Factors affecting learners achievements in second foreign language learning

Internal factors are those that the individual language learner brings with him or her to the particular learning situation.

• Age: Second language acquisition is influenced by the age of the learner. Children, who already have solid literacy skills in their own language, seem to be in the best position to acquire a new language efficiently. Motivated, older learners can be very successful too, but usually struggle to achieve native-speaker-equivalent pronunciation and intonation.
• Personality: Introverted or anxious learners usually make slower progress, particularly in the development of oral skills. They are less likely to take advantage of opportunities to speak, or to seek out such opportunities. More outgoing students will not worry about the inevitability of making mistakes. They will take risks, and thus will give themselves much more practice.
• Motivation (intrinsic): Intrinsic motivation has been found to correlate strongly with educational achievement. Clearly, students who enjoy language learning and take pride in their progress will do better than those who don’t.
  Extrinsic motivation is also a significant factor. ESL students, for example, who need to learn English in order to take a place at an American university or to communicate with a new English boy/girlfriend are likely to make greater efforts and thus greater progress.
• Experiences: Learners who have acquired general knowledge and experience are in a stronger position to develop a new language than those who haven’t. The student, for example, who has already lived in 3 different countries and been exposed to various languages and cultures has a stronger base for learning a further language than the student who hasn’t had such experiences.
• Cognition: In general, it seems that students with greater cognitive abilities (intelligence) will make the faster progress. Some linguists believe that there is a specific, innate language learning ability that is stronger in some students than in others.
• Native language: Students who are learning a second language which is from the same language family as their first language have, in general, a much easier task than those who aren’t. So, for example, a Dutch child will learn English more quickly than a Japanese child.

External factors

External factors are those that characterize the particular language learning situation.

• Curriculum: For ESL students in particular it is important that the totality of their educational experience is appropriate for their needs. Language learning is less likely to place if students are fully submersed into the mainstream program without any extra assistance or, conversely, not allowed to be part of the mainstream until they have reached a certain level of language proficiency.
• Instruction: Clearly, some language teachers are better than others at providing appropriate and effective learning experiences for the students in their classrooms. These students will make faster progress.
  The same applies to mainstream teachers in second language situations. The science teacher, for example, who is aware that she too is responsible for the students’ English language development, and makes certain accommodations, will contribute to their linguistic development.
• Culture and status: There is some evidence that students in situations where their own culture has a lower status than that of the culture in which they are learning the language make slower progress.
• Motivation (extrinsic): Students who are given continuing, appropriate encouragment to learn by their teachers and parents will generally fare better than those who aren’t. For example, students from families that place little importance on language learning are likely to progress less quickly.
• Access to native speakers: The opportunity to interact with native speakers both within and outside of the classroom is a significant advantage. Native speakers are linguistic models and can provide appropriate feedback. Clearly, second-language learners who have no extensive access to native speakers are likely to make slower progress, particularly in the oral/aural aspects of language acquisition.

The information on this page is based on summaries of research into learner variables (internal factors) in second language acquisition in the following resources:

Lightbown, Patsy M., and Nina Spada. How Languages Are Learned. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print.

Watching children learn an additional language is a lot like seeing them swim for the first time. Some children dive right in and are soon paddling around the deep end. Others take their time, dipping a toe in the water and gradually venturing out from the shore.

It’s common to believe that a child’s skill with learning an additional language comes naturally. We don’t agree. Yes, some children do pick up language skills faster than others—but that doesn’t mean that the ability to learn a language is an attribute possessed by only a lucky few.

When students start learning an additional language at Whitby, some do soak up the knowledge faster than others. Yet it’s not just natural ability at work. We've actually found that there are many internal and external factors that influence how fast students pick up a new language.

9 Factors that Influence Language Learning for Kids

1. Motivation

Is the child being forced to learn, or do they want to learn the language?

When a child understands the importance of understanding a language and can see how it directly applies to their life, . We’ve found that a contextual, theme-based curriculum can help get students more excited to dive into language learning. When they are interested in learning a language and they see meaningful connections to their lives, they begin to take risks to produce language, which helps them to acquire it faster.

2. Support at Home

Is another language spoken at the child’s home? What’s their exposure level to different languages?

