Factors Affecting Language Learning Process

5 Internal Factors that Influence Language Learning

1. Personality

Is the student introverted or extroverted?

A student’s personality can affect how he learns a second language. More introverted
students have been shown to take longer to acquire a language because they are
more hesitant to make mistakes. Extroverted students, on the other hand, are more
likely to go out on a limb and try out their newly learned vocabulary. To ensure that
both personality types succeed, it is important to create an environment where
students understand that mistakes are part of the learning process and it is more
important to speak than to be perfect.

2. Motivation (Intrinsic)

Is the child being forced to learn, or does he want to learn the language?

When a child understands the importance of understanding a language and can see
how it directly applies to his life, he learns faster. A contextual, theme-based lesson
scheme can help get students become more excited to dive into language learning.
When they are interested in learning a language and they see meaningful
connections to their lives, they begin to take risks to produce language, which helps
them to acquire it faster.

Intrinsic motivation has been found to correlate strongly with educational

achievement. Clearly, students who enjoy language learning and take pride in their
progress will do better than those who don't.
3. Age

How old is a student when they start learning a foreign language?

While students of all ages can learn a foreign language, there is consensus that
certain aspects are affected by the age of the learner. It becomes harder for
students to have native pronunciation from the teen years. Some students also find
that it is more difficult to fully acquire a foreign language as they get older, but this
is not true of everyone.

Second language acquisition is influenced by the age of the learner. Children, who
already have solid literacy skills in their own language, seem to be in the best
position to acquire a new language efficiently. Motivated, older learners can be very
successful too, but usually struggle to achieve native-speaker-equivalent
pronunciation and intonation.

4. Prior Linguistic Knowledge

Is the language he is learning his first foreign language?

Once a child has studied and acquired a language, his skill at learning another new
language will increase. Language learners have the ability to translate skills from one
language to another because they are able to recognize the rules and patterns of
language, even if the vocabulary is different.

Students who are learning a second language which is from the same language
family as their first language have, in general, a much easier task than those who
aren't. So, for example, a Dutch child will learn English more quickly than a Japanese
child.

5. Experiences

Learners who have acquired general knowledge and experience are in a stronger
position to develop a new language than those who haven't. The student, for
example, who has already lived in 3 different countries and been exposed to various
languages and cultures has a stronger base for learning a further language than the
student who hasn't had such experiences.
6 External Factors that Influence Language Learning

1. Teaching Strategies

How is the language taught?

The strategies a language teacher uses have a big impact on language learning. How
does the teacher help students understand the concepts of a language? How does
the teacher take different learning styles into account, as well as different levels of
comprehension? For example, watching a film in the target language and writing and
performing skits in the target language address multiple learning styles. Offering an
immersion experience helps students connect the language learning to their everyday
lives, but rote vocabulary memorization and grammar drills create 'meaning-less'
language lessons.

Clearly, some language teachers are better than others at providing appropriate and
effective learning experiences for the students in their classrooms. These students
will make faster progress. The same applies to mainstream teachers in second
language situations. The science teacher, for example, who is aware that she too is
responsible for the students' English language development, and makes certain
accommodations, will contribute to their linguistic development.

2. Comprehensible Input

How attainable does the language feel to the student?

Stephen Krashen is known for developing the Input Hypothesis of Second-language

Acquisition. In this context, the titular “input” is the language curriculum. Krashen
wrote that teaching at just any level of difficulty isn’t sufficient: the input received by
a student must be comprehensible. In other words, the curriculum must reach a child
at their current level and challenge him with activities and just 1 (i+1) level beyond
their current stage. If the material feels out of reach, the student can feel “shut
down” and have trouble engaging with the lesson. To make sure that students feel
motivated to learn, it is important to ensure that they feel like they have the ability
to progress to the next level of learning.

3. Learning Environment

How does the child feel in the classroom?

Another key factor is how comfortable students feel in their language learning
environment. Does their classroom feel cold and tense, or positive and relaxing?
What’s the school’s culture and beliefs about language learning? A student’s learning
environment has an impact on their motivation—a low anxiety language learning
environment increases the chance for language acquisition.
4. Motivation (extrinsic)

Is another language spoken at the child’s home? What is his exposure level to
different languages?

Exposure is an important factor in language comprehension and acquisition. If a

student’s family only speaks one language, are they able to provide help when the
child needs it? It also matters how much value parents place in learning an additional
language. Parents who prioritize language learning are more likely to push their child
to keep trying even when it feels difficult.
Children who are given continuing, appropriate encouragement to learn by their
teachers and parents will generally fare better than those who are not given any.

5. Culture

Lev Vygotsky's theory suggests that, although children are born with the skills for
language development, development is affected and shaped by cultural and social
experiences. The culture in which a person develops will have its own values, beliefs
and tools of intellectual adaptation. These all have an effect on cognitive functions,
including language development. Vygotsky also believed that language is a result of
social interactions and that language is responsible for the development of thought.
Beverley Otto writes about the various differences that researchers have found when
studying the language development of children from different cultures. The
differences in language between cultures are evident when you compare how some
countries use several words to describe a concept and others use just one word to
describe the same concept.

6. Access to native speakers

The opportunity to interact with native speakers both within and outside of the
classroom is a significant advantage. Native speakers are linguistic models and can
provide appropriate feedback. Clearly, second-language learners who have no
extensive access to native speakers are likely to make slower progress, particularly in
the oral/aural aspects of language acquisition.
Sources:
https://www.whitbyschool.org/passionforlearning/9-factors-that-influence-language
learning

http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/factors.htm

https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2019/06/what-to-do-with-underachieving
students-a-quick-teacher-guide

https://www.hellomotherhood.com/chomskys-theory-on-childrens-language
development-5721474.html