Effects of Psycholinguistic Factors on Students Aged Between 10 and 15 - Research Proposal Example

Effects of Psycholinguistic Factors on First Language Learning in Aged Between 10 and 15 Effects of Psycholinguistic Factors on First Language Learning in Students Aged Between 10 and 15 Introduction Background Psycholinguistic factors refer to the psychological factors that affect the comprehension of language by students. These include psychological elements like personality traits, beliefs and the perception that people have towards a language. Psycholinguistics aim at finding out the structures that underlie beyond people’s ability to speak. Language acquisition is a product of subconscious elements that are commonly ingrained in the psychological factors affecting the learning process. Psycholinguistic factors like perceptions and beliefs are believed to have a significant effect on an individual’s capability to learn a language. Based on this, this study will explore the effect of these factors on language learning among students aged between 10 and 15 years. This group of individuals is normally within the school going age; hence, understanding the aspects that influence language is critical in enhancing the teaching methods that are utilised by teachers in delivering lessons. Objectives The research will be based on the following objectives To determine the psycholinguistic factors that influence first language learning among students aged between 10 an d 15 years To establish the effects of psycholinguistic factors on the learning capabilities of first language in this category of students Establishing the source of the psycholinguistic factors that influence the learning of first language among students aged between 10 and 15 years Research Questions The research will be undertaken with the aim of answering the following questions What are the psycholinguistic factors that influence the learning capabilities of first language in students aged between 10 and 15 years What effects do these factors have on the learning abilities of students aged between 10 and 15 years What are the causes of these psycholinguistic factors that influence learning of first language among students aged between 10 and 15 years Hypothesis of the Study The study will be based on the following hypothesis Ho psycholinguistic factors like perception, beliefs and personality traits do not have an effect on the learning of fist language among students aged between 10 and 15 years H1 psycholinguistic factors like perception, beliefs and personality traits have a significant effect on the learning of fist language among students aged between 10 and 15 years Scope of the Study The study will be limited to establishing the effect of psycholinguistic factors on the learning abilities of the first language among children aged between 10 and 15 years. The research will be analysing the perceptions, beliefs, and personality traits of the individuals within this age group in seeking to establish the factors that influence their learning competences. Significance of the Study This study will be seeking to explore the psycholinguistic factors and their effect on language acquisition. The focus of the study will be on the first language acquisition competencies with emphasis being on students in the school going age. Despite the understanding of the language as learnt from parents, the students are taught this language in school. The success of this process is affected by certain psycholinguistic factors. Literature Review There are numerous psycholinguistic factors that influence language learners’ ability to lean. The presence of these factors influence the way students understand different teachings delivered to them by the language professionals. While the learning experience from the society might not be influenced by these factors, children develop certain traits and characteristics that affect their understanding and knowledge of the language. These traits develop as a result of the understanding of the various norms that are practiced within the society. There is a significant difference in the language acquisition between adults and children(Zimmerman et al., 2009). Among adults, perceptions have a greater impact on language acquisition as compared to children who do not have any stereotypes developed in them. Psycholinguistic factors have been identified as having significant effect on the students’ ability to master the second language. Exploration of the first language learning can be able to provide information regarding the impact of these factors on the second language (Shabitha & Mekala, 2013). However, there might be a discrepancy in how these factors affect the first language. These psycholinguistic factors have been identified as affecting the development and learning capabilities of the second language even among adults. The learning process of the first language is significantly affected by the various elements that determine and influence the second language (Roberts, 2012). Though the language acquisition process might be different in children and adults, the element of being taught could result in the development of psychological effects based on the understanding of the children about the language. Methodology The study will be a qualitative research seeking to explore the effects of psycholinguistic factors that affect the language learning capabilities for the first language among children aged between 10 and 15 years. The study will utilise a subjective experience of the selected participants in seeking to meet the set objectives. The qualitative approach is effective because as it presents an approach for understanding the specific experiences that will be studied to establish the effects (Tracy, 2013). Participants The research will include students who are learning English and whom English is the first or native language. Inclusion within the research will include students within the age of 10 and 15 years based on their willingness to participate in the research and their availability. The sampling process will include non-probability sampling, which will be essential in ensuring that the researcher collects information from the available participants. In seeking to achieve a gender balance, an equal number of participants from both males and females will be considered in order to ensure that the element of gender does not have an effect on the findings. Data Collection Different data collection methods will be used within the context of the research. The researchers will use questionnaires that will be presented to the selected individuals. The questionnaires will contain simplified questions for the students to be able to comprehend. Interviews will also be utilised in the data collection process following the administration of the questionnaires as a way of validating the data presented in them. The researcher will use the same questions contained in the questionnaires. The researcher will also employ focused group discussion in identifying the factors that have the greatest impact on the language learning capabilities from the perspective of the learners. This technique will be used in the assessment of the factors that the students consider as having the greatest effect on their language acquisition skills. Data Analysis Qualitative data analysis methods will be utilised in analysing the collected data through the application of statistical methods. The data that will be collected will be tabulated and clarified based on the factors that are considered to have the greatest impact on the language acquisition capabilities. The research will focus primarily on these factors. Any other factors that might arise will only be mentioned within the study and will provide an basis for which future research can be performed Conclusion Various psycholinguistic factors have a significant effect on the first language learning capabilities of school going children between the ages of 10 and 15. Exploration of these factors could be critical in enhancing the body of knowledge existing regarding their effect. This knowledge can be utilised by teachers who are directly involved in delivering language lessons to learners to enhance their learning capabilities. References Roberts, L. (2012). Psycholinguistic techniques and resources in second language acquisition research. Second Language Research, 28(1), 113–127. Shabitha, M. P., & Mekala, S. (2013). The Impact of Psycholinguistic Factors on Second Language Acquisition. The IUP Journal of English Studies, 8(1), 7–14. Tracy, S. J. (2013). Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Zimmerman, F. J., Gilkerson, J., Richards, J. A., Christakis, D. A., Xu, D., Gray, S., & Yapanel, U. (2009). Teaching by listening: The importance of adult-child conversations to language development. Pediatrics, 124(1), 342–349.  Read More