Children vs.

Adults in
second-language learning
 Content
1. Children are better: a common belief
2. Basic psychological factors affecting
second-language learning
-Intellectual processing
-Memory
-Motor skills
-Two other important psychological
variables
3. Social situations affecting second-language
learning
 -The natural situation
-The classroom situation
-Who is better? Children or adults?
- ESL or EFL community context
4. Is there a critical age for second-
language learning?
What are the differences
between children and
adults?
1. Age (critical period of learning)
2. Motivation
3. Attitude
4. Environment (ESL vs. EFL)
Theories on the second
language acquisition
1. During childhood, language learning is very easy
our brains are ready for language learning. As we
are getting older, people loose childhood ability
(Lenneberg, 1964).
2. The attainment of second language is constrained
by the age at which learning begins (Birdsong &
Molis, 2 001, p. 235).
3. “Acquisition of a normal language is guaranteed
for children up to the age of six, is steadily
compromised from then shortly after puberty,
and is rare thereafter” (Pinker, 1994, p. 298).
Psychological factors:
Intellectual processing
1. Explication
- The process whereby the rules and structures
of a second language are explained.
- It is impossible for it to be learned entirely by
explication (e.g., tense, article).
- Explication is rarely applicable to young
children (e.g., dogs/z/-voiced consonant,
ducks/s/-unvoiced consonant).
- Simple rules can be learned by explication.
 Psychological factors:
Intellectual processing
2. Induction
- Self-discovery of the rules
- For young learners:
(John danced then John sang->
John danced and then he sang)
It is able to use and understand the
complicated structures.
-For the second-language learners: beyond
the learner’s level of syntactic
understanding?
 Psychological factors:
Memory
1. Syntax learning and episodic memory
- Memory is crucial for the learning of grammatical
structures and rules.
- Episodic memory: the learner must remember
the situations in which the sentences are uttered
in order to derive the meaning.

2. Children’s memory ability

- 7 to 12 years old: cognitive ability
- Under 7 years old: rote memorization
 Psychological factors:
Motor skills
1. Articulators of speech
- Motor skills: the use of muscles in performing
certain skills(e.g., walking, writing, speech).

2. Decline in general motor skills

- Around at the age of 12 years: due to some change
in central functioning in the brain.

3. Decline in ability for new articulations

- Children have the flexibility in motor skills that
adults generally have lost.
Three important psychological factors

1. Induction and Explication

2. Memory
3. Motor skills
 Psychological factors:
Motivation
1. Motivation (according to the situation)
- At the age of 1-2: no motivation.
- At the age of 4-5: need motivation
- The planned learning situation(classroom) : need
motivation
 the amount of attention+ effort

2. Other variables involved in second

language learning: personality, social situation,
intergroup attitude, self-confidence, desire etc.
 Psychological factors:
Attitude

1. Attitude: negative vs. positive

 determination, persistence.

2. Other variables involved in second

language learning: status, cultural
background.
 Social situations
1. Natural situation:
it is similar to that in which the first language is
learned.

2. Classroom situation:
it involves the social situation of the school
classroom.

3. Community context:
it allows students to have access to a natural
situation and thereby supplement their classroom
learning.
 Social situations:
the natural situation
1. Characteristics of the natural situation

2. With age, language is more essential for

social interaction

3. Older children can have problems

 Social situations:
the classroom situation
1. The classroom is isolated from other
social life

2. Learning languages as part of a group

and not as an individual
 Social situations:
who is better? children or adults?
- In a natural situation

Memory Motor skills Induction Natural situation

Children high high high high

Adults medium low high low
 Social situations:
who is better? children or adults?

- In the classroom situation

Cognitive Memory Motor skills
experience
Older child low high high
Adults high medium low
 Environment for the second
language learning

1. ESL: English as a second language

2. EFL: English as a foreign language