Literature Review
This literature review will explore the different factors that can affect teaching English as a secondary language to adult learners. The need for learning English has met an increased demand when it became a universal language. Compared to other major languages like Spanish and Mandarin, there are significantly more people from different parts of the world who use English as their main medium of instruction. Hence, we will supplement this research with a literature review of published researches and studies related to English as second language learning for adults. All related literatures mentioned in this chapter are published journals that have a publication date during or after year 2000 in order to focus on the most recent updates and advancements on this field.
Migrants and second language learning
Migrants immigrating into the United States and other English speaking countries have been a trend that is seen everywhere. People flock to these English speaking countries for a variety of reasons such as visits and tours, schooling, permanently residing, looking for a job and a host of other reasons. Some of them may choose to stay temporarily—for various reasons, or become a permanent resident if they choose to. No matter what their reason for traveling to an English speaking country is, they will most likely be in need of some form of instruction, a module, or basically anything that could give them a good head start in learning how to use English as a second language .
When migrants travel to an English speaking country, new problem areas for language learning arise. To start off, migrants have been exposed to their native language for a long time already. Their familiarity with their native language will often place them at a difficult situation if their current goal would be to learn a second language, whether English or a different one. Often, migrants are already past the age of childhood or adolescence when they visit another country. They have already developed the necessary phonetic qualities and other language and speech-related abilities which usually make it more difficult to adapt to English’s manner of phonetic quality and pronunciation.
Adults will find it very hard to change these qualities and embrace a whole new perspective and phonetic learning experience as they study English. It has been discovered that the larger the discrepancy of the phonetic quality between a native language and a second language, the harder it will be to adapt for the adult learner .
The rise in popularity of English as Second Language learning classes
Adult and child learning differences
When observing learners who enroll in classes that teaches students how to use English as a second language, there is a visible trend that shows that most of these learners are adults. Many migrants come to English speaking countries for work opportunities, and other livelihood opportunities. These work related migrants are already in their working age. There are also some immigrants who have waited for a long time for their visas to get approved. Regardless of the reasons, statistics show that most of the migrants fall into the adult age bracket.
This trend will affect the way how English instructions will be designed. There is a huge difference in the way by which adults and children learn . This consideration is apparent not only in teaching language but in other concepts and skills as well. Trying to teach adult learners using the same techniques being used in children will yield most likely yield unsatisfactory results. Instructors must do their best in order to make their learning module and teaching style custom fit and appropriate for the unique learning needs of their student group.
Problems brought about by late adult learning
Beliefs – Most adult learners already have a preconceived set of beliefs about the English language even before the process of giving instructions takes place. This could potentially affect the effectiveness of the second language learning classes for these students. If the adult learner has already created a mindset that the English language is a difficult and complicated language, then he will most probably find a hard time learning the said language, mainly because of the cultural or social interferences.
It is very difficult to change rigid beliefs held by adults especially if they have been holding on to such for a very long time. Unlike children, teachers of adult learners do not have the advantage of teaching children who are far more flexible in receiving and adapting to new information. Adult learning teachers must learn how to appeal to these beliefs and help the learners adapt new information without requiring them to overthrow their preconceived perceptions and beliefs.
Phonetic style inculcated from native language – Language learning will always have to start with a phonetic style control in order to learn the new language. In adults, they have been so used to their native tongue and phonetic style to the point that learning another language would be a challenge. Many syllables are almost impossible to pronounce if the learner has a very different phonetic style as a result of his native language. If the phonetic quality of the learner’s native language is a little similar to the English language, then adaptation to the new language will be easier .
Age related learning Difficulties – When people age, their memory, attention span and other learning related skills also start to decline. This can be a difficult consideration especially for the more mature adult learners who are trying to learn a different language. Mastering a language is a huge and integrated feat that takes a lot of commitment and effort on the part of the learner. This task can prove to be very difficult for the more mature learners of English as a second language unless special strategies would be used.
Increased responsibilities and distractions – Another difficulty encountered with adult learners of a second language is the increased distractions and responsibilities that adults are typically exposed to. Most adult learners are employed full time or part time and that is why finding the time needed for appropriate review and mastery of the language can be particularly difficult. In addition, many adult students also have to deal with family responsibilities apart from work. This can place a lot of strain and distractions during an already difficult quest for learning.
