| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study is to evaluate the four most influential cognitive theories
of language learning, namely, Interlanguage Theory, theories based on explicit implicit
L2 knowledge distinction, Variability Theories, and the Multidimensional
Model.
The claims made by these theories are identified, the research on which the claims
are based is evaluated, and the influences of the claims on L2 teaching are
discussed.
The evaluation shows that these theories reflect widely diverging positions
regarding which phenomena are in need of explanation and how this explanation
can best be provided, and that this makes the cognitive theories so complex and
inaccessible that they become difficult to understand. The evaluation also shows
that these theories have a great influence on L2 instruction. By analyzing and
discussing the claims and the empirical foundations of the theories, the purpose is
to bring the divergence between the theories to the awareness of the second
language practitioner and researcher.
The evaluation also leads to a number of observations being made concerning the
main arguments of the theories. With regard to Interlanguage Theory, the study
notes that cognitive strategies of L2 learning are regarded as central to L2 learning
and that, although the learner's Ll is an important determinant ofL2 acquisition, it
is not the only determinant and may not be the most important. The study also
observes that fossilisation is a major cause of failure by most L2 learners to achieve
full communicative competence similar to that of native speakers.
Another important observation is that learners follow broadly similar routes of
acquisition, although minor differences can also occur as a result of the learner's
L 1 and other factors, and that errors are the external manifestation of the
hypothesis-testing process, which is responsible for the continual revision of the
interlanguage system.
With regard to the theories based on explicit-implicit L2 knowledge distinction, the
study notes that L2 learners are assumed to possess dual competence, and that the
controversy over whether or not the two knowledge types interact has not yet been
resolved. From the perspective of the variability theories, L2 learners possess
multiple rather than dual competence.
The claims of the Multidimensional Model link up with the 'natural route' as
proposed by Interlanguage Theory or Krashen's (1982) 'Natural Order
Hypothesis', and predicts that L2 structures that are developmentally constrained
will not be acquired unless the learner has acquired the prerequisite structures, and
that some L2 structures will not be constrained by stages of development and will
thus be teachable.
The study concludes that although L2 acquisition research does not prescribe
methods of teaching, it gives explanatory support to formal interventions.
The study recommends that if researchers could look into possible ways of
resolving the debates concerning explicit-implicit L2 knowledge distinction, this
could lead to a coherent approach to language teaching. The study also
recommends that more information is needed on developmental features and how
to identify features that are variational. For features where specific orders have
been established, it would make sense for syllabus construction to present the
grammatical structures according to their natural order of acquisition. | en_US |