We’ve found that exposure is an important factor in language comprehension and acquisition. If a child’s family only speaks one language, are they able to provide help when the student needs it? It also matters how much value parents place in learning an additional language. Parents who prioritize language learning are more likely to push their child to keep trying even when it feels difficult.

3. Prior Linguistic Knowledge

Is the language they’re learning their first foreign language?

Once a child has studied and acquired a language, their skill at learning another will increase. Language learners have the ability to translate skills from one language to another because they’re able to recognize the rules and patterns of language, even if the vocabulary is different.

4. Learning Environment

How does the child feel in the classroom?

Another key factor is how comfortable students feel in their language learning environment. Does their classroom feel cold and tense, or positive and relaxing? What’s the school’s culture and beliefs about language learning? We’ve found that a student’s learning environment has an impact on their motivation—a low anxiety language learning environment increases the chance for acquisition.

5. Teaching Strategies

How is the language taught?

The strategies a language teacher uses have a big impact on language learning. How does the teacher help students understand the concepts of a language? How does the teacher take different learning styles into account, as well as different levels of comprehension? For example, watching a film in the target language and writing and performing skits in the target language reach multiple learning styles. Offering an immersion experience helps students connect the language learning to their everyday lives, but rote vocabulary memorization and grammar drills create 'meaning-less' language lessons.

6. Comprehensible Input

How attainable does the language feel to the student?

Linguist Stephen Krashen is known for developing the input hypothesis of second-language acquisition. In this context, the titular “input” is the language curriculum. Krashen wrote that teaching at just any level of difficulty isn’t sufficient: the input received by a student must be comprehensible. In other words, the curriculum must reach a child at their current level and challenge them with activities and just 1 level beyond their current stage. If the material feels out of reach, the student can feel “shut down” and have trouble engaging with the lesson. To make sure that students feel motivated to learn, it’s important to ensure that they feel like they have the ability to progress to the next level of learning.

7. Student Personality

Is the student introverted or extroverted?

A student’s personality can affect how they learn a second language. More introverted students have been shown to take longer to acquire a language because they’re more hesitant to make mistakes. Extroverted students, on the other hand, are more likely to go out on a limb and try out their newly learned vocabulary. To ensure that both personality types succeed, it’s important to create an environment where students understand that mistakes are part of the learning process and it’s more important to speak than to be perfect.

8. Age

How old is a student when they start learning a foreign language?

While students of all ages can learn a foreign language, there is consensus that . It becomes harder for students to have native pronunciation from the teen years. Some students also find that it’s more difficult to fully acquire a foreign language as they get older, but this isn’t true of everyone.

9. Comfort in their Country of Residence

How happy are students in the country where they are studying a language?

A final factor in language learning is the child’s comfort in the current country of residence. Most children move to a new country because of a parent's job, not by choice. As a result, their motivation to learn a new language can depend on whether they’re happy to be in a new place, or if they’ve come kicking and screaming. Luckily, even if a child is unhappy at first, their attitude can shift if they feel welcomed by their teachers and supported by their parents.

Language Learning at Whitby

Language learning is not a skill that children either have or don’t. There actually are many internal and external factors that influence how fast children pick up a new language—from the child’s personality to the way language is taught at their school.

To learn more about the unique learning environment at Whitby, schedule a tour or download our guide to the difference between an N8 and K12 education.

What are some factors that affect the success of second language learning?

The general factors that influence second language learning are: age, aptitude and intelligence, cognitive style, attitudes, motivation and personality.

What are the factors that affect learner to learn second language?

9 Factors that Influence Language Learning for Kids.

Motivation. Is the child being forced to learn, or do they want to learn the language? ... .

Support at Home. Is another language spoken at the child's home? ... .

Prior Linguistic Knowledge. ... .

Learning Environment. ... .

Teaching Strategies. ... .

Comprehensible Input. ... .

Student Personality. ... .

What are the issues that students face in acquiring the second language?

Here are some of the most common challenges ESL learners face and how to overcome them:.

The Most Common Challenge ESL Learners Face: Learning the Language without a Goal. ... .

Bored by Traditional Learning Methods. ... .

Feelings of Embarrassment. ... .

Not Enough Time. ... .

Lack of Interaction with Native Speakers..