Stephen van Vlack
Sookmyung Women`s University
Graduate School of TESOL
Second Language Learning Theories
Spring 2007
Week 14 - Answers
Mitchell and Myles, Chapter 9: Conclusion
1. Based on the information in this course how has your view of the field of SLA changed?
The basic goal of this course has been to expose you to the field of SLA in a more inclusive way. Based on this I hope that everyone has a wider view of the field and that you are now more aware of some of the variability which exists in the area. At some point it must also be acknowledged that despite its variability, there are parallel fields to SLA, such as bilingualism and multilingualism which tackle ultimately the same questions but from a vastly different point of view. As we have seen the focus in SLA is a distinctly negative one in that it focusses primarily on explaining deficits or problem areas in second or subsequent language learning rather than successes. The assumption is that learners in the area of SLA fail, but this is far from the truth. While this is not the main point I want you to get from this class it is one thing that can`t be ignored. This basically negative approach has also lead, certainly in part, to the large amount of variability found in SLA approaches. So the main point is that SLA is highly diverse field with many individuals toiling away in diverse areas often blissfully unaware and therefore unaffected by others. In reality people seem quite content to work in their own area of expertise and theoretical leaning. So, there are no rights and wrongs. Everything is just theory.
2. Based on what we discussed in this course and the readings you did how you think the field of SLA will change over the next few years? Explain with details.
Of course it is always hard to predict the future, but hopefully in the course of this class you have gained some insight into the field of SLA and this insight has allowed you to feel capable of making a few educated guesses as to the future. One of the main things we have learned is that SLA has been and, for the foreseeable future, will continue to be a field quite divided. In this respect it is hard to envision any radical changes taking hold. Since the field is dived into so many different camps the information has a tendency to be localized.
There are a great many aspects to learning and if language learning in general is even more complicated then second language learning is even more so. There are so many variables that people tend to stick to particular ones. This also means that most researchers in SLA are not aware of other theories and models out there, nor are they particularly open to ideas which may conflict with their own thoughts and research. Bear in mind that there are no widely accepted inclusive models of second language learning. This is a testament to the fragmentary nature of the discipline.
The fact that connectionism has been around for 20 years without having a great effect on the field shows that people are confused about options, especially vague ones. Much of SLA is reliant on or closely related to other fields like theoretical linguistics, education, general learning, psychology, cognitive science, and neurology to name a few. The fact that many issues have not been incorporated in these fields makes it harder on a field like SLA, which tends to mirror and implement concepts from these other fields, rather than by producing its own theories which may in the end effect such larger concerns. While SLA has managed to create in itself a separate field of study, it is still suffering from its reliance on other fields from which to draw its major theoretical bases. Rather than leading or at least sharing a partnership with such fields, SLA has, and continues to be, a follower. This causes researchers in the field to often be more loyal to underlying concepts, like modularity, for example, and much work is done to fit data from SLA to fit into such concepts. This may be an inevitability based on how science is supposed to work, but it is still holding back the field as a whole.