Initial Evaluation – Phase 1

Tutor: Mónica del Rosario Guillen

Maria Paula Peña Camacho

518015_73

Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia UNAD

Escuela de Ciencias de la Educación

Licenciatura en lenguas extranjeras con énfasis en ingles

Curso: Foreign Language Acquisition and Learning

Puerto López (meta)

08 de septiembre del 2020

 Step 3. Check the five Hypotheses about the second language acquisition and

choose the one which most perfectly describes how has been your foreign language

learning process.

After reading the five hypothesis about the second language acquisition exposed by

Krashen, S. (2009). In his book, I feel more identified with “The input hypothesis”. This

hypothesis, according with the author, points that “the learner acquires structures by

understanding messages contained in such structures, and not by focus on them, or analyze

them.” During my foreign language acquisition process, I acquired the language by the

compression and use of structures (by understanding data containing structures a little more

advanced than the ones I have already mastered.), vocabulary, and then the use of the

knowledge acquired in communication using context, as the input hypothesis points. Since I

started the acquisition process until now, I practically acquired the grammatical part

automatically, not putting too much attention in it, but at the same time understanding the

rule. This hypothesis also postulates that speech is not taught directly. Rather, the fluency

of speech it emerges on its own when its time comes. On the UNAD, the English learnings

have, into the English course, a series of classes called “Speaking” in which we improve

our English speech using all we already know to communicate each other in the class.

When I started the participation in the Speaking classes, even if didn’t know too much

(because I was just starting my university degree), the speech emerged on its own, with

mistakes, of course, but as I progressed through the classes my speaking ability improved

remarkably.
 Step.5: In this phase, you must answer the following questions, please use

strong arguments, do not use theoretical quotes, and try to use examples to support

your own ideas.

1. How do humans learn additional languages after they have learned their first?

According with Escobar, C. (s.f). One of the greatest challenges in language science has

been to explain complex processes that allow children, in their first years of life, to

master a code as complex as a language is and to formulate coherent theories that

account for the appropriation mechanisms that second-year learners Languages or

foreign languages used in their learning.

After read about these explanations, one of the most assertive, since my point of view,

is The information processing theory. This theory emerges of a recent stream within

cognitive psychology which describes the human mind as an information processor.

According to this theory, learning consists of collect, store, modify and interpret the

new information that one receives. (Escobar, C. s.f).

Information processing models applied to learning of second languages, following the

contributions of McLaughlin (1987, 1990). Who makes a key distinction between

declarative knowledge of the rules grammatical, or what is the same, what the learner

consciously knows about the language system, and procedural knowledge of an

unconscious nature, or what the learner can do in the target language. Thus, the learning

process is defined as the gradual transformation of declarative knowledge into

knowledge procedural.

McLaughlin also express a key concept which it’s “the restructuration”, which is

basically when the incorporation of a new rule by the learner may result in the
 restructuring of the entire system.

An example of this phenomenon, occurs when students, who previously correctly

produced the irregular past tense of the verb make: made, they use the wrong form

maked. This error, which is created by overgeneralizing a grammar rule

English, shows how the student advances from a lexicalized system (or knowledge of

the word made as a single element, not belonging to a grammatical paradigm) to an

analyzed system (or knowledge of the rule that governs in the past formation in English,

and of which this word is an exception). Based in my own experience, these kind of

mistakes are very common in me and my partners.

2. What factors contribute to the variability observed in rates and outcomes of

second language learning?

As is known, second language learning outcomes are highly variable, due to a variety of

factors that, according with a study in which Native English speakers were exposed to

an artificial language containing three sentence patterns of varying linguistic

complexity. The study reveals that the variability in L2 learning includes: individual

differences, exposure conditions, and linguistic complexity.

1. Individual differences (ID): According to Skehan (1998), IDs such as aptitude,

working memory (WM), personality, attitude, motivation, learning styles, and

learning strategies have been shown to influence L2 processing and achievement.

2. Exposure conditions: According with Reber, (1993), Reber, Walkenfeld, &

Hernstadt, (1991). There is an apparent interaction between IDs and exposure

conditions, that could stem from differences between explicit and implicit
 processes. Traditionally, cognitive psychology suggests that implicit processes

should be less susceptible to IDs than explicit processes

3. Linguistic Complexity: Krashen, (1994), express that early research suggested

that the complexity of linguistic structures inter-acts with the type of instruction.

For instance, explicit instruction may be beneficial when learners are exposed to

simple patterns.

3. What does it take to attain advanced language and literacy competencies in a

language other than the mother tongue?

As Ortega, L. (2009). Pointed, no need to spend too much time and effort to

highlight the importance of acquiring a second language today; but said acquisition seems

to be an extremely easy or extremely difficult company depending on the various variables

and circumstances that condition it.

In my opinion, we need to focus more in the variabilities of the language

acquisition.

When we’re in the acquisition process of a L2, we need to create new strategies to

get advance in the process. Something my English teachers always say to me is “practice

makes a master”. And it’s true, throughout my process, I have realized that I have improved

a lot thanks to practice, thus I applique methods of practicing every day. Of course is not

the same for everyone, we all are different and have differences in our learning. As I said,

we need to create strategies for ourselves that can be adapted to our learning process.

For example, some people recommends listen to music in the language we want to

learn to advance, as a practice, but for some people that method actually doesn’t work, so
those people who can’t learn with music look for a new strategy that they can adapt to their

learning process, thus they can advance in their process of acquiring a L2.

 ARL AFILIATION:
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Krashen, S. (2009). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition.

University of Southern California.9-45.

http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/principles_and_practice.pdf

Escobar, C. (s.f). Teorías sobre la adquisición y el aprendizaje de segundas lenguas.

Recovered from:

https://gent.uab.cat/cristinaescobar/sites/gent.uab.cat.cristinaescobar/files/escobar_2001_te

orias_adquisicion_l2_manus.pdf

Tagarelli, K; Ruiz, S & Moreno, J. (2016). Variability in second language learning.

Recovered from:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303354929_Variability_in_second_language_lear

ning#:~:text=Second%20language%20learning%20outcomes%20are,exposure

%20conditions%2C%20and%20linguistic%20complexity.