Week 4 Reading reflection: Second Language Acquisition Theories

Among the many theories put forth by linguists and psychologists described in Chapter 2 of Lightbown and Spada book, i especially take interest in the Behaviourist theory, the affective filter hypothesis in Krashen's "monitor model" and the interaction hypothesis.

The reason why i'm interested in the behaviourism theory is because i find it very familiar to me. In fact, for a long period of time in my English learning process, my classmates and i were made to imitate our teacher and learn by heart most of the dialogues in the textbook. Then in the next class the teacher often called on some students and had us recite the whole dialogue. After that grades would be given depending on how much of the dialogue was properly covered. Although as students we usually complained with each other about how hard it was to memorize a passage written in a foreign language and only did it under the pressure of grades, it turned out in the end that to me and some of my friends, the language that we involuntarily memorized at some point returned to us with very little conciousness and became very helpful, especially when it comes to making conversations in English. From this personal experience, although i do not totally agree with the behaviorist theory, i do believe second language acquisition rests partially on habit formation, and imitation and memorization can be creatively utilized to make students get into the habit of using the target language. This, in my opinion, may work well in the EFL setting in which students have very few chances to be exposed to the target language outside the classroom. Therefore, in my future teaching, i will use imitation and memorization in a suitable amount to familiarize my students with the new language form, and the techniques being used will be more varied and interesting, not just the usual learn-by-heart.

Another hypothesis which is quite close to my heart is the affective filter. As indicated in the book, affective factors such as feelings, motive, needs, attitudes and emotional states can be a barrier that prevent learner from acquiring language. This theory is perfectly true in the foreign language teaching context in Vietnam. In fact, many native English teachers who come to Vietnam to teach English shared the same experience that the first time they went to class and asked students a question, most of the time the answer they received were long periods of silence! This does not mean that the students do not know the answer, it is either because they are not "brave" enough to raise their hands and give the answer, or they are not sure about the answer and thus fear to lose face. Besides cultural differences, affective elements such as shyness and anxiety have a part to play. This hypothesis therefore focuses my attention on students's feelings when teaching and how they can affect students' performance in learning a language. And as a teacher-to-be, i am determined on creating a relaxing study environment in which students will feel free to express their ideas in the target language without fear of losing face.

One last theory that i find practical and interesting is the interaction hypothesis and the concept of Zone of Proximal Development. This theory again reminds me of my time studying French. It now becomes clear to me that the reason why i often find myself struggle when speaking French is because i hardly have any social interaction in learning the language. There was a time when i thought i could practice speaking French to myself, but what turned out was i did not know how well i was nor whether or not i could be understood by other people. As a result, in my opinion, as language teachers it is necessary to give students ample opportunities to practice the language with their friends as well as native speakers of English or those who can produce good English. Also, it would help if teachers are well aware of learner capability so that they can design appropriate interaction activities to elevate students to their zone of proximal development.