Suggestions for a More Effective Adult Learning for English as Second Language Instructors
Despite the inherent difficulties on teaching English as a second language for adults, there are many ways to make this goal easier. Listed below are some of the suggestions that can potentially make instructions of this type easier and more effective.
Native language instructors – As much as possible, instructors who help migrants adapt to English as a second language should be native English speakers themselves . These people have the most experience in using the language and are also in the best position to help new learners learn and adapt. However, non-native English speakers can also be excellent instructors as long as they possess the qualities of a good teacher and have the fluency required to teach other people how to properly use the English language.
More time flexibility – Adult learners are less likely to absorb a huge pool of information in a very short time span. These adult learners learn more effectively if short sessions are given with a series of breaks in between to absorb new information and have time to practice them as needed. In this technique, adult learners get to rest and study the information at their own pace. If the facility offering English as second language instruction will permit, they can also adapt a schedule that will enable them to accommodate work and other responsibilities together with their learning responsibilities. In this manner, the adult learners will not feel that the other aspects of their life will be neglected for the sake of the training course.
Change of teaching style – The effectiveness of adult learning will be increased if certain strategies on teaching will be modified. It has been found out that when adult learners are guided patiently to learn the language instruction and not just simply listen to them spoken by the instructors, the learning can be more apparent .
In addition, designing the learning module in such a way that learners learn at their pace and in the direction that they want can make these students become more involved and engaged in the lessons. They feel like they can relate more to the subject matter and learn it in a faster pace as compared to when traditional methods of teaching English as a second language would be employed . The learning becomes easier to incorporate into the memory and retrieval of information from past sessions become more effective. Hence, there is a real need to adapt to these new techniques to make adult learning for English as second language a more successful endeavor.
The Use of Technology
Some language analysts that all that a learner needs to learn a particular language at a certain extent are a certain amount of time to use that language in conversations. Learning all the specifics of a language can definitely help an individual progress more but using English as a second language in live, social, and personal conversations would be the method that will really develop the patient and make them thrive in an environment wherein most people use English. Because of this belief, many educational institutions that are mostly small-scale, that offer remote educational services have sprung over the internet. These classes usually offer instructional processes that involve giving out modules and live one-on-one English conversations with the instructor. Apart from this advantage, the learners, with this type of learning strategy, also addresses the other factors that could hinder their learning progress such as the time constraint, and the inability to work and learn at their own pace.
Building a clear belief system on the instructors
The aim of developing more effective systems for teaching English as a second language to adults does not solely rely on the learners. Changes must also come from the instructors too. It was found out that another hindrance to effective adult learning session is the detrimental beliefs that some instructors hold. These negative beliefs can range from an unfavorable perspective on the learners, the teaching program or even on the instructor’s own ability. All of these can taint the perspective of teachers or instructors and can significantly affect the student’s learning progress. Every effort must be made by instructors to ensure that they are aware of these biases and beliefs at the outset. New teachers on this subject matter must be able to eradicate these negative views before starting the teaching process at all . This does not only apply to new teachers but to all other instructors even though they have been doing this for a long time already. Regular self-awareness checks are needed in order to ensure that their perspective on this subject matter remains at a healthy and effective state to help students learn.
Vision for a more effective Adult Learning for Second Language classes
The need for updating the current practices for second language learning is real. All over the world, more and more people are realizing the need to be proficient in English in addition to their native language. Without an effort to make second language instruction more effective, we will not have advancements in this field. Efforts must be made to incorporate the recent trends and other discoveries to enhance English language teaching today. Even though the current practices for teaching English to second language learners seems adequate, this is not enough. Continuous refinements through research and other methods will help in making the vision for more effective learning a closer reality. The most important thing to consider in teaching students how to properly use English as a second language is to consider their individual needs and based on that, create a custom-fit educational plan. This way, the instructors will be able to address more problems and in a more effective way. For the learners, they will be able to learn at a faster rate and using English in casual conversations will be nothing but a dream of the past.
References
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