Causative Variables
Jade watches TV in the target language but does not engage socially; her exposure is low in this.
Quality of exposure
___ is the theorist who proposed the Acculturation Model of second language acquisition.
John Schumann
According to Lenneberg, when does critical period for language aquisition typically occur?
From early childhood to puberty.
Knowledge that is easy to learn but difficult to use in real communication.
Explicit Knowledge
What are the limitations of using acculturation as a predictor of language proficiency?
Not all learners need or want to fully acculturate to acquire the language, especially in multilingual or professional contexts.
Programs where subjects are taught entirely in the target language are known as this.
Immersion
Schumann developed his theory as part of the broader field of ___ language acquisition.
Second Language
What is the core idea of Eric's Lenneberg Theory of second language acquisition?
Lennerberg's theory posits that language acquisition is biologically driven, with a critical period during childhood when the brain is most receptive to learning a second language,after which acquiring it becomes significantly more difficult.
How should teaching methods differ for learners within and beyond the critical period?
Younger learners benefit from immersive and implicit learning, while older learners may need explicit instruction and structured practice.
What is the main idea behind Schumann’s Acculturation Model of second language acquisition?
It proposes that successful language acquisition depends on how well a learner acculturates (adapts) socially and psychologically to the target language group.
How does length of exposure alone fail to predict proficiency in second language learners?
Because without active use and quality input, long exposure may not lead to acquisition.
It is the theory created by John Schumann
Acculturation
How does Lenneberg distinguish between language acquisition and general learning processes?
He argued that language acquisition is a biologically programmed process, separate from general cognitive or learning mechanisms.
What role do immersion and exposure play in effective language instruction?
Immersion provides natural, contextualized input, which is critical for developing intuitive language skills, especially in children.
What are the key criticisms of the Acculturation Model?
Critics argue it is overly simplistic, lacks empirical support, and doesn't fully explain individual differences in language learning.
How does cultural identification influence the cognitive and affective processes involved in second language acquisition?
Strong cultural identification enhances motivation, lowers affective filter, and facilitates deeper cognitive engagement with the target language.
Schumann’s theory emphasizes the importance of ___ and ___ distance between the learner and the target language group.
Social and psychological
What teaching strategies could compensate for a missed critical period in second language acquisition?
Strategies include metacognitive training, frequent practice, native-speaker interaction, and error correction with feedback.
How can educators support adult language learners who may be past the critical period?
By using cognitive strategies, structured grammar instruction, and real-life practice to compensate for reduced neural plasticity.
How does Schumann’s model compare to more cognitive or interactionist approaches to SLA?
Unlike cognitive models, which focus on internal processing mechanisms, Schumann’s model emphasizes external, environmental factors.
Why can high quantities of exposure without interaction sometimes lead to fossilization of errors?
Without feedback from interaction, learners may internalize incorrect forms.
The Acculturation Model links second language acquisition success to a learner’s level of ___ in the target culture.
What is the main premise of Eric Lenneberg’s theory of language acquisition?
Lenneberg argued that language is biologically innate and that humans have a critical period during which language acquisition must occur.
In the context of SLA, why is explicit instruction considered more effective than implicit exposure for learning specific language features, according to the meta-analysis by Goo et al. (2015)?
Because explicit instruction involves overt teaching of rules or forms, leading to better targeted learning and test performance.
Why does Schumann's Acculturation theory criticized as being too limited in second language acquisition?
because it mainly focuses on social and psychological distance, overlooking cognitive processes, individual learner differences, and the role of formal instruction