Individual Differences

in L2 Acquisition
Outline of chapter

 Language Aptitude and its Components

 Motivation and its types
 Learning Strategies
Language Aptitude
 The extent to which they posses a natural ability for learning L2
 It is different from intelligence
 Intelligence is the knowledge while aptitude is the application of
knowledge
Components of Aptitude
John Caroll gave the components of language aptitude that are
following:
 Phonemic coding ability

 Grammatical sensitivity

 Rote learning ability

 Inductive language learning ability

 Phonemic coding ability
 It is the to identify the sounds of a foreign language and ability to
handle the sound symbol relationship.
 For example: ‘th’ sound stands for what.
 This= ðɪs not θiːs
 Ship= ʃɪp

Grammatical Sensitivity
It is the ability to recognize the grammatical functions of the words in a
sentence
For example: subject and object
She buys her sister a book.
 Inductive language learning ability
 The ability to identify patterns of correspondence and relations between
form and meaning
 For example: ‘to’ denote direction and ‘at’ location

Rote Learning
 it is the ability to form and remember associations between stimuli
 It is important in vocabulary learning.
Relation of language aptitude and L2
Acquisition
 Learners who score highly on language aptitude test learn rapidly
and achieve high level of proficiency
 Relationship of language aptitude and L2 proficiency took place in
1950s and 1960s
MOTIVATION
MOTIVATION
The attitudes and affective states that influence the
degree of effort that learners make to learn L2
 TYPES OF MOTIVATION

• Instrumental Motivation
• Integrative Motivation
• Resultative Motivation
• Intrinsic Motivation
 INSTRUMENTAL MOTIVATION
Effort made by learner to learn L2 for some functional reason
For example:
To pass examination
To get a job
To get a place at university
 INTEGRATIVE MOTIVATION

Learners may choose to learn a

particular L2 because they are
interested in the people and
culture represented by the
target language group
For example: many English
speaking Canadians are
interested to learn French
In other learning context, Integrative motivation does not
seem to be so important
For example: Less integratively oriented Mexican women in
California were more successful in learning English

Researchers call it ‘Machiavellian motivation’, the desire to

learn L2 in order to manipulate and overcome the people of a
target language
 RESULTATIVE MOTIVATION

Learner is motived as a result of

success in learning. Learners are
highly motivated in case of success
in learning while others are less
motivated.
For example: In Canada, success in
learning French may intensify English
speaking learners’ liking for French
culture
 INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
Intrinsic motivation refers to behaviour
that is driven by internal rewards. In
other words, the motivation to engage
in a behaviour arises from within the
individual because it is naturally
satisfying to you.
This contrasts with extrinsic motivation,
which involves engaging in a
behaviour in order to earn external
rewards or avoid punishment.
PRESENTED BY:
MEMOONA MANZOOR
DEFINITION:

“Learning strategies are the particular

approaches and techniques that learners try to
employ to learn an L2.”
• They can be BEHAVIORAL
• For example: Repeating new words aloud to help you
to remember them.

• They can be MENTAL

• For example: To infer the meaning of the word
according to linguistic or situational context.
• Cognitive strategies
• Metacognitive strategies
• Social/affective strategies
• The strategies which involves the analysis, synthesis, or
transformation of learning materials is known as
cognitive strategy.

• For Example: recombination; which involves

reconstructing a meaningful sentence by recombining
known elements of the L2 in a new way.
• For Example:
• Reading cognitive strategies involves monitoring, tapping
prior knowledge, and making predictions which
help readers develop their comprehension skills.
• Involves planning, monitoring, and evaluating learning.

• For example: selective attention, where the learner makes a

conscious decision to attend to particular aspects of the
input.
• Concern the ways in which learners choose to interact
with other speakers.
• For example, Questioning for clarification, (i.e. asking
for repetition, a paraphrase).
• After the first day on the job, the bank’s new manager realized
he would be busier than he had been led to believe. Not only
was he assisting the bank tellers with their work, but his new
boss had decided to inundate him with other tasks like creating
security systems, managing the bank’s deposits and refunds,
securing loans, and maintaining the daily operations. The new
manager was exhausted as he locked the bank up for the night.
• Write about your skills and abilities for hiring
committee.