RELATIONSHIP OF COGNITIVE THEORY TO SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTS

1. STAGES OF SKILL ACQUISITION The learner is either instructed how to do the task or attempts to figure it out and study it alone. This stage involves conscious activity on the part of learner. And the acquired knowledge at this stage is typically declarative and can he described verbally by the learner.

a) THE PARALLEL BETWEEN STAGE AND L2 It can be shown by delineating L2 process occurring at each stage. In this case L2 engages in conscious mental activity in order to find meaning in the new language. This can be focus on the context of learning, where the learners attention may focus on the functional use of language in what has been called a natural acquisition environment in the process of learning a second language (L2) or it also can be learned in an artificial environment or learning outside the classroom. In these contexts the learners respond to an appropriate use of phrases or sentences. For instance, a learner might be aware of the functional consequences of Heygimmedeball and even note that it has similarities with Heygimmedepencil. In other words the learning process at the cognitive stage would be the same. In the parallel between stage and L2 we can talk about interlanguage where the L2 learner is able to use the language for communication, although imperfectly, but the learner can find difficulties in using a new language as a tool for learning complex information. In that part learners are competent to process language autonomously focusing their language for functional purposes such as, social, academic or technical.

b) CONSCIOUS AWARENESS This topic explains the role of conscious learning effort in different language contexts. The initial learning occurs without conscious awareness, only that the formal linguistic or other rules on which language usage is based may be unknown to the learner. That means the process of learning in each learner occurs in different ways, not only the process of learning is based on conscious awareness, but learning to be understood from a meaningful way is of utmost importance that the use of language and codes that are managed in the learning process is not asymmetric but there is a symmetry to be able to get an appropriate significance code during learning acquisition.

Analysis of the cognitive process that goes on even in unstructured learning environments provides opportunities to understand language acquisition in more generalizable terms parallel to other complex skill. Is important to note that the acquisition of a second language in learning involves three modes of learning such as, accretion, tuning and restructuring. First, Accretion is the addition of new knowledge to existing memory and this mode is the most common form of learning. Secondly, tuning is the adjustment of knowledge to a specific task usually through practice; it is the slowest form of learning and accounts for expert performance. On the other hand, tuning often represents automatic behavior that is not available to reflection for example in the learning procedures. Finally, restructuring involves the information of new conceptual structures or schema, it occurs less frequently and requires considerable effort; it involves some form of reflection or insight for example in metacognition and may correspond to a plateau in performance. Summarizing the above this is a general model for human learning, although it was originally purposed in the context of language learning. To conclude what cognitive theory indicates is that awareness and conscious control depend in how the information is applied in a natural process, building on a family atmosphere ability and not only that the information is learned in a classroom or similar to a natural environment at some stage in the process of learning acquisition.

c) RATE AND TYPE OF LANGUAGE SKILL If we understand that language involves complex aspects in the process of learning such as, grammar, semantics, and pronunciation, but the relative difficulty of different language features could serve as a basis for chunking with L2 learners. We have to remember what is perceived as easy or difficult could vary among learners and might depend on factors such as age, context of learning, learning style, affective considerations, prior declarative and procedural knowledge and ability to deploy effective learning strategies. But these difficulties are not an impediment in the learning process, but we show that we can all are able to learn a second language. This only requires discipline and effort by the learner of a second language.

d) RETENTION AND ATTRITION That indicates that both initial competences gained in an L2 and the amount of subsequent practice opportunities. Affect how much the language is lost or retained over time. In other words that topic implies in trying to identify which aspects of language are forgotten and if the sequence of forgetting parallels in the initial learning sequence.

This issue needs to be addressed in which language skills are declarative and which skills are procedural. In declarative knowledge that is defined as the factual information stored in memory and known to be static in nature. In declarative knowledge we can find vocabulary and sociolinguistic competence. Meanwhile procedural knowledge is the knowledge of how to perform, or how to operate. It marks reference to grammatical competence and strategic knowledge. But, it only depends in the focus and the types of learning activities that should be emphasized during initial instructions. In relation with attrition it can be affected in different linguistic levels (e.g. phonology, morphology, syntax) and also in the sub skill area (reading, writing, listening, speaking) besides, it affects in language functions (explaining, describing, getting) and in some areas of competence (sociolinguistic and discourse of competence).