplomats
with different language aptitude
have acquired different levels of
secondary speaking proficiency
so these numbers represent
levels of second language proficiency
these diplomats have attained
so if the number is high like here
it means that they have attained a
higher level of second language
proficiency
okay and here we have different
um language aptitudes minimum aptitude
lowest altitude average aptitude normal
altitude and superior
aptitude good aptitude and
here we have language groups language
groups
from group 1 to group 4. and actually
these languages in group 1 they are the
easiest
for native english-speaking people and
these
languages in group 4 the these languages
are the most difficult for
english-speaking people
as you can see in these numbers
given the same amount of exposure
given the same length of learning
people with higher aptitude
have attained a higher level
of speaking proficiency
so um the speed of second language
learning
dependent on um
how high these people's language
aptitude was
but it's also dependent on which
second language which language
they learnt okay
so both language aptitude
and this linguistic factor are
important
and language aptitude is not actually
the same
as general intelligence so language
aptitude
is at least partly different from
general intelligence
so some people have high iq other people
have low iq
but people with high iq iq means
intelligent coordinate people with high
iq
do not always have high language
aptitude
so these two types of people
can be different so someone
can be good at languages
but um that that doesn't necessarily
mean that
that person those people
have high iq and there are also
other people who have high iq but
who are not really good at languages
and how can we measure language aptitude
the most widely used test of language
aptitude is
this it's called the modern language
aptitude
test so it's a very very old test
but actually newer tests of random
aptitude
are not clearly better than this one
so this is simply a great test
and we can use the this test to predict
who or which learners can learn
a new tool rapidly isn't it great
interestingly this test is taken in
one's
mother tongue
for example native english speakers take
this test
in english
excuse me so this so these
are sample questions from the modern
language aptitude test
you can find them on the on the internet
so uh native english speakers take
this test in english so they
answer these questions in english and
based
on their scores we can predict
how successful they will be if they run
an l2 so this suggests that there is
something in common
between your l1 and your l2
okay so there is some
kind of common basis for your
l1 and for your l2
and the modern language aptitude test
measures
four abilities one phonemic code
coding ability concerning pronunciation
or phonology
to grammatical sensitivity concerning
grammar or syntax
three wrote learning ability concerning
vocabulary or lexicon
for inductive language learning ability
concerning pattern recognition
i think you can see that all of these
are actually very important in language
and language learning obviously
and um one question that
many researchers have been pursuing is
this
whether language aptitude changes or not
so does it change or is it trainable
or is it stable it doesn't change
and it has been long thought that
language aptitude does not change
in the same individual so it's stable so
it's not
trainable newer research
challenges this view but actually the
evidence
so far is not convincing so i think we
can say that
language aptitude does not change
dramatically
it may change to some extent but it
doesn't change dramatically
in the same individual
okay next i'm going to talk about
motivation
so what is motivation motivation is an
enthusiasm for doing something
or reasons for doing something okay
and obviously second language learners
have a motivation to run
an l2 otherwise they will not run any l2
so
they they i think they have some kind of
motivation
but some second language learners have a
strong motivation
while others have a weak motivation
and what is the importance of motivation
actually
more highly motivated editor learners
tend to be more successful
in l2 learning
so you need to be motivated if you want
to attain
a high level of second language
proficiency
and actually this is different from
fostering equation because success
in fast learning and creation does not
really depend on
motivation so all healthy children
just naturally acquire their first
language
and there are different types of
motivation
the most well-known
types are these integrated motivation
and instrumental motivation
proposed by these researchers so what is
integrated motivation integrated
motivation is a desire
to be part of the target language
community
so integrate means to bring someone with
particular characteristics
into a group so for example
let's say you are an immigrant to
america
so you're born in japan but you move to
move to america
and you want to live there so you're an
immigrant to america
and you want to be part of the american
society
and you want friends you want to keep
living there etc
so in this kind of case you may have
strong integrated motivation
so you want to be part of the english
community
and what is instrumental motivation
an instrument is like a tool so people
with
an instrumental motivation for edit
learning cdn2
as a tool to achieve something for
example passing entrance exams
and integrative motivation
has great impacts on second language
acquisition
so integrative motivation sport is
positively
correlated with second language
achievement in naturalistic
sla so people with higher integrative
motivation tend to achieve a higher
level of second language proficiency
in this kind of context so naturalistic
sla
is like if you if you are born in japan
and move to america and
start learning english there it's
naturalistic sla
so in natural secrecy instrumental
motivation
this one instrumental motivation
is a weaker predictor of secondary
achievement
so the impact of integrated motivation
is stronger in naturalistic yesterday
but in foreign language learning
foreign language learning is is like you
know
you you are born in japan and grew up in
japan
and you learn english in japan
so in japan english is a foreign
language
it's not really used
for communication at all so in this kind
of case
instrumental motivation is also
positively correlated with
eligible achievement even though it's a
weaker predictor of elite achievement in
naturalistic sla
so um in foreign language learning
higher instrument motivation leads to
higher
second language proficiency
however there is a problem here once
