Language Acquisition Final Exam Preparation Questions

1. What is the role of practice in second language learning according to the cognitive
perspective? How should practice be in second language learning/teaching?
 One compenent of language learning that has seen a renewal of interest within the
cognitive perspective is practice. Practice is an essential component of language
learning. From the cognitive perspective, the practice needed for language development
is not mechanical, and it's not limited to the production of language. Listening and
reading are also affected by opportunities for practice. Practice should be interactive,
meaningful and there should be a focus on task-essential forms.

2. What are the applications of the sociocultural perspective to second language

learning?
 Sociocultural theory views speaking and thinking as tightly interwoven. Speaking (and
writing) mediates thinking, which means that people can gain control over their mental
processes as a consequence of internalizing what others say to them and what they say
to others. This internalizing is thought to occur when an individual interacts with an
interlocutor within his or her zone of proximal development (ZPD)-that is, in a situation
in which the learner can perform at a higher level because of the support (scaffolding)
offered by an interlocutor. Sociocultural theory holds that people gain control of and
reorganize their cognitive processes during mediation as knowledge is internalized
during social activity.

3. What modified interaction techniques a native speaker would use while speaking
to a not fully proficient non-native speaker?
 comprehension checks-efforts, clarification request-efforts, self-repetition or paraphrase

4. Can you discuss Krashen’s Monitor Model’s five hypotheses about second language
learning? What are the criticisms of these hypotheses from other researchers?
 Krashen's five hypotheses provide insights and suggestions for language learners and
educators to enhance the process of acquiring a second language. They defend the idea
that language is acquired depending on the input, learner monitors and make minor
 changes and polish what the acquired system has produced, learners tend to acquire
certain language structures before others and in learning process reducing anxiety,
increasing motivation, and building self-confidence can help lower the affective filter
and facilitate language acquisition. Some of whom have argued that it is not possible to
test Krashen's hypotheses in empirical research or that he has drawn the wrong
conclusions from research.

5. Can you discuss four features of natural acquisition settings, structure-based

instructional settings and communicative instructional settings each by comparing
three of them altogether?

 Natural Acquisition Settings:

1. Real-life Language Use: In natural settings, you learn by using the language in
everyday situations, like talking to native speakers or being in a foreign country.
2. Learning by Watching: In these settings, you learn by watching and copying native
speakers. You observe how they speak and try to do the same.
3. Not Worrying about Mistakes: In natural settings, making mistakes is okay. The focus
is on understanding and communicating, rather than being perfect.
4. Listening and Reading: You learn a lot by listening and reading in natural settings. The
more you hear and read the language, the better you become.

Structure-Based Instructional Settings:

1. Grammar and Rules: Structure-based settings focus on teaching grammar rules and
language structures.
2. Practice with Exercises: In these settings, you practice the language with exercises.
You do activities to get better at using the grammar.
3. Correcting Mistakes: Your teacher helps you correct your mistakes in structure-based
settings.
4. Step-by-Step Learning: In these settings, you learn one thing at a time. You start with
easier grammar and build up to more difficult ones.

Communicative Instructional Settings:

 1. Meaningful Communication: It focuses on using the language to communicate and
understand others.
2. Interactive Activities: You practice using the language with others.
3. Fixing Mistakes Selectively: Your teacher gives feedback on your communication, not
just on mistakes. They help you improve understanding and meaning.
4. Developing Different Skills: For this one, you practice all parts of the language, like
listening, speaking, reading, and writing. You get better at using the language in
different ways.

6. Can you list the types of corrective feedback with examples that a language teacher
utilises in terms of recasts in content-based classrooms?

In content-based classrooms, teachers can help students correct their mistakes by using
different types of recasts. In Recasts the teacher repeats or changes what the student said
also with the correction. Here are some examples:

 Teacher says it again

Teacher: I went to the park yesterday.

Student: I go to the park yesterday.

Teacher: Yes, you went to the park yesterday.

 Teacher repeats it in different way

Teacher: She has three cats.

Student: She have three cats.

Teacher: That's right, she has three cats.

 Teacher adds more information

Teacher: I like to play soccer.

