A STUDY ON THE USE OF CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE AS MOTIVATION FOR SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN THE CONTEXT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEAC

thạc sỹ, luận văn, ngoại ngữ, tiếng anh, khóa luận, chuyên đề

I, Nguyen Nhu Mai, justify that this is the result of my own research and the substance

of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted by any degree to any other university orinstitution

Hanoi, September 2007

Nguyen Nhu Mai

I would, first and foremost, like to send my thanks to Dr Duong Thi Nu for her tirelesssuggestions and invaluable recommendations Her in time correction and constructivecomments have been indispensable in making this minor paper a complete reality

My thanks also go to the teachers and students of Hanoi School for Foreign LanguageGifted Students in taking part in the survey and providing useful feedback, which arefundamental in the completion of this study

Finally, I am also grateful to my friends and relatives for the help and assistance, bothmaterially and spiritually during the course of my writing

The study focuses on exploring the relationship between the impact of classroomdiscipline on second language acquisition, and to find out whether classroom discipline has apositive or negative impact on the students’ level of second language acquisition Towards thisend, the writer starts by looking for different sources of theoretical background, both frombooks and from the Internet This makes up Chapter I of the Study The background theorydeals with three main issues that are most outstanding from the study, including theories ofclassroom discipline, motivation and second language acquisition The inter-relationshipamong these aspects are also discussed in the analysis part following each theory description

The most important part of the study, however, is the research methodology, which isdescribed in details in Chapter II In this Chapter, the writer tries to find out the impacts ofsome codes of classroom discipline on students’ motivation in second language learning bymeans of a questionnaire, an interview and the writer’s own observation At the same time,students and teachers’ feedback are called for regarding the effectiveness of these codes ofclassroom discipline and their actual practicality Recommendations for other types ofdiscipline codes are also sought after from both teachers and students by asking for suggestedsolutions to the classroom disruption

The results are really worth taking into account Despites the effectiveness of some ofthe discipline codes on students’ performance during language lessons, there are also warningsagainst the overuse of discipline codes during the lesson, which is sometimes more harmfulthan otherwise The writer, therefore, proposed some implications to motivation in secondlanguage acquisition by improving classroom discipline

1.4 Factors affecting discipline and motivation in a language classroom 11

1.8 Relationship between classroom discipline and second language acquisition 21

2.4.1.1 Factors/Causes leading to Students’ disruptive behaviours 24

2.5 Implications to motivation in Second Language Acquisition 31

List of graph

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the Study

Methods to achieve a successfully carried out language lesson have been underinvestigation for decades And as pedagogical theorists go in different directions towards thisends, they come up with significantly dissimilar results, among which researches intodiscipline problems as means of motivation for second language acquisition are increasinglyprominent It has been pointed out that apparently the success of a given language lesson can

be threatened by any single student who misbehaves in class Thus, the minimization of thesedisruptive behaviors would mean the less chance of rule – breaking as well as the morelikelihood of motivation from the students

There have been numerous studies in second language acquisition, yet not many ofthem refer to the aspects of discipline in motivating second language acquisition This studywould contribute a different look at one of the factors of second language acquisition that havebeen under investigation for ages

Also, it is the writer’s personal interests, as a language teacher, in the field ofmanaging discipline in language classrooms and motivating students in their second languageacquisition Hopefully, the study would become handy for those who share the same interestsand concerns about the problems as well as the solutions suggested

2 Significance of the Study

Studies on types of motivation for second language acquisition, as pointed out, havebeen going on for a long time, among which discipline is rarely under research This studyshall equip teachers with knowledge about all codes of disciplines and the methods to usethem effectively to motivate students in their study

Therefore, this study, hopefully, would be of contribution in an area where lots ofstudies are needed

3 Scope of the Study

The study mainly deals with the practical issues of second language acquisition in theclassroom, therefore only the main theoretical aspects of linguistics shall be under discussion

in the study

The study seeks to deal with problems occurring in a language classroom in the firstplace It is, therefore, not the writer’s wish to trace the problems as far as the deep – rootedpsychological features of the students, which would otherwise turn the study into a psychologyoriented rather than an applied linguistic one