learners have achieved their goal
their instrument motivation rapidly goes
down so this is exemplified
by this japanese learners of english
tend to lose their motivation to learn
english
after they have passed university
entrance exams
i think many people have experienced
this
and here there is an important correct
uh sorry important question
is this relationship between motivation
and second language achievement
is it a correlation or causation
the effects of motivation on education
achievement
have been reported by correlational
studies
so what is the correlation there are two
kinds of correlations positive
correlation
and a negative correlation so this shows
a positive correlation and this shows a
negative correlation
so a positive correlation is like this
when the value of one factor let's say
here
is high the value of another factor
is also high so for example taller
people tend to weigh more so if you
compare babies with adults
um babies are short and weigh less
and the doubts are taller and way more
so there is a positive correlation
between height and
weight and a negative correlation is
like this when the value of one factor
is
high the value of another factor is low
for example students who use a
smartphone smartphone for longer hours
tend to have lower academic grades so
this is a negative correlation
and importantly correlation does not
mean causation
so causation means that a causes b
but correlation just means a and b are
correlated but it's not clear
which causes which
does a equals b or that's b cause a
we are not sure so there are different
possibilities here
possibility one is that higher
motivation causes more successful health
learning
i think this is true but there is
another possibility
successful eight learning motivates
learners more
i think this is also true so probably
this third possibility
is true so both are true
okay let me talk about language anxiety
learners feel nervous worried or
stressed when learning or using
an l2 so language and anxiety is these
feelings of
nervousness worry and stress okay
and it's known that some elite learners
are more anxious than others
for example some runners become nervous
when they have to speak their l2
in front of many people while others
don't
you know some people are
more anxious but other people are more
relaxed
but it's also true that anxiety changes
within the same individual
because language anxiety depends on
particular situations
and can change in
the same individual so
please imagine a situation where you
have to
speak your l2 with
a classmate who speaks the same n1
and you you speak your l2
with that person impairment it is just
you and that person i think you feel
more relaxed
however if you have to speak your l2 in
front of many runners
many classmates in the class maybe you
feel more anxious
and if there is only one
non-native speaker you
and all the other people in the room in
the same room
are native speakers and we have to go to
the front
and we have to speak your second
language
in front of those native speakers
i think you will feel even more anxious
so language anxiety can change in the
same individual
and just like motivation
anxiety influences second language
learning
and performance so research has already
shown that language anxiety has negative
effects
on psychological learning so according
to these researches
it has been shown that language sorry
anxiety
negatively affects performance in the
second language in some cases
anxiety provides some of the highest
highest simple correlations of attitudes
so so anxiety is a kind of attitude
simple correlations with second language
achievement
so if you have high language anxiety
your psychologist performance will be
lower
but again we have to ask this question
is it just a correlation or is it
causation because unsuccessful secondary
learning may lead to more
language anxiety
typically young children who are
learning
a second language young second and
second language journals
do not have much language and anxiety at
least initially
so young children are happy and relaxed
but if if they experience experience
something negative
in their second language learning they
may start to have
language anxiety so negative experience
resulting from poor second language
performance
for second language performance may
cause
anxiety so in this case anxiety is the
result
so it's the result not the cause
of unsuccessful end learning
so the relationship can be
bi-directional
so we have this
effect in this direction but we may
also have this
and it's also true that there are some
positive
effects of anxiety so feeling too
anxious typically leads to
poor edited performance this is also
true however feeling just a little
nervous
may help you concentrate more
i think this is also true and in this
kind of case the word tension
is used so the word tension is more
neutral word
than anxiety and it's sometimes used to
describe
positive aspects of just a little bit of
anxiety
and there are some educational
implications
so first teachers have to recognize
that learners have individual
differences and
some of those differences contribute to
success or failure in sla
so first teachers have to recognize this
fact this
fact and teachers have to make efforts
to keep second languages motivation high
and to keep their anxiety low
and even if it's difficult to change
learner's language aptitude
teachers can give learners positive
experiences
which will lead to higher motivation and
lower anxiety
so if you want to become a teacher of
english please try to
praise your students achievements and
also give them
positive feedback
okay to summarize um individual
differences such as language aptitude
motivation
and anxiety have very clear effects on
sla
there are actually some other factors
some other individual differences that
impact sla and the uh
one of the most important um factors is
the learner's age but i couldn't talk
about it
in this video
learners with higher language aptitudes
learn
anal 2 faster okay there are some people
who have higher language aptitudes and
they can run on youtube
faster and more easily and lungs after
it does not change
dramatically greatly in the same
individual but motivation
and anxiety do change
dynamically actually and motivation and
anxiety can be the result as well as the
cause of good or poor edited performance
and there are different types of
motivation instrumental sorry integrated
motivation and instrumental motivation
and they have different effects in
different contexts
and anxiety can have both positive and
negative effects and teachers must take
these factors into account
when teaching an l2
thanks for listening
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