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Among the different Learner’s variables that intervene in the process of acquiring a
second Language I have to mention that these come from cognitive and affective factors,
learner beliefs, age of acquisition. Taking a look at them I wonder if there are personal
characteristics that make one learner more successful than another and which
characteristics are more associated with success in second language acquisition. To give
answers to these enquiries I encounter that is not possible to observe as well as measure
directly the qualities mentioned above i.e. motivation, personality, aptitude, intelligence.
They are in the field of behavior. They are not necessarily related to each other and If they
The critical period: “A biological determined period of life when Language can be
acquired more easily and beyond which time language is increasingly difficult to acquire”.
(Lenneberg, 1967) so It seems that this period is a natural one and It is not supposed to be
related to any specific attitude or even motivation-like behavior in other stages of learners
life.” Success in learning is entirely predicted by the age at which begins”. (Johnson and
Newport, 1989). According to this author all of the accomplishments a learner can have is
who had received an early English education performed better on the English listening test
taken compared to those who had not” (Yang, 2004). However, initial ages do not matter
and it seems that motivation is a crucial factor: “no significant effect of years of exposure
on Language performance for learners beyond the first few years of exposure”. (Johnson
and Newport, 1989). I consider that motivation is a stronger element than early acquisition
through IQ tests (intelligence quotient); this type of intelligence is traditional and only
Some findings about intelligence in second language acquisition show that intelligence is
complex and a person has various strengths and abilities, such as the spatial or interpersonal
ones; thus, a learner can be successful in IQ tests where It demonstrates their knowledge of
rules of the language, but he or she can be a successful learner using other intelligences to
perform better in communicative and interactional tasks. Concerning aptitude, which is the
potential of achievement; this is measurable by tests in which results show us the prediction
about a learner achievement. Personality, affects learning and some factors are introversion
and extroversion, self-esteem, empathy, for instance. Some research has shown that
As far as I am concern all of these findings and variables are part of my students
learning because those that are the successful ones possess them and develop them; it is like
a kaleidoscope of variables to take into account when helping my students to achieve good
results.