Student: I like to play soccer in the park.

Teacher: Yes, I like to play soccer in the park.

  Teacher changes the words

Teacher: He doesn't eat meat.

Student: He don't eat meat.

Teacher: No, he doesn't eat meat.

 Teacher makes it more clear

Teacher: She went to the store.

Student: She went to the store yesterday.

Teacher: No, she went to the store today.

These recasts help students notice and fix their mistakes by showing them the correct way to
say something. The teacher does this naturally during the conversation, so students can
learn from their errors.

7. Can you identify and exemplify display questions and genuine questions?

Display Questions: Display questions are questions that someone asks even when they
already know the answer. They ask these questions to share information or start a
conversation. For example:

- Isn't the weather nice today?

- Do you know what time it is?
- Guess what happened to me yesterday!
- You know who won the game, right?

These questions are asked to check if they already know something.

Genuine Questions: Genuine questions are questions that someone asks when they want to
know something new or need clarification. For Instance:

- What did you do on the weekend?"

- How does this machine work?"
- Where can I find the nearest coffee shop?"
These questions are asked to get information or understand something better. The person
wants to learn something new.

8. How can time for learning languages in school affect language teaching/learning?
Can you provide examples from research?
 8. Learners usually have only limited time for learning. In a typical teacher fronted
classroom with 25-30 students, individual students get very little opportunity to produce
language in a 60-minute class, and when
 they do, it is usually in the form of a short response to a teacher's question. The
researchers found that both groups benefited from the overall increase in hours of
instruction with some additional advantages for learners receiving the more intensive
instruction having more time to learn, The advantages were evident not only in superior
language abilities but also in attitudes toward the language and satisfactio with language
learning experiences. In one study in Quebec, learners receiving intensive ESL instruction
for five hours every day for five months of one school year (in Grade 5 or 6) were
compared to learners at the end of secondary school who had received the same total
amount of instruction spread over 7-8 years of schooling. On a number of measures, the
students who received the intensive instruction performed as well as or better than
those whose instruction was delivered in what has been called a 'drip feed' approach.

9. What are the limitations of the ‘get it right from the beginning’ mentality?
 There is little classroom research to support such approaches for students in ordinary
school programmes that must serve the need of students who bring different levels of
motivation and aptitude to the classroom. In fact, it was the frequent failure of
traditional grammar translation and audiolingual methods to produce fluency and
accuracy in second language learners that led to the development of more
communicative approaches to teaching in the first place.

10. What are the advantages and limitations of the ‘just listen … and read’ mentality?
 Limitations: Finding reading material for primary school students learning a second
language is challenging. Finding reading material for adults in early stages of second
language is also challenging.
Advantage: Graded readers specially designed for adult ESL learners are increasingly
available. Helps get more vocabulary easily.
The benefit of simplified readers is that students encounter are reasonable number of new
words. This increases the likelihood that they can figure out the meaning of new words
Disadvantage: Although learners benefited from this exposure to sentences with adverbs in
all the correct positions, their learning was incomplete. The students’ inability to recogniza
that adverbs in this prosition are ungrammatical in english suggests that the input flood
could help them add something new to their interlanguage, but did not lead them to get rid
of an error based on their first language.

11. Can you elaborate on the ‘get it right in the end’ mentality with its advantages,
disadvantages and implacability?
 Get it right at the end argues that learners will benefit in terms of both efficiency of their
learning and the level of proficiency they will eventually reach. It is concluded that many
language features-from pronunciation to vocabulary and grammar-will be acquired
naturally if learners have adequate exposure to the language and a motivation to learn.
There are some benefits in this mentality for both teachers and the learners.For
instance,it takes into account the learner’s readiness,so teachers teach what is
teachable. And also focusing on particular language points prevents learners from
making errors.The teacher helps the learners correct their errors without interrupting
the activity. This kind of thinking encourages learning from errors and a growth
attitude.In the classes mentality with get it right in the end learners can develop good
listening comprehension and communicative confidence in English.But the problems
with linguistics accuracy and complexity continue . To reach the desired level of quality,
the "get it right in the end" approach may necessitate tremendous time, effort, and
resource expenditures.