4 Aims of the Study

It is the writer’s first and foremost aim to provide theoretical knowledge aboutdiscipline management, motivation maintenance and second language acquisition This ismade possible by a systematic analysis of language scholars and writers’ studies Aconsiderable number of theorists being analyzed would make sure the validity and credibility

of the study

The study is designed in a way that different kinds of possible interferences are underinvestigation, and so are ways to maintain discipline and motivate language acquisition in alanguage classroom It also goes further to point out specific steps towards helping teachers in

a certain classroom to make the most use of their lesson time and prevent disruptive behaviors

in class

5 Overview of the Study

The Study would be developed into two main Chapters, in which Chapter I would bespent on the theoretical background to the issue under investigation, including theories ondiscipline, motivation, second language acquisition and their interrelationships

The findings from this review of literature would create a basis for the actual research

to follow in Chapter II The research would be carried out in the form of a questionnaire,supported by follow up interviews will teachers and students The data shall be analyzed anddiscussed in full details with different options for recommendation

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Classroom discipline

1.1 Definition of ‘discipline’:

The efforts to define discipline have been carried out in a long and exhausting period

of time A satisfactory definition of discipline, however, has not yet been agreed on.Pedagogical theorists go in diversed directions to define and come back with significantlydifferent outcomes, which serves to emphasize that research into this field are yet open andvery promising

Oxford Learner’s Dictionary (1996) puts discipline as ‘the practice of making peopleobey rules or standards of behaviours and punishing them when they do not’

In Oxford Advanced Dictionary (1995), discipline is referred to as ‘the training orcontrol, often using a system of punishment, aimed at producing obedience to rules’

Webster’s New World Dictionary defines Discipline as “training that develop self –control, character, orderliness and efficiency”, “accepting of or submission to authority andcontrol”, and “a system of rules or methods or the conduct of members of a monastic order”.Webster defines “to discipline is to develop by instruction and exercise” Discipline isteaching and learning, it is not punishment Discipline is two-dimensional, for it involves bothimposed and self discipline

Penny Ur in ‘A Course in Language Teaching’ (1996) accepts the view of discipline as

a synthesis presence of a number of complementary factors She also emphasizes the equalimportance among the factors as well as pictures the general look of a disciplined classroom(p 259):

‘ The phrase ‘classroom discipline’ has for most teachers as immediate clear meaning,but it is in fact quite a complex concept, and hard to define in word One way into such adefinition is to start by brainstorming all the ideas that seem to you to be comprised in it

The concept of discipline:

Smooth-running process is the main outward manifestation of discipline in theclassroom, as it is in any other organization; and there has to be co-operation of participants inorder to produce this It must be noted, however, that co-operation between students, orbetween students and teacher is not necessarily either willing or democratic: it may well be aresult of coercion or fear There are all sorts of ways of bringing it about, you have your ownideas about what methods are ethically, educationally, personally or practically acceptable andwhich are not.’

A briefer and possibly more sensible definition is later stated by Penny Ur (1996,p.270) which has it that ‘Classroom discipline is a state in which both teachers and learnersaccept and consistently observe a set of rules about behaviors in the classroom whose function

is to facilitate smooth and efficient teaching and learning in the lesson.’

A course team from Deakin University, Victoria (Expectations about classrooms,1981), go further to explain discipline problems in the light of interpersonal relationshipsbetween teachers and learners In this exhaustive research, they investigate the differenttheories of interpersonal relationships, human needs and the therapeutic relationship inteaching and learning, all of which help pave the ways for discipline problems to be discussedand analyzed

Jeremy Harmer (1991, p 249) refers to disruptive behaviours as one way of definingdiscipline His main concerns lie in the reasons for discipline and the trends towards theemergence of the disruptive behaviors:

‘At some stage of their lives, all teachers encounter disruptive behavior- a student orstudents whose behaviors gets in the way of the class Such outbursts are frequently hostile tothe teacher or the other students and they can be difficult to deal with.’

Disruptive behavior is not confined to one age group Eleven-year-olds can becomeincredibly unruly and noisy, and adolescents may become completely unresponsive anduncooperative Adult students are disruptive in different ways They may publicly disagreewith the teacher or try to become the class character to the detriment of their peers There are alots of ways of a disrupting a class.’

