Language Acquisition Principles English Language

Language Acquisition Principles

English language learners (ELL) comprise a sector of the learning community that has been steadily increasing in the United States. With an ever-growing influx of immigrants, this is hardly surprising. This trend creates significant challenges for teachers and also for the natives speakers of English sharing the school with English language learners. This is an issue addressed by Mitsutomi & McDonald (2005), in their article, "Factors in Learning Second Language and Culture."

The article draws attention to a multiplicity of dimensions in the language learning sector. Firstly, the influx of foreign student into mainstream schools is driven by legislation that requires these students to receive mainstream education. Secondly, both experienced and new teachers are assumed to have the background and training necessary to help these students adjust in terms of both language and culture. Indeed, culture is a factor often overlooked when considering a teacher's work in the classroom, despite the fact that this is the most important influencing factor in learning a second or foreign language.

With this in mind, the authors' purpose in their research for the article was to consider the English proficiency levels of the learners considered for the study; the factors that influence acculturation and language acquisition, and how these interact to influence the ultimate performance of these learners.

Interestingly, the authors note that the relevant legislation does not require any foreign language training for potential teachers, despite expectations that language and culture content should be delivered in the intercultural classroom. This is problematic for the ultimate performance of the diverse students in a classroom. This causes the achievement gap between native speakers of English and their ELL counterparts is increasingly wide. Teachers are simply not equipped to identify and handle their needs and requirements.

In this light, the authors' findings indicate that there is a need for teachers to develop a much more targeted background in order to help them identify the needs and requirements for optimal performance of all students in a classroom. A good starting point is identifying the factors that influence ELL student performance. According to Mitsutomi & McDonald, these factors include motivation, linguistic and cultural identity, study strategies, tolerance for ambiguity, and sociocultural support.

Although these factors provide a generic indication of the difficulties faced by ELL students, it is also recognized that each student is an individual, and enters the school system under widely varying circumstances and with differing expectations. Notably, the acquisition of English is hardly at all found to be influenced by whether or not the student had studied English as a foreign language in the home country.

These findings have some specific implications for the classroom. In the practical sense, teachers must recognize their own need to become sensitive not only to the language, but also to the culture needs of ELL students. As such, they need to develop a background in foreign languages and culture in order to meet these needs.

Specifically, teachers can for example use this knowledge to promote mutual respect among their students. Groups of ELL students can for example be encouraged to construct presentations of their own cultures and languages, sensitizing their fellow learners and also teachers to the beauty and unique nature of the cultures displayed in this way.