Analyzing Efforts in Second Language Learning - Case Study Example

Case 1 Report Analysing the L2 Development for Van Introduction Van who is a nine year old boy from Vietnam has joined the family in Australia under the family reunion scheme a year ago staying with the parents and two young sisters in Sydney’s Western suburbs. He schools in a local primary school alongside attending Vietnamese L1 maintenance classes and has English language basics learnt at a private school in Vietnam. Van is an average learner of a quite disposition that uses observation, reflection to experiment and discovery during learning but in his free time, he engages in computer games, reading and soccer. L2 development for Van depends upon some factors to undergo discussion in this report in reference to his case and the underlying theories of L2 acquisition. Similarities between L1 (Vietnamese) and L2 (English) factors The underlying differences between Vietnamese and English language affects Van’s acquisition of L2. There are differences in which tense and aspect ends up used in the two languages. English language uses tenses to indicate the time for an action in either future, past or present while Vietnamese tense ends up understood in reference to the context. Concerning aspect, English shows an action happening habitually using four aspects of perfect, simple, progressive and perfect-progressive combination. Brown (2006) stated that Vietnamese only has two aspects of perfect and progressive marked by da’ and d’ang respectfully. Van will have issues in coming up with grammatically incorrect sentences when using aspect and tense in L2, as they are not compatible with L2. He is likely to transfer non-conjugated actions from Vietnamese implying them to English tense and aspect leading to loss in sentential meaning and grammar. The variation in copula and phrasal structuring between English and Vietnamese will also affect Van’s L2 acquisition. English uses the verb to be as copula in linking the sentence subject with the predicate used as an adjective or a noun (Deutscher, 2010). On the other hand, the copula used in Vietnamese la’ has a different meaning from the use of the copula to be in English. In Vietnamese, la’ ends up used to refer to a predicative as a noun but not a verb leading to the formation of nominal predicates that referring to generalized markers. Van is likely to come up with a poor connection of the subject and a predicative (adjective) by omitting the copula to be as la’ usually ends up omitted in Vietnamese. In reference to acquisition-learning theory of L2 development, Van will apply Vietnamese copula, tense and aspect use in English at the beginning of L2 learning until by the help of an instructor he will slowly learn the grammatical use of English tenses, aspect and the copula to be (Dörnyei, 2009). As a result teachers for second language ought to apply acquisition-learning theory by ensuring that the target language acquisition fulfils an authentic purpose of effective communication out of good use of tenses, aspect and copula but not just learning it in class. Psychological factors Van is under some psychological effects in L2 acquisition because of his age, basic skills of English learnt while still in Vietnam and his parents’ perception in reference to success in education. Van is an older child aged nine years old that is at the best brain development for language development. He will have ease in getting to understand grammar and pronunciation of L2 as his brain is actively developing in language acquisition. Van had also learnt the basics of English while still in Vietnam at a private school turning out of an advantage to him as the fundamentals learnt about L2 at an early age stuck in his brain for use in life. According to maturation state theory, the acquisition of L2 at an early age remains intact in the child’s brain whether exercise or not in the future (Emmitt, Zbaracki, Komesaroff and Pollock 2010). Van already has some psychological preparedness on how to communicate using English out of basics of L2 learnt in Vietnam before joining the family in Australia. In the process of teaching practise, second language teachers should introduce a second language at early ages of a child to instil the target language basics into their mind for application in life (Halliday, 1993). The perception of Van’s parents about success in education as out of efforts helps him psychologically to believe in his hard work in quest towards L2 proficiency. Although he is an average student in school, the motivation from parents will help in putting in more efforts in L2 acquisition. Van uses observation and reflection to experiment and discovery in L2 learning so that he monitors his level of correct use of grammar in communication as an added effort to improve L2 development. In accordance to monitor theory of L2 acquisition, Van puts more efforts in L2 learning out of the parents’ psychological preparation in academic success by thinking about the structure and nature of his sentences before engaging in communication (Forman, 2010). Teachers for