Linguistics Psychology Contribution to Language Teaching

Linguistics Psychology Contribution to Language Teaching THE CONTRIBUTION OF LINGUISTICS AND PSYCHOLOGY TO LANGUAGE TEACHING Since the beginning of the 20th century investigations in the fields of psychology and lingusitics have paved the way to new concepts of language teaching. On the basis the acquired empirical evidence, linguists, researchers and scholars have developed certain methods to improve the process of child and adult language acquisition. According to Stern (1992), â€Å"One of the main features of the development of language pedagogy has been the continuous attempt to renew language teaching through changes in teaching methods† (p.6). To a great extent, these new approaches â€Å"have reflected changes in theories of the nature of language and of language learning† (Richards Rodgers, 2001 p.1). The aim of this essay is to analyse the impact of linguistics and psychology on language teaching; such an analysis has been a topic of increasing importance over the last years, as the recent reforms and educational standards are considerably based on both disciplines. These reforms a re introduced to account for individual differences of language learners and to diversify the process of language acquisition. Although many language teachers take psychology and linguistics courses in universities, only some of them can effectively apply their knowledge of psychology and linguisitics to language teaching. This inconsistency can be explained by two key factors: firstly, there are many controversies in research findings and, secondly, the received results are not tested within the classroom environment. Thus, the role of a modern language teacher is to fill the gaps between theoretical assumptions of linguists or psychologists and practical usage. Linguistics as a discipline investigates the structure of language and different processes of language acquisition. The gradual shift from structural to generative linguistics reveals the linguists’ attempts to establish a new taxonomy for language teaching. Structural linguisitics initiated by Ferdinand de Saussure (1966) at the beginning of the 20th century delves deeply into word forms and their meanings. In Brown’s (1980) viewpoint, â€Å"Structural linguistics had provided tools for dissecting language into its smallest parts and for contrasting two languages† (p.242). This school of linguistics is more interested in modern speech patterns rather than in diachronic language changes. Withdrawing from the traditional historical-descriptive analysis, structural linguistics (together with behaviouristic psychology) has challenged the efficacy of the Grammar-translation method and has generated the emergence of the Audio-Lingual Method. As Larsen-Freeman (1986) s tates, the Grammar-Translation Method prevailed in language teaching up to the middle of the 20th century. This method provides learners with an opportunity to acquire grammar and vocabulary skills; however, this is not the case with communicative skills. The fact is that the Grammar-Translation Method â€Å"views language learning as consisting of little more than memorising rules and facts† (Richards Rodgers, 2001 p.5). In light of this, the method satisfies the needs of those learners who perform standardised tests or translations, but it is inappropriate for those learners who want to speak a foreign language. In contrast to the Grammar-Translation Method, the Audio-Lingual Approach puts major focus on continual repetition of different language patterns and listening. Applying this method to language teaching, educators help learners recognise phrasal verbs and other language structures that were fully neglected in the Grammar-Translation Method. The obvious advantage of the Audio-Lingual Approach is that error correction is reduced, while motivation of learners is increased. In this approach, as Stern (2001) points out, imitation of speech is more crucial than understanding of the meaning. Although the Audio-Lingual Approach is certainly more effective for the formation of learners’ linguistic competence than the Grammar-Translation Method, it is unsuitable for the formation of learners’ communicative competence. However, in the Total Physical Response Approach proposed by Asher (1969) more heed is paid to learners’ comunicative competence. Integrating the concepts of structural linguistics and behaviourist psychology into his approach, Asher (1969) implies that both the first and second language is easily acquired if the balance between action and speech is achieved. Unlike structural linguistics, generative/transformational linguistics proposed by Noam Chomsky (1966) deals with the analysis of learners’ unconscious cognition rather than with the language production. In other words, generative linguistics specifies that there are certain natural rules with the help of which a learner constructs sentences. In the 1960-1980s the Natural Approach emerged on the basis of the concepts proposed by Chomsky (1966) and Krashen and Terrell (1983). According to Krashen and Terrell (1983), both children and adults use their innate LADs (Language Acquisition Devices) in the process of language learning. But unlike children, adults possess problem-solving skills that allow them to acquire language in conscious and unconscious ways. Two important conclusions can be drawn from theoretical assumptions of Krashen and Terrell (1983): firstly, in childhood a language is acquired, in adulthood it is learned; secondly, communication is the major element of adul t language learning. Psychology as a discipline examines the functions of the human mind and their relation to human behaviour. The move from behaviouristic to cognitive psychology in the middle of the 20th century signifies that psychologists became interested in scientific research and analyses of intellectual processes. Behaviouristic psychology supported by Skinner (1984) adheres to the idea that language teaching should be based on observations of learners’ behaviours rather than on the examination of inner factors. Seen from this viewpoint, the process of language teaching occurs under the constant control of a teacher with the minimal use of reinforcement strategies. While the behaviouristic school of psychology has inspired the use of computer-based materials in language teaching, the cognitive school of psychology has generated the spread of discovery learning programs. Cognitive psychology has contributed much to the spread of the Communicative Language Teaching Approach supported by Wid dowson (1978) and the Silent Way Approach proposed by Gattegno (1976). Special attention in the Communicative Language Teaching Approach is given to interaction, communication in a foreign language and use of authentic reading materials (Nunan, 1991). Taking