Factors of Success and Failure in Second Language Learning
Main Article Content
Keywords
Abstract
This study aims to examine and elaborate the factors that contribute to the success and failure of English speakers as the second language in the pursuit of this language in three aspects of the language: fluency, language structure and pronunciation. Data for this study was obtained by conducting semi structured interviews with two students at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. Qualitative data analysis shows that factors such as second language learning in the pre-trial period, in the second language environment, exposure to the second language, the ability to acculturate, the motivation and the learning strategies impact on the mastery of the languages in the three areas mentioned above. Data analysis also shows that the existence and absence of such factors in the second language learning period significantly affect the mastery of language in the three areas.
Downloads
References
Cohen, A., & Macaro, E. (2007). Language learner strategies: Thirty years of research and practice. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Ellis, R. (2008). Investigating grammatical difficulty in second language learning: Implications for second language acquisition research and language testing. International Journal of Applied Linguistic, 18(1), 4 – 22.
Ellis, R. (2009). The study of second language acquisition (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Ellis, R., & He, X. (1999). The roles of modified input and output in the incidental acquisition of word meanings. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 21(02), 285 – 301.
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2005). Second language research: Methodology and design. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publisher.
Nation, I. S. P & Newton, J. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking. New York: Routledge.
Ortega, L. (2009). Understanding second language acquisition. London, UK: Hodder Education.
Rogerson–Revell, P. (2011). English phonology and pronunciation teaching. London, UK: Continuum.
Swan, M & Smith, B. (2001). Learner English: A teacher’s guide to interference and other problems (2nd Ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
Scheffler, P., & Cinciata, M. (2010). Explicit grammar rules and L2 acquisition. ELT Journal, 65(1), 13 – 23.
Wood, D. (2001). In search of fluency: What is it and how can we teach? Canadian Modern Language Review, 57(4), 573 – 589.
Zhang, L. J. (2012). A dynamic metacognitive systems account of Chinese university students’ knowledge about EFL reading. TESOL Quarterly, 44(2), 320 – 353.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.