Individual Learning Factors
Code: 100260 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500245 English Studies | OT | 3 | 0 |
| 2500245 English Studies | OT | 4 | 0 |
Contact
- Name:
- Olena Vasylets
- Email:
- Olena.Vasylets@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- english (eng)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- Yes
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
External teachers
- Olena Vasylets
Prerequisites
The course requires an initial level of English C1-C2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment), by which students can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning; they can express themselves fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions; they can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes; they can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
It is recommended to take this subject together with the subject Metodologia de l'ensenyament.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This course introduces the student to the analysis and description of individual differences in foreign language learning in relation to applied linguistics and the theories of foreign language learning and teaching. The course explores the relationship between foreign language learning and age, motivation, attitude, aptitude, anxiety and learning strategies and analises how these factors affect the learning process and outcomes. We will also deal with the relationship between learners’ individual differences and teaching practice.
At the end of the course the student will be able to:
- Understand the theories that analyse individual differences in forieng language learning.
- Apply foreign language learning theories to the study of individual differences.
- Understand and describe the relationship between the individual differences in language learning and learning outcomes.
- Understand research studies on individual differences and analyse their methodology.
- Critically analyse their teaching practice in relation to individual differences in foreign language learning.
- Develop strategies and techniques to address individual differences in the classroom.
- Understand the role of gender in second language acquisition.
Competences
- English Studies
- Demonstrate a comprehension of the relationship between factors, processes and phenomena of linguistics, literature, history and culture, and explaining it.
- Develop critical thinking and reasoning and knowing how to communicate effectively both in your mother tongue and in other languages.
- Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activities.
- Respect the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Working in an autonomous and responsible way in a professional or research environment in English or other languages, in order to accomplish the previously set objectives.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply the acquired knowledge in order to improve the general knowledge of linguistic and cultural diversity.
- Apply the acquired knowledge to the generation of innovative and competitive research on a basic level.
- Applying the acquired methodologies of work planning to work in an environment in the English language.
- Applying the acquired scientific and work planning methodologies to the research in English.
- Communicating in the studied language in oral and written form, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
- Demonstrate a master of the specific methods of individual academic work that prepare the student for a postgraduate specialised education in the same or a different field of study.
- Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
- Generate strategies to facilitate the increase and improvement of mutual respect in multicultural environments.
- Mastering the advanced knowledge and scientific methodologies related to linguistics, literature, history and culture that prepare the student for a postgraduate specialised education in the same or a different field of study.
- Produce new professional initiatives.
- Relating the individual factors with the linguistic and psychological theories of first and second languages.
- Students must be capable of comprehending advanced academic or professional texts in their own language or the another acquired in the degree.
- Students must be capable of precisely arguing ideas and opinions in their own language or another acquired in the degree.
Content
Introducció als factors individuals en l'adquisició del llenguatge.
- Successful and unsuccessful learners.
- Age: Critical Period Hypothesis. Phallacies of the Age Factor.
- Personality, gender, motivation and cognitive styles.
- Aptitude.
- Learning strategies.
- Individual differences and teaching practice.
Methodology
-Theoretical lectures with the use of technological support. Group discussions.
-Practical exercises.
-Tutoring sessions for the assignments.
-Readings of the recommended bibliography.
-Use of techonology and Moodle.
-Lecture summaries, elaboration of the notes of the readings. Individual and group work.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Practical activities | 15 | 0.6 | 3, 4, 2, 11 |
| Theoretical lectures. | 35 | 1.4 | 3, 4, 2, 1, 13, 12, 9, 6, 7, 5, 8, 10, 11 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Oral presentation | 4.5 | 0.18 | 13, 9, 6, 7, 5, 11 |
| Tutoring | 13 | 0.52 | 1, 13, 6, 7 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Individual assignments | 18 | 0.72 | 1, 12, 9, 6, 7, 5 |
| Reading of academic texts | 40 | 1.6 | 13, 12, 8, 10 |
| Use of technology and Moodle | 5 | 0.2 | 3, 4, 2, 10 |
Assessment
Please note:
• All items are obligatory.
• The delivery of 30% of assessment items (assignments / exercises / exams) excludes the possibility of obtaining the status of “not submitted” (NA) as a final course grade.
