Second Language Acquisition

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Reflective Essay on Second Language Acquisition Learning a second language is rapidly becoming more popular and a widely recognised skill. The purpose of this essay is to look into theories of second language learning and a reflection of my journey to become bilingual. In the first part of this essay, Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory will be introduced briefly. The second part will comprise of the first three of Krashen’s five Second Language Acquisition Hypotheses and an insight into how my experiences relate to them. The fourth section of this essay relates to Chomsky’s Universal Grammar Hypothesis and Piaget’s Adaptation model. In the fifth component Krashen’s Input and Affective Filter Hypothesis will be analysed and connected to my personal experience since I have come to live in Australia. When investigating learning, one has to consider Skinner and his Theory of Operant Conditioning which proposes that: “…a learner’s behaviour becomes either more or less probable depending on the consequences it produces. A learner first behaves in some way and then comes to associate this action with the positive or negative consequences that follow it” (Sigelman & Rider, 2006, p. 41). The essential concept of operant conditioning is easy to understand: people are inclined to repeat behaviours that have agreeable effects and stop behaviours that result in unpleasant repercussions (Sigelman & Rider, 2006). In line with this theory I have experienced both sides, positive and negative. I found, and still find, it very discouraging when people laugh at me when I mispronounce something or even witness their body language, frowning in confusion when I am talking even though they seem to understand. In contrast, nodding encouragingly or correcting me in a nice manner is conducive to self-esteem and wanting to continue learning. As a teacher of German as a second
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