Whether discipline and discipline problems are discussed either directly or indirectly,subjectively or objectively, it all boils down to a number of sub factors First, it is the learnersand the teachers who play the primary role in managing a disciplined atmosphere in theclassroom In the light of Communicative Language Teaching, where the roles of the learnersand the learner-centred concept are the main concern, the teacher’s importance, seemingly, isunderestimated When it comes to solving classroom problems, however, the teacher’s role ismore than needed with all the discipline management tools at their disposal The learningenvironment is also an indispensable factor in shaping a smooth- running process in thelanguage classroom This may be a composite of the classroom itself, the lesson routines, theaudio-visual aids, etc The triangle of the teacher, the learner and the environment are theultimate subjects concerning classroom discipline that researchers have been trying to filterand analyze

I.2 Types of classroom discipline:

“Throughout the history of classroom education, many different types of disciplinarysystems have been applied by teachers and other authority figures in schools for the solepurpose of controlling student behaviour These systems include corporal punishment,psychological abuse or neglect and assertive discipline”

The types of classroom discipline are different nowadays that corporal punishment hasbeen considered illegal in some countries Even in Vietnam, hardly any classes use corporalpunishment as a means of classroom discipline, especially with language classes wherestudents are all expected to behave themselves However, discipline is still an issue underinvestigation in language classrooms, as this is an important factor leading to the success oflearner’s language acquisition Once the students behave well in class, they will be moremotivated in their study, thus the chances of success in language learning are greater to them

Followings are example of some methods for dealing with classroom discipline thathave been investigated in the research.

 Non-verbal communication: Body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact,

and physical proximity all can be effective in promoting self-control by the student(Jones) It important that a teacher is aware enough to be able to recognize whenmisbehavior may occur, and to have non-verbal methods to prevent escalation Kouninrefers to this level of awareness as "Withitness"

 Reminders/Requests: It is possible that a verbal reminder of the classroom rules and

consequences will be all that is necessary to stop student misbehavior (Curwin andMendler)

 Redirecting Behavior: Upon an act of misbehavior, a teacher may describe the action

to the student and suggest an acceptable alternative action The student usually onlyhas to be reminded of what he is supposed to be doing For example, "Instead ofreading that newspaper, I would like you to work on your homework for the next fiveminutes You can read the paper later."

 Dealing with attention-seeking students: If a teacher ignores an attention seeking

student, the misbehavior usually escalates to a level which eventually cannot beignored Therefore, it is best if the teacher can redirect the student’s behavior, andattempt to give the student attention when he is not demanding it This methodencourages students to seek motivation from within, instead of depending on attentionfrom without (Dreikurs)

 Avoid Power Struggles: It is important that the authority figure in the classroom (the

teacher) not engage in power struggles with students It is best to redirect a seeking student's behavior by offering some position of responsibility or decisionmaking

power- Address the behavior, not the character of the student: The teacher has the power

to build or destroy student self concept and personal relationships Goodcommunication addresses the situation directly, letting the student decide whether theirbehavior is consistent with what they expect of themselves (Glasser)

 Invoking Consequences: To be effective, consequences must be applied consistently.

They should never be harmful physically or psychologically to the student When theyare invoked, the student should understand that he has chosen them by misbehaving(Cantor and Cantor)

 Prevent Escalation: Sometimes students are unwilling to listen to the teacher At this

point, a teacher can help prevent misbehavior from escalating by talking (and listening)with the student privately, and rationally discuss the problem behavior The privacyenhances the possibility for a constructive discussion Confrontation with an unwillingstudent could make the teacher appear weak in front of the class (Curwin andMendler)

I.3 Definition of ‘motivation’:

Generally speaking, teachers know intuitively what is meant by motivation Theybelieve they can tell whether the learners are actively taking part in the activities andperforming fruitfully or not They are sensitive to any changes in the learners’ psychologicalmanifestation in the classroom They react differently to these changes with the hope to re-motivate their students in their learning process In all the cases, motivation referred to as thekey factor in eliciting perfect performance from the learners

As overused as the term may sound, learners’ motivation in language teaching andlearning have been favored by pedagogical theorists for decades Needless to say, studies intothis very field can be found in a million Although different theorists come to contact with theterm from different directions, they seem to vote on one single agreement, which has it that

‘Learners’ motivation makes teaching and learning immeasurably easier and more pleasant, aswell as more productive’

In the book entitled ‘Expectations about classrooms’, the course team from DeakinUniversity, Victoria (1981) had done a series of researchers and studies before reaching to aconclusion regarding the definition of motivation (p 61):

‘Motivation is the term used to describe what energizes a person and directs hisactivity These two notions of energy and direction are at the concept of motivation.’

