Second Language Acquisition - Essay Example

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION By Location Introduction The demand to acquire a second language has grown tremendously. The learners of a second language are devoted to acquiring the phonological, semantic, and syntactic features necessary to understand and produce correct sentences of that particular language. The contribution of the learners to the learning process is of paramount significance (Gass and Mackey 2013, p. 554). Hence, the second language learners should be actively involved in the learning process. Saville-Troike claims that the face-to-face interaction is not necessary for the second language acquisition. This paper supports the claim and argues that face-to-face interaction is unnecessary in the acquisition of a second language. The learners comprehend the second language more through different interactions as opposed face-to-face communication. The paper will refer to various aspects of second language theory to support Saville-Troike’s claim. Advancement in Technology Technological advancement has enabled learners to acquire knowledge in their remote locations. The internet has become a necessity for life, and learners interact with teachers, as well as other students through computer-mediated communication. In effect, the students do not have to interact with their teachers in a face-to-face setting in order to deliver the content materials and achieve learning outcomes. Nonetheless, computers are not a substitute for the educators. Instead, the computer-mediated communication is a new and efficient medium in which it has changed the ways learners write, read, and interact with their educators. The computer assisted language learning has been embraced in the acquisition of a second language (White 2006, p. 248). Notably, an increasing number of educators use the computer-mediated communication to disseminate learning materials to second language learners in different geographical loations. The computer-mediated communication is suitable in and outside the classrooms (Chen and Wang 2008, p. 103). For instance, it is possible to coordinate class discussions through networked computers. Thus, the advancement in technology has eliminated the need for the learning process to adopt a face-to-face mode of content delivery. Technology practices have evolved that has replaced face-to-face interaction. Notably, multimedia, communications software, artificial intelligence, and Web 2.0 applications have enabled second language learners to acquire information without one-on-one setting (Sykes 2005, p. 403). Apart from communicating with educators, students can communicate with other learners through the computer-mediated communication. Studies and experiences have demonstrated that the interaction of learners in oral and computer-mediated communication inside and outside the classroom offers expanded opportunities beyond the face-to-face activities. Nonetheless, the educators should retain the control of the learning process while giving the learners the autonomy to internalize the subject content. Learners ought to have full control of their actions within the learning environments (Dashwood and Wood 2006, p. 102). In this respect, the role of technology should entail monitoring the learners’ activities and providing the relevant feedback. The proponents of the face-to-face interactions might argue that full learner control enhances the risk associated with isolation in distance learning contexts of de-motivation and eventual dropout. However, the proponents should recognize that the computer-mediated communication gives the learner-educator interactions a significant importance. Experience has shown that the quality of interaction is better than the traditional face-to-face setting. In essence, the absence of face-to-face interactions encourages a deeper immersion, as well as interaction than the traditional methods that promotes the physical teacher-student association. Computer-Mediated Communication Support Second Language Acquisition Theory The computer-mediated communication supports the second language acquisition theory. Notably, the amount of comprehensible input determines the learners’ ability to understand the second language. Just like the first language, the learners acquire a second language unconsciously (Sotillo 2005, p. 468). In this respect, the acquisition of a second language depends on the delivered messages in which the learners can understand. Hence, the educators do not need to interact on face-on-face basis in order to facilitate the acquisition of a second language. Instead, the educators can use several techniques to make the learners comprehend the subject content. For instance, the facilitators can employ techniques such as visuals, realia, pictures, and graphic organizers. The most important thing needed for the delivery of the content entails identification of the integral interfaces that enhance teacher-learner interaction. The personal communication through the internet has replaced the face-to-face interaction. Thus, the educators need to create a conducive environment through which they can interact without having to meet students physically. Additionally, the learners have a role to play in the learning process. In this regard, the learners should contribute to the learning process by demonstrating a high level of motivation to acquire the language. In essence, the learner’s participation is of critical significance during the acquisition of a second language. Educators and Learners’ Efforts The acquisition of a second language is a function of the efforts of the educator, as well as the learner. According to the second language acquisition theory, factors such as anxiety, self-confidence, and motivation tend to determine the outcomes of the learning process (Smith 2004, p. 369). For instance, the low motivation on the part of the learners hampers the learners’ efforts to learn a second language. Similarly, learners who demonstrate a high level of anxiety and low level of self-confidence do not fare well in the acquisition of a second language. The experience has shown that the confident and motivated students acquire the content faster as opposed to learners who exhibit low levels of confidence. In effect, an individual is a central agent who determines the outcomes of the second language acquisition. Additionally, the cognitive factors influence the acquisition of a second language (Ariza and Hancock 2003, p. 5-10). In this regard, attitude and emotions play a central role in the enhancement of the language comprehension. In the absence of the right attitude, the learning process is greatly slowed. The face-to-face interaction cannot remedy the situation in which the learners have a negative attitude towards the acquisition of a second language. In fact, personal experience has shown that the pedagogy has negative implications on the teaching. The pedagogy limits the students’ participation in the learning process. Notably, the traditional face-to-face interaction gives the educator a controlling position, and the learners have to respond teachers’ questions (Smith 2003, p. 40-43). This pattern