second language should, therefore, encourage accuracy and fluency when using L2 in communication. Social factors The learner is under some incidences causing social factors to influence his level of L2 acquisition. Learning in a local school in Australia will lead to increased proficiency in English out of peer pressure. Van will like to end up identified with his peers during communication in matters dealing with pronunciation and sentence structure using the L2. The social set up of his school in Australia will lead to Van putting in more effort to perfect in sentence structure and grammar to turn identified as an Australian learner but not as a Vietnamese when with the schoolmates (Gibbons, 2006). By the application of the input theory, Van will always yearn to communicate using L2 the way the peers do with more proficiency than his. Peers are one-step beyond Van’s L2 use in communication, meaning that he need to strive to catch up with the schoolmates English language acquisition leading to a progressive L2 learning. In teaching practice, educators ought to use the target language in the classroom effectively through the provision of comprehensive inputs to expose the learner to more insights about L2. Conclusion Conclusively, like any other L2 learner, Van has some challenges in the process of acquiring English as his second language. The differences between Vietnamese and English language, social factors and psychological factors affects him in one way or the other as discussed in the report. It is thus the responsibilities of educators teaching second language to apply the set theories of second language acquisition properly during teaching practise to help learners attain proficiency in the target language. Case 2 Report Analysing the L2 Development for Lee Introduction Lee who is a 19-year-old Chinese pursuing an ELICOS training in the inner city of Sydney alongside working in a fast-food outlet. She is undertaking ELICOS training to attain 6.5 IELTS test score to enrol for a bachelor’s degree in business (Commerce) in one of the Australian local Universities. Lee is an above average student performing well in English language’s grammar, comprehension and reading, but has a high level of Chinese language proficiency. She likes learning L2 through structured discussions and strives to attain high measure of accuracy in writing and speech alongside valuing teacher’s corrections. She is currently sharing a flat with three Chinese students in the inner city of Sydney and interacts mostly with students from the East while at college though most of her interactions are on social network and she also has a great liking of Japanese music and fashion. Lee is under some factors to affect her L2 acquisition in reference to her case using the underlying theories and teaching practises. Differences between Chinese and English Lee is likely to face challenges in learning L2 because of differences between English (L2) and Chinese (L1). There is a difference in the manner of writing formats between the two languages; Chinese uses a logographic system of writing while English uses an alphabetical one. Lee is used to reading Chinese language that uses symbols in written communication and introduction of the alphabetical system that uses letters will retard the level of L2 acquisition (Macaro, 2003). There is a great difference in the reading and spelling of Chinese and English language scripts. In the teaching practice, educators of English as a second language to learners having China as their L1 ought to stress on the use of an alphabetical system to help the learner read and spell correctly. The grammatical set up of the relationships of the verb and tenses is different in Lee’s L1 (Chinese) and L2 (English). English conveys information using auxiliaries in verb infections such as is/are/were whereas Chinese communicates meaning using word order, contextual sharing or adverbially. Lee is likely to have grammatical errors in her sentence structures because L1 is uninflected while English considers the verb and tense relationships (May, 2008). The learner is likely to apply monitor theory in checking grammatical accuracy a situation that can lead to retardation in attaining L2 acquisition because of focusing on accuracy than fluency. The goal for Lees is not for professional proficiency in English language but for attaining a qualification to join a local Australian course, therefore, the teacher should major on communicative competency for her but not on accuracy. Psychological factors Apart from the efforts put in by the teacher, the level of Lee to acquire L2 is also subject to her psychology. Firstly, Lee has an already formed mindset for the goal pursuing ELICOS training as just a qualification towards attaining an enrolment in one of the local Australian University. There is the likelihood for Lee not to put in more efforts towards increasing the level of L2 proficiency. According to Gibbons (2006), the aim of the learner in acquiring L2 determines the level of the language development. Why Lee engages less in interacting with students from English