‘Motivation is one of the factors, like intellectual ability or prior learning that affectswhether the pupil will gain the knowledge we want him to have The motivated pupil willlearn more effectively, the unmotivated pupil is likely to cause disturbances in the classroom’.

Penny Ur (1996, p.277-p.280) pays due attention to the outward manifestation of amotivated classroom rather than its underlying causes As it is stated, she finds it easier andmore useful to think of the definition of motivation in terms of the motivated learner: one who

is willing or even eager to invest effort in learning activities and to progress

Interestingly, in the search to avoid the negative extreme of the learners where theybecome frustrated, dissatisfied with the class, the teacher and the lesson and want to drop out,methodologists have restlessly come up with new ideas on boosting, stirring and motivatinglearners In one such study, Bernard Spolsky (1989, p.83) quotes one of Gardner’s remarks:

‘Motivation involves four aspects, a goal, effortful behaviour, a desire to attain the goaland favorable attitudes towards the activity in question These four aspects are notundimensional’

He then goes on to further analyze the four aspects, which eventually leads him to histhree components of motivation in the socio-educational model: attitudes towards learning thesecond language, desire to learn the language, and effort made to learn the language Thereasons could not be simpler: Readers are open to understanding the term as they wishequipped with an intensively and extensively possible background information on its lengthyhistory The view can either be shared or be argued but it is worth careful consideration andjudgment from the readers before any conclusion could be reached

Among the many pedagogical theorists on language teaching methodology andmotivation particularly, the writer would choose to analyze three representatives with theirresearch into the definition of motivation, in terms of its components, its classification and itsunderlying causes

Generally speaking, the attitudes towards learning the second language will pave waysfor the desire to learn the language and the effort made to learn it The latter two componentscan easily be realised once the attitudes are established In his analysis of earlier works,Bernard Spolsky (1898, p 85) introduces two kinds of attitudes:

‘The first is integrativeness, a cluster of attitudes relating to outgroups and foreignlanguages in general as well as attitudes towards the specific language community andintegrative orientation to language study The second is attitudes towards the languagesituation as a whole, including the teacher and the course itself’.

The choice of attitudes will accordingly affect the other two factors, hence thedifference in ways of motivating a given learner Being a teacher trainee, one is supposed to befully aware of the needs and wants of learners, in order to best motivate them in their study

Interrelationship between discipline and motivation in the language classroom:

The understanding of the interrelationship between discipline and motivation can betriggered by considering the following situation which is proposed by the course team fromDeakin University (1981):

Jim has always been bothersome in Mr A’s class Jim constantly talks loudly to thosenear him, pokes other pupils, drop books and other materials on the floor, fails to complete settasks on time and fires wet paper across the room Then one warm mid-morning, shortly a curtsharp warning, ‘shut up, Jim!’, Mr A erupted in an essay period Jim had knocked his booksand writing materials to the floor during a noisy scuffle with the boy next to him ‘Youclumsy, stupid, crazy idiot!’ shouted Mr A as he rushed to Jim’s seat and grabbed him by thescuff of the neck ‘Stand up! Get to the back of the room! Yes! There! Stand in that corneraway from everyone! You stay there till lunchtime! When others go for lunch, come to me tofix times for you to stay in to complete your essay without disrupting others!’

Were Mr A’s actions justified? Would you have done the same? Why? Whatimplications, if any, do Mr A’s actions have for motivating Jim in the future? Are other ways

of dealing with the situation which would have motivating Jim?

The preceding situation draws attention to the importance of proper motivation devicestowards dealing with discipline problems in the classroom Evidently, the more proper thedevices are, the more chances there will be for discipline problems to be solved, hence theincreased amount of motivation available At the first glance, this sounds like a vicious circlewhere one thing leads to another before culminating in itself A more thorough look at the

situation will result in quite a different feeling of the relationship between discipline andmotivation.