of delivery of content tends to control the expression of learners’ ideas in a broad range of ways. Essentially, the students take a passive role in the acquisition of a second language. Therefore, various aspects of the pedagogy do not support the students’ engagement with the knowledge. It is noteworthy that students should contribute subject of discussion during the learning process. In effect, the learners must gather information and discuss the various aspects of the content in an interactive manner. Significance of Online Interaction in Acquisition of Second Language The online interaction offers the second language learners a variety of opportunities to negotiate the meaning and form especially in the social contexts. Research and experience indicate that the educators should endeavour to create the environment that enhances communication. The most important aspect is to allow the learners of a second language to express their views regarding the target language (Sotillo 2005, p. 476). As opposed to face-to-face interaction, the synchronous electronic interaction offers learners to share ideas and receive instant feedbacks through the real-life chats. Hence, the written exchange provides the learners with the opportunity to negotiate the form and the meaning of the target language. The process of the negotiation gives the learners power to receive inputs, as well as feedback from the facilitators and the peers. The computer-mediated communication enables the learners to employ interaction skills such as the description, narration, and expression of opinions and ideas (Dashwood and Wood 2006, p. 102). The strategies are critically significant in enhancing the development of the language proficiency. Therefore, it is crucial for the educators to incorporate synchronous technologies and task-based activities in the teaching plans as opposed to concentrating on the traditional face-to-face interactions. The computer-mediated communication provides a flexible environment that enhances the learners’ ability to acquire second language. Personal experience has shown that the learners can express themselves freely through the online communication as opposed to the face-to-face interaction. The flexibility in expressing ideas increases the learners thinking capacity and internalisation of the subject content (Sotillo 2005, p. 476). The interaction offered by the online communication does not warrant the students to be in close geographical proximity to the teachers. In effect, the advent of the computer-mediated communication and social software has enabled educators to create second language learning groups around the globe. The synchronous communication happens in real-time, and the interlocutors receive immediate feedback. Hence, the learners have high chances of producing a higher level of output in the computer-mediated communication as compared to the typical classroom face-to-face interaction. The naturally quiet students participate actively in the computer-mediated communication. It is noteworthy that the computer-mediated communication has striking similarities to the physical classroom activities. For instance, the online interaction enhances the learning outcomes by producing permanent records of the subject matter and utilising punctuations, as well as other devices significant in any language. The chats give the non-native speakers a chance to interact with the native speakers outside the classroom (Junani, Rahman, Rahman, Iqbal, and Chishti 2011, p. 68). The mobile devices have enhanced the level of interaction between the learners and the peers. In turn, the interaction has led to increased usage of the target language, and learners can practice the second language beyond the physical classroom. In essence, the internet and advancement in technology enhance the students’ comprehension of the second language through cultural exchange between the learners and native speakers. In effect, the technology provides the student with the opportunity to learn a second language even in a foreign language setting. According to the second language acquisition theory, the learners will attempt to resolve the communication barrier (Díaz-Rico and Weed 2002, p. 45-50). The resolution is critical in facilitating the learners’ efforts to understand and acquire a second language. More interaction outside the classroom leads to increased exposure to the understandable input, as well as modified output. In essence, the learners can negotiate the meaning as stipulated in the second language acquisition theory. Personal experience has indicated that online activities such as speaking and writing are essential to augment the different forms of synchronous communication. Fundamentally, the online exercise allows the second language learners to acquire the important grammatical features that might be challenging to acquire through the input process. The online negotiation of knowledge gives the learners an exposure to input, instant feedback and output in a similar fashion as in face-to-face interaction. According to the second language acquisition theory, the exposure to the input, output, and real-time feedback is central to the acquisition of a second language (Díaz-Rico and Weed 2002, p. 45). Notably, the online interaction supports the students’ development of language skills and fosters interest and high level of motivation in the learning process. Importantly, the online interaction facilitates more active and equal participation of the learners in the learning activities than the face-to-face interaction. The naturally shy students can interact with the other learners through computer-mediated communication (Sotillo 2005, p. 476). In this regard, the learners can construct the modified input and output in a collective manner through a social context instead of the student isolation setting. For instance, the learners have an equal chance to observe and explore the subject content that the educator projects in the screens. Hence, the online collaborative aspect of communication facilitates the learners to copy relevant expressions, vocabularies, and linguistic components of the second language. The computer-mediated communication gives learners enough time to process subject content, as well as modifies the output. Notably, the online platform offers the learners a self-paced learning environment in which they respond to the inputs. Personal experience has shown that the learners are attentive to critical aspects of the discourse projected on the screen. In this regard, the second language learners can re-examine and edit the inputs in the process of making the learning experience interactive and comprehensible. Thus, the learners become aware of the structure of the target language by attempting to compose messages in an understandable manner. The efforts to self-correct the composed messages enhance the learners’ capacity to internalise the second language (McLaughlin 2013, p. 256). In turn, the self-monitoring mechanism tends to support second language acquisition. Additionally, the online interaction boosts learners, capacity to produce the required output. The quest to produce the desired output compels the