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How have first language acquisition theories influenced second language acquisition theories
aspect of vygotsky sociocultural theory
aspect of vygotsky sociocultural theory
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Recommended: How have first language acquisition theories influenced second language acquisition theories
Introduction
Acquiring second language has its impact on the social and cultural knowledge. One of the theories that concern with that knowledge is the sociocultural theory that was originated by the Russian psychologist L. S. Vygotsky. The theory explains how individual mental functioning is related to cultural, institutional, and historical context. SCT has three main areas. These are: interaction, ZPD, and scaffolding.
Summary
In chapter (11) of James P. Lantolf and Steven L. Thorne’s book “Theories in second language acquisition” they expounded sociocultural theory in depth. It starts with a brief introduction about the theory then some detailed information. SCT focuses on how language(s) learned through mediated process on human mentality by taking part in cultural activities, which include interaction.
The next point they stated is the theory and its constructs, which are mediation, internalization, and imitation.
Mediation has a deep connection with SCT, and it is basically the use of tools that human needs to mediate their own psychological activity. Weather it is physical...
However, both theorists believed that a person goes through a sequential process during their development. They were also both aware that one gains knowledge through experience and not through passive learning. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory was his main focus and it helped him make sense of a person’s cognitive development through the way they interacted with others and emphasised on one’s social interaction (blabla). Vygotsky focused on how learning consisted of gathering knowledge and skills from the social community and the different attractions a person observes (v2); a process known as internationalization. His theory was based on two key concepts, first that knowledge can be developed through the experiences a child lives (v1), and an example would be a child seeing his parents arguing over their beliefs; he’d learn how he should have his own belief and learn how to argue for it....
Lev Vygotsky’s theory of learning begins with the idea that cognitive development occurs from sociocultural origins, that through social interaction children learn how to think (Duchesne, McMaugh, Bochner & Krause pp. 84) and how to use and access language and communication skills specifically as members of their culture and society.
It stated that, "Sociocultural approaches to learning and development were first systematized and applied by Vygotsky and his collaborators in Russia in the 1920s and 1930s. They are based on the concept that human activities take in cultural contexts, are mediated by language and other symbol systems, and can be best understood when investigated in their historical development (John-Steiner & Mahn, 1996). " At the core of this theory, "Vygotsky focused on the way that a child co-constructs meaning through social interaction, and the role word meaning plays in the development of thinking(Mahn, 1999). " It seems as though Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory is continuous. This theory is continuous due to the emphasis it places on the need for social interaction in the growth of humans mentally, linguistically, and socially.
Applefield, J M, Huber, R, Moallem, M 2001, ‘Constructivism in theory and practice: Toward a better understanding’, High School Journal, vol. 84, issue 2, p35, 19pp
The backbone of sociocultural learning theory is that “social interaction is the basis of learning and development” (Walqui, 2006, p. 160). Students are best able to learn in an environment where they are working with "more capable peers". Teachers who are trying to work within the context of sociocultural theory are best to pair English Language Learners (ELL) with students who may also speak the language of the ELL "capable peer", but also understand the content being discussed, and not having the students work alone. One who understands this theory knows that “solitary work…is incompatible with Vygotsky’s conception of appropriate pedagogy... as all knowledge and ability arises in social activity” (Walqui, 2006, p. 162). The more interactions the students engage in the better, especially in the academic context to assist those students who need more assistance in order to fully understanding the
There are three main theories of child language acquisition; Cognitive Theory, Imitation and Positive Reinforcement, and Innateness of Certain Linguistic Features (Linguistics 201). All three theories offer a substantial amount of proof and experiments, but none of them have been proven entirely correct. The search for how children acquire their native language in such a short period of time has been studied for many centuries. In a changing world, it is difficult to pinpoint any definite specifics of language because of the diversity and modification throughout thousands of millions of years.
The basic principal of the sociocultural theory is the belief that intellectual development is “highly influenced by language, social interaction, and cul...
How do children acquire language? What are the processes of language acquisition? How do infants respond to speech? Language acquisition is the process of learning a native or a second language. Although how children learn to speak is not perfectly understood, most explanations involve both the observations that children copy what they hear and the inference that human beings have a natural aptitude for understanding grammar. Children usually learn the sounds and vocabulary of their native language through imitation, (which helps them learn to pronounce words correctly), and grammar is seldom taught to them, but instead that they rapidly acquire the ability to speak grammatically. Though, not all children learn by imitation alone. Children will produce forms of language that adults never say. For example, “I spilled milk on hisself” or “Debbie wants a cookie”. This demonstrates that children have the desire to speak correctly and have self-motivating traits to communicate. This supports the theory of Noam Chomsky (1972)-that children are able to learn grammar of a particular language because all intelligible languages are founded on a deep structure of universal grammatical rules that corresponds to an innate capacity of the human brain. Adults learning a second language pass through some of the same stages, as do children learning their native language. In the first part of this paper I will describe the process of language acquisition. The second part will review how infants respond to speech.
With the increasing popularity of dual immersion programs in schools and the widespread notion that language acquisition is something that needs to happen early on life, is there an ideal age to learn a second language (L2)?
The aim of this essay is to explore language acquisition and compare and contrast different theories of language acquisition and language development. Language in its most basic form is used to communicate our needs and wants. It encompasses a range of modes of delivery including signing, spoken and written words, posture, eye contact, facial expressions and gestures. So how do we learn ‘language’? Are we born with the skills for communication, or is it something that we have to learn or have taught to us? Four theories are looked at in this essay to determine how children acquire and then develop language. These theories include behaviourist, nativist, cognitivist and sociocultural. This essay will highlight some similarities and differences in each theory and what impact these have on a child’s acquisition and development of language. Lastly we will look at the implications of these theories when working with children. Can a classroom teacher deliver a quality literacy program based on just one of these theories or does it need to incorporate components of all four? Sims, (2012) pp. 21 states ‘’High-quality learning experiences in the early years of life enhance children’s cognitive and language skills’’. This places a great responsibility on educators and teachers alike to provide an environment which is rich in learning opportunities that will encourage both the acquisition and development of language.
Children’s acquisition of language has long been considered one of the uniquely defining characteristics of human behaviour.
South Melbourne: Cengage Learning. Gonzalez-DeHass, Alyssa R.; Willems, Patricia P. (2012). Theories in Educational Psychology : A Concise Guide to Meaning and Practice. Retrieved from http://www.eblib.com. Pound, Linda.
The behavioural approach is closely linked to behaviour psychology and guides the individual towards learning a language through direct interaction which people who speak the language. The natural behaviour of learning a language is linked to first listening to the language before gradually beginning to pick works, building sentences and eventually attempting conversation (Littlewood 2002). This requires for there to be a positive stimulus which keeps presenting the learning with opportunities to hear words, learn them and reply. It’s also the responsibility of the tutor of stimulator to re-enforce the individual confidence through encouragement, acknowledgement and polite corrections. The tutor or stimulus is a very important aspect linked to learning a second language but it’s also important to remember the individual must be able to bond with the educator to secure the required response while
Language acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language with natural communication while children are acquiring the foreign language. Children usually concerned with message which they are conveying and understand not with the form of utterances. These utterances are initiated by the acquired systems and the fluency of language is based on what we have ‘picked up’ through active communication. Both formal knowledge and conscious learning of the second language learning may be alternate to the output of the system, sometimes before and sometimes after the
WORKS CITED Krashen, Stephen. The. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. New York: Pergamon Press, 2003. 1982 Omaggio, Alice C. Teaching Language in Context.