In the early research, the Deakin University course team had referred to thisrelationship, which is as follows:

Motivation is one of the factors, like intellectual ability or prior learning that affectswhether pupil will gain the knowledge or skill we want him to have The motivated pupil willlearn more effectively The unmotivated pupil is likely to cause disturbances in the classroom(1981, p 61)

There is a common mistaken assumption that classroom discipline is achieved by theteacher’s wielding if authority and the skilled use of classroom management strategies In fact,

as Penny Ur puts it in her book ‘A Course in Language Teaching’ (1996, p.354) disciplineproblem management is a real problem, ‘which can lead to extremely stressful, intimidatingand distressing situations for the teachers’ It has little to do with the authority of the teacher.Rather, focus is placed mainly on the learning process The term ‘motivation’ fits in thiscontext nicely

It is unfortunate that, however, that the practice of using motivation devices to limitindiscipline problems is not shared by all teachers, some of whom feel contented in the deep-rootedly traditional way of punishment to maintain discipline In most of the cases, the resultwould be disappointing The outlined interrelationship between discipline and motivation maycast a different light on the current pedagogical methodology Although it is addressed fromdifferent directions, it serves to stress on one and the same main point: the understanding ofthis relationship is exclusively vital for discipline to be satisfactorily maintained

I.4 Factors affecting discipline and motivation in a language classroom:

When it comes to studying discipline and motivation as a whole, a question is oftenraised: What brings about discipline and motivation in a language classroom? To answer thequestion, pedagogical theorists have their own sayings, which can be summarized in a nutshellthat the factors affecting discipline and motivation in a language classroom include: the

teacher’s roles, the learners’ differences and other objective subfactors We are going to coverthese categories in greater details.

I.4.1 The teacher’s roles

Penny Ur (1996, p262) points out some of the teacher’s responsibilities towards disciplinemanagement, including:

Among the million possible responsibilities shouldered by the teachers when it comes

to establishing a disciplined and motivated classroom, the outlined qualities seem relevant andjustified as far as a given classroom is concerned commonly

For a more detailed understanding of the roles of the teacher in language classroom, it

is worth looking at the study of Tony Wright on ‘The Roles of Teachers and Learners’ (1987)

In the study, he discusses the social and cultural background determining a teacher’s reactionsand resolutions A teacher is characterized by his attitudes and beliefs on the values, status,rights, duties and obligations Furthermore, a sense of power may have set teachers apart fromlearners These characteristics are later further supported by the writer explaining the twomajor roles in the classroom:

- To create the conditions under which learning can take place: the social side ofteaching

- To impart, by a variety of means, knowledge to their learners: the task-oriented side ofteaching

All in all, a teacher can be addressed as a manager, an instructor, a resource, a guide,

an evaluator, an organizer who helps facilitate and accelerate the learning process

In this light, a number of roles of a teacher are listed in the book entitled ‘ The Practice

of English Language Teaching’ (Jeremy Harmer, 1991) The writer chooses to view the

teacher as an informant, a facilitator, a monitor, an assessor, an organizer, a controller, amanager, who acts interchangeably within the classroom hours.

Another categorization of the teaching roles can be found in Donn Byrne’s study(1989), in which he proposes three different categories of teacher:

- The explainer: this kind of teacher knows their subject matter very well, but has littleknowledge of teaching methodology He relies mainly on ‘explaining’ or ‘lecturing’ as

a way of conveying information to the students

- The involver: this teacher also knows the subject matter that is being dealt with.However, he is also familiar with teaching methodology He his able to use appropriateteaching and organization procedures and techniques to help his students learn aboutthe subject matter

- The enabler: this teacher knows about the subject matter and about methodology, butalso has an awareness of how individuals and groups are thinking and feeling withinhis class He actively responds to this in his planning and working methods and inbuilding effective working relationships and a good classroom atmosphere Hispersonality and attitudes are an active encouragement to learning

Mary Underwood (1987), however, understands the roles of a teacher in a differentlight In her study, she suggests a teacher should first and foremost ‘know himself’ This,accordingly, entails a number of inner fields that a teacher is supposed to know, including hislanguage ability, talents, specialist knowledge, general knowledge, teaching skills andopportunities for self-development

The roles of the teachers, overall, may exist in a million There never seems to be asatisfactory classification for all It is, however, worth pointing out that whatever faces ateacher may wear within her class hour, she is having her role processed and actualized

1.4.2 Learners’ differences:

The term ‘Learners’ differences’ comes from on of Penny Ur’s study, which has little

to do with the roles that learners play in maintaining a disciplined and motivated languageclassroom atmosphere In fact, learners themselves are directly responsible to any violation of

discipline within the classroom The situation is worsened when they receive no motivation orencouragement from the adults This results from the problematic stages of developmentproposed by Tony Wright (1987, p.51):

‘The social climate of the classroom depends a great deal on the strength of eachindividual’s contribution Despite the tendency towards establishing group norms of behaviour

in the classroom, every learner remains an individual; no learning group is ever totallyhomogeneous except in cases of a shared culture or roughly compatible age ranges Evenwithin such a group there is likely to be a series of differences between the individual learners

In any group, the members are at different stages of personal and intellectual (cognitive)development.’