second language learners to utilise the structures of the target language. The utilisation of the correct structures is essential for the comprehension of the second language. Importantly, the reduction of the teacher involvement through talks in the computer-mediated communication tends to favour the capacity of the learners to produce the target language. The computer-mediated communication facilitates the association between the students and the tutors while maintaining the learners’ reticence. The facilitation is critical to the discussion, transmission, and process of the acquisition of a second language. It is noteworthy that the teaching needs to cater the increasing demands of the acquisition of a second language. In this respect, the online interaction satisfies the demands of the second language acquisition theory by exposing the learners to the comprehensible input and enabling them to produce understandable output. Notably, the online activities enhance fluency and create the language awareness by promoting the practicality aspect of the language acquisition (McLaughlin 2013, p. 254). The comprehensible outputs give the learners the opportunity to convey meaning in addition to prompting them to think critically in the face of challenging aspects of the second language. The voice conferencing and synchronous communication through the advanced mobile gadgets provide the needed interactivity between the tutor and learners located in different geographical locations (White 2006, p. 248). It is important for the educators to recognise that the need to create an interactive online classroom environment for the learners of a second language to engage actively. The online discussions create a virtual community of second language learners. As opposed to the face-to-face interaction, the online discussions enable the students to take an active role in the acquisition of the second language. Personal experience has shown that the participation in the online discussions empowers the second language learners to develop and practice communication skills. The learners can create a lively environment to exchange ideas with their educators, as well as the fellow students (Anderson 2002, p. 463). Incoherent inputs challenge the students to employ various methods of communication in order to achieve mutual understanding. Notably, many learners use strategies such as simplification, repetition, circumlocution, and approximation to enhance the communication with their peers. The educators should endeavour to employ necessary demonstrations to deliver the subject content efficiently. This is in recognition of the fact online negotiation for the form and meaning as stipulated in the second language acquisition theory facilitates the development of the grammatical skills, as well as the strategic competence. Therefore, the online participation achieves better learning outcomes as compared to face-to-face interactions. The second language learners need to understand the content well when the facilitators incorporate essential feature such as comprehensible output into the design of the lesson. In this regard, the design should capture the oral part of language mastery through incorporating audio, as well as video cassettes. The audio mitigates the anxiety, which the opponents have regarding the efficiency of the computer-mediated communication in developing language skills of the second language learners. It is important for the design to consider rhetorical structure, vocabulary selection, and text form in order to facilitate deeper comprehension of the subject matter (McLaughlin 2013, p. 254). In addition, the employment of important strategies such as meta-cognitive enhances the acquisition of the critical language skills. The instructor needs to present content of the target language and attempt to keep the learners motivated. Moreover, the facilitator should assist the learners to interact with the content in the most effective way of achieving the learning outcomes. In effect, the teacher’s constructive feedback is essential in maintaining the interest of the second language learners high. In essence, the facilitator should assist the learners to capture and comprehend the content while giving them the needed guidance and support. The collaborative online learning constitutes supplemental experience in the acquisition of the second language beyond the traditional physical classrooms. The synchronous computer-mediated communication via instant messaging promotes one-on-one interaction between the second language learners and the natives or advanced non-natives. Hence, the learners have an enormous potential of acquiring the skills needed to comprehend and communicate in a second language. However, the second language learners require information regarding the maintenance of the balance between content, function, and accuracy (Tang 2006, p. 87). The technique is critical in enabling the students to revise and re-examine the exchanges with their peers in a guided way. Through a careful and comprehensive planning, educators should design the learning content that promotes comprehensible input, output, and negotiation of the meaning as contained in the second language acquisition theory. The approach is important in facilitating the second language learners to acquire the essential skills needed to communicate fluently. Conclusion Saville-Troike claim that the face-to-face interaction is not necessary for the second language acquisition is valid. The technological advancement has enabled the second language learners to acquire skills needed to communicate the target language. Notably, the computer-mediated communication facilitates the learners to participate actively in the learning process. The students have adequate time to engage with the content material and produce the comprehensible output. Additionally, the computer-mediated communication offers the learners an equal participation in the learning process. The naturally quiet learners who find it challenging to participate actively in the traditional classroom discussions can take an active role in the online interactive platforms. The shy students can query information and internalise the content in the efforts of comprehending the second language. Moreover, learners have the potential of producing input through negotiation as contained in the second language acquisition theory. The incoherent inputs and output compels the students to employ many communication techniques in order to enhance the mutual understanding. Therefore, the advent of computer-mediated communication has made it unnecessary for the learner to interact on face-to-face with their teachers and the fellow learners. Bibliography Anderson, N., 2002, The role of metacognition in second language teaching and learning, ERIC Publishers, Washington. Ariza, E., and Hancock, S., 2003, Second language acquisition theories as a framework for creating distance learning courses, Open Journal of Systems, Vol. 4 No 2, pp. 1-20. Díaz-Rico, L. T., and Weed, K. Z., 2002, The cross- cultural, language, and academic development handbook, Allyn and Bacon, Boston. 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