speaking nations is out of little interest to learn communication basics from them. The teacher in helping Lee to acquire L1 should encourage the learner to interact with from English speaking countries to help her progressively continue perfecting in English language as far as input theory of L2 acquisition ends up concerned. In matters dealing with the mental development, Lee has an advantage from a psychological factor. At the age of 19 years old, the learner’s brain to capture language morphology and syntactic principles is high. Despite the differences in sentence structure between Lee’s L1 and L2, she has an advantage over younger or older learners of English as a second language with Chinese as the L2. At 19 years, Lee’s mind is in a position to capture and comprehend issues quickly. In reference to maturational state theory, the teacher for Lee ought to introduce progressively L2 ideas because her mind can conceptualize the syntax and morphology easily than her younger or older counterparts (McGregor, 2009). Social factors Apart from the psychological and the underlying differences between the L1 and L2, Lee level of acquiring L2 also depends on the social factors. Lee interacts mainly with students whose L1 is not English. For instance, she shares a flat in an inner city of Sydney with three Chinese students and also at the college she usually interact with learners from Japan, Korea, Taiwan which are nations that do not use English as the first language. Little interaction with native English speaking people leads to low conversational fluency hence slowed rate of acquiring L2 proficiency. Interacting with students with L2 leads to casual conversations not considering the sentence structures hence rendering her to grammatical inaccuracy. When with students from China, there is the likelihood of using the native language in conversation, as they will opt to use the naturally acquired language than the L2 learnt in school. According to acquisition-learning theory, L2 learners will opt using the already acquired L1 in conversation (Swain, Kirkpatrick and Cummins, 2011). The L2 teacher should thus work towards interacting with learners using the target language only. Socially, Lee is not active in interacting one on one while communication with people as most of the time she spends on social media. Social media communication does not cater for syntax and morphology of the L2. There is the likelihood of grammatical and spelling errors when chatting over social networks such as facebook, Google+ and twitter. Lee is likely to reduce the chances of attaining L2 acquisition. Nation and Gu (2007) argued that teachers ought to encourage formal communication of face-to-face conversations when using L2 with learners to help in the acquisition of L2 conversational fluency and accuracy. Conclusion Lee is under some challenges in the process of acquiring English as her second language. The differences between Chinese and English language in matters dealing with verb-tense relationship, psychological factors and social factors lead to low levels of Lee’s acquisition of L2 accuracy and fluency in both conversational and written communication. Educators specialized in language development and acted as second language teachers ought to apply the set theories of second language acquisition to help learners turn out proficient in the target language. Bibliography Case1 Brown, H. D. 2006, Principles of language teaching and learning, 5th edn, Longman, NY. 1-30 Deutscher, G. 2010, ‘Does your language shape how you think?’, New York Times, 26 August, viewed 5 July 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language- t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. 31-39 Dörnyei, Z. 2009, The Psychology of second language acquisition, Oxford University Press, Oxford. 40-56 Emmitt, M., Zbaracki, M., Komesaroff, L. & Pollock, J. 2010, Language and learning: An Introduction for teaching, Oxford University Press, Melbourne. 57-72 Forman, R. 2010, ‘Ten principles of bilingual pedagogy’, in A. Mahboob (ed.), The NNEST lens: Non-native speakers in TESOL, Cambridge Scholars, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, pp. 54-86. Gibbons, P. 2006, Bridging discourses in the ESL classroom, Continuum, London. 90-100 Halliday, M. A. K. 1993, ‘Towards a language-based theory of learning’, Linguistics and Education, vol. 5, pp. 93-116. Case 2 Macaro, E. 2003, Teaching and learning a second language, Continuum, London. 125-128 May, S. 2008, ‘Bilingual/Immersion education: What the research tells us’, in J. Cummins & N. Hornberger (eds), Encyclopaedia of language and education, volume 5: Bilingual education, 2nd edn, Springer, Boston, MA, pp. 19-34. McGregor, W. B. 2009, Linguistics: An introduction, Continuum, London. 137-145 Nation, P. & Gu, P. Y. 2007, Focus on vocabulary, NCELTR, Macquarie University, Sydney. 146-147 Swain, M., Kirkpatrick, A. & Cummins. J. 2011, How to have a guilt-free life using Cantonese in the English class: A handbook for the English language teacher in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong. 193-203 Read More