It is these different stages of development that is answerable to the writer’s laterclassification of four main types of learners: the enthusiasts, the oracular, the participator andthe rebel

Generally speaking, a learner’s role is place in accordance with a teacher’s That iswhy while ‘teacher would be expected as a minimum part of their role to have adequateknowledge of their subject matter, to know something of how children learn and develop and

to be able to devise appropriate learning/teaching experiences, in the light of these twoconsiderations, pupils would be expected as a minimum part of their role to be interested inbeing learners, to develop skills of listening to a teacher’s exposition of a topic and to acquirethe skills of reading about and understanding subject matter as well as developing some skillwith numbers’ (Cortis, 1997, p.20)

1.4.3 Other objective factors:

For some time, people are under the misassumption that a smooth-running a class isthe place where teachers and learners work to their fullest capacity, without noticing that thecapacity can be achieved in relation to a number of objective factors in addition to the roles ofteachers and learners Many a resource book for teachers take these factors for granted whileoffering sound, detailed, practical, down-to-earth advice for teachers to resume discipline andlearners to be motivated Needless to say, this kind of advice is bound to find itself ineffective,and thus, neglective

Mary Underwood (1987) in her exhaustive research on class management hassucceeded in covering the different aspects of the language classroom besides the traditionalformation of teachers and learners She suggested a three-tier model of the institution, theclassroom and the teaching aids:

- The institution:

 the philosophy of the school

 other teachers’ attitudes

 the extent of teacher’s responsibility

 the general pattern of staff behaviour

- The classroom itself:

 the lightness/ brightness

 the temperature/ fresh air

 the acoustics

 the lines of vision

 the layout of desks/ tables

 the facilities for displaying pictures/ charts

- The teaching aids:

 the black/ white board

 the overhead projector

 the slide projector

 the audio cassette/ tape recorder

 the language laboratory

 the video recorder

 the other audio systemThese factors, if well utilized by both teachers and learners, will leave a positive effect

on the learning process as a whole and students particularly If the students are situated in awell lighted room, with fresh air and no block of the vision, they stand more chances of beingmotivated, thus taking part in the lesson more rigorously and actively When they are bettercared for by the school authority, have accesses to the most updated classroom facilities, they

feel less inclined to be up to disruptive behaviour Besides, they are greatly relieved when theburden of learning is justified from their shoulders, when they understand that learning is notmerely for learning’s sake Thus, together with the teacher and learner’s roles in general, theseoutlined objective factors play a considerable important role in discipline and motivationmaintenance.

1.5 Definition of Second Language Acquisition

Since the early childhood of second language teaching, language acquisition has been asubject of interest to many linguists People move from trying to define the term to proposingdifferent theories to explain this term Although there have been no single theory that is mostwidely accepted, the different perspectives of second language acquisition are really worthlooking at These studies on Second Language Acquisition is applicable in both linguistics andteaching methodology fields

It is first worth noticing that Krashen S in his book called “Second LanguageAcquisition and Second Language Learning” has it that:

“Language acquisition is very similar to the process children use in acquiring first and

second languages It requires meaningful interaction in the target language naturalcommunication in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances butwith the messages they are conveying and understanding.”

It can be seen that in the attempts to explain how human beings can acquire differentlanguages at the same time, researchers resort to psychologists for answer to how peopleacquire their first language

Since then, there have been numerous studies on how language is acquired andespecially how second language is acquired Many of these focuses on exploring the types offactors that constitutes second language As it has been pointed out, “Current theories ofsecond language acquisition are based on years of research in a wide variety of fields,including linguistics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and neurolinguistics” (Freeman &Freeman, 2001)

“The study of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is an increasingly interdisciplinaryfield that draws on various branches of linguistics as well as cognitive psychology, educational