• The level of English will be taken into account in the correction of written work and in the final evaluation.
• VERY IMPORTANT: Total or partial plagiary of any of the exercises will automatically be considered “fail” (0) for the whole course, not only for the plagiarized item. Plagiary is copying one or more sentences from unidentified sources, presenting it as original work (THIS INCLUDES COPYING PHRASES OR FRAGMENTS FROM THE INTERNET AND ADDING THEM WITHOUT MODIFICATION TO A TEXT WHICH IS PRESENTED AS ORIGINAL). Plagiary is a serious offense. Students must learn to respect the intellectual property of others, identifying any source they may use, and take responsibility for the originality and authenticity of the texts they produce.
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
- Re-assessment:
Students can opt for re-assessment only if their grade is 3.5 and provided they have passed at least 70% of the course and have submitted all items. That is, only 30% of the course (the test or one assignment) can be re-assessed and only if the student has done all the exercises.
The following activities are not eligible for reassessment: guided readings, oral presentation.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided reading of the selected bibliography | 15% | 5 | 0.2 | 12, 7, 5 |
| Individual assignments (homework) | 40% | 10 | 0.4 | 4, 13, 12, 8, 10, 11 |
| Oral presentation in pairs based on the selected article | 15% | 3 | 0.12 | 3, 4, 2, 7, 5 |
| Written exam at the end of the semester | 30% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 3, 4, 2, 1, 13, 9, 6, 7, 5, 8, 11 |
Bibliography
Bialystok, Ellen. (2002). On the reliability of robustness: A reply to DeKeyser. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 24: 481-488.
Block, David. "Language and gender and SLA." Quaderns de Filologia. Estudis Linguistics 7 (2002): 49-73.
Cao, Yiqian. & Philip, Jenefer. 2006. Interactional context and willingness to communicate: a comparison of behaviour in whole class, group and dyadic interaction. System 34, 480–93.
Csizer, Kata and Z. Dörnyei, Zoltán. (2005). Language learners’ motivational profiles and their motivate learning behaviour. Language Learning 55: 613–59.
DeKeyser, Robert. (2000). The robustness of critical period effects in second language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 22: 499-533.
Dornyei, Zoltán (2005). The Psychology of the Language learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Dörnyei, Zoltán (2006). Individual differences in second language acquisition. AILA Review 19 (2006), 42-68.
Dörnyei, Zoltán & Csizer, Kata. (1998). Ten commandments for motivating language learners. Language Teaching Research 2: 203-229.
Gan, Zhengdong., Humphreys, Gillian and Hamp-Lyons, Liz(2004). Understanding successful and unsuccessful EFL students in Chinese universities. The Modern Language Journal 88, 229-244.
Horwitz, Elaine. (2001). Language anxiety and achievement. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 21, 112-126.
Johnson, Janice, Prior, Suzanne, & Artuso, Mariangela. (2000). Field dependence as a factor in second language communicative production. Language Learning 50, 529-567
Lundberg, Ingvar. "Second language learning and reading with the additional load of dyslexia." Annals of Dyslexia 52.1 (2002): 165-187.
Macaro, Ernesto (2006). Strategies for language Learning and for language use: revising the theoretical framework. Modern Language Journal 90, 320–37.
Miller-Guron, Louise, and Ingvar Lundberg (2000). Dyslexia and second language reading: A second bite at the apple?. Reading and Writing 12, 41-61.
Ortega, Lourdes (2009) Understanding Second Language Acquisition London: Hodder Education
Robinson, Peter (2005). Aptitude and second language acquisition. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 25, 46-75.
Pavlenko, Aneta et al. (Eds.). (2001). Multilingualism, second language learning, and gender (Vol. 6). Walter de Gruyter.
Tseng, Wen-ta, Zoltán Dörnyei, & Norbert Schmitt (2006). A new approach to assessing strategic learning: the case for self-regulation in vocabulary acquisition. Applied Linguistics 27: 78–102.
Verhoeven, Ludo & Anne.Vermeer. (2002). Communicative competence and personality dimensions in first and second language learners. Applied Psycholinguistics 23, 361–74.