into account the research on human cognition, the Silent Way Approach has changed the direction of language teaching. This approach allows learners to devise their own language hypotheses and verify their validity in practice. Unquestionably, the Silent Way Approach shapes learners’ freedom of thought and helps them â€Å"develop their own inner criteria for correctness† (Larsen-Freeman, 1986 p.62). As communication in the Silent Way Approach and the Communicative Language Teaching Approach occurs in the target language, learners’ communicative skills are formed in a rapid pace. Contrary to the Grammar-Translation Method, these approaches pay much attention to phonetics and phonology and introduce different â€Å"problem-solving activities† (Richards Rodgers, 2001 p.27). While in the Grammar-Translation Method many parallels are drawn between the native language and the target language, such parallels are not employed in the Communicative Language Teaching Approach and other recent methods. The idea of communicative competence is the core principle of other emerged methods, in particular, the Community Language Learning Method and the Suggestopaedia. These approaches reveal inconsistencies of prior methods, implying that there is a close connection between language and context. The Community Language Learning Method is quite popular in today’s language teaching due to its learner-oriented ethics. The Suggestopedia Approach concentrates on relaxation as an integral part of successful language acquisition; the widespread activity of this approach is listening to music during language lessons. Overall, all methods that have been developed under the impact of linguistics and psychology highlight group working and the use of individual approaches to every learner. Group working shapes learners’ communicative skills and problem-solving abilities; individual approaches are crucial for the formation of learners’ identities and recognition of factors that af fect language acquisition. Many variables are juxtaposed in culturally or socially diverse learning environment; hence, individual approaches allow to reveal all obstacles to language learning. Linguisitics and psychology have demonstrated that the principal goal of any teaching method is to help learners use a language in everyday situations and in different settings rather than construct gramatically-correct utterances. The Task-Based Language Teaching Approach is developed for these specific purposes. Designing versatile tasks, an educator teaches language learners to respond flexibly to the given activity and co-operate with peers. As the essay suggests, linguistics and psychology have significantly reinforced the need for efficient teaching methods. Under the impact of these disciplines, language teachers have started to experiment with approaches, making an attempt to reconcile theory with practice. The structural school of linguistics has provided educators with valuable insights on the process of language acquisition. The generative school of linguistics has revealed that language acquisition in children occurs on an unconscious level, while language acquisition in adults occurs on both conscious and unconscious levels. The behaviouristic school of psychology has reduced the importance of meaning in language acquisition, but has stimulated the implementation of computers in schools and universitites. The cognitive school of psychology has rejected settled opinions and has defined the concepts that are successfully used in teaching culturally diverse learners. Taken together, linguistics and psychology have revealed that different methods should be used in language teaching, methods that integrate such techniques as reinforcement, individual approaches and communication (Kumaravadivelu, 2003). As new teaching methods came to the fore, the role of an educator in language teaching was changed. In the Audio-Lingual Method, the Suggestopedia or the Natural Approach a teacher is treated as an instructor; contrariwise, in the Communicative Language Teaching Approach or the Community Language Learning a teacher is an assistant to language learners. Bibliography Asher, J. J. (1969) ‘The Total Physical Response Approach to Second Language Learning’. The Modern Language Journal, 53 (1), 3-17. Brown, H. D. (1980). Principles of language learning and teaching. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall Regents. Chomsky, N. (1966) Topics in the theory of generative grammar. The Hague: Mouton. Gattegno, C. (1976) The Common sense of teaching foreign languages. New York: Educational Solutions Inc. Krashen, S. Terrell, T. (1983) The Natural Approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Oxford: Pergamon Press. Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003) Beyond methods: Macrostrategies for language teaching. New Haven, C. T.: Yale University Press. Larsen-Freeman, D. (1986) Techniques and principles in language teaching. New York: Oxford University Press. Nunan, D. (1991) Language teaching methodology: A textbook for teachers. London: Prentice Hall International. Richards, J. C. Rodgers, T. S. (2001) Approaches and methods in language teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press. Saussure, F. de (1966) Course in General Linguistics. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. Skinner, B. F. (1984) ‘The operational analysis of psychological terms’. Behavioural and brain sciences, 7 (4), 547-581. Stern, H. (1992) Issues and options in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Stern, H. (2001) Fundamental concepts of language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Widdowson, H. G. (1978) Teaching language as communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Introduction to Economics

A want Is a desire for a good or a service. The desire may be to satisfy hunger or thirst, avoid heat or cold, be cured of Illness, be amused or entertained, or enjoy that latest product of technology. The item involved may not be within the means of the person who wants it. In economics it is assumed that a person's wants are unlimited. People are assumed to desire an unlimited array of goods and services. A need is a desire for a basic good or service.Needs are essential for survival. A person may not need ice cream, which is a want and a luxury, but they need food, which provides the essential vitamins and minerals. A person must satisfy their needs before they can satisfy their wants. As our income Increases many of the Items that we regarded as wants may well be regarded as needs. Most people would now regard a telephone as an essential. Characteristics of Wants Wants are unlimited because it is assumed that people have an endless desire for odds and services.Wants are competiti ve because to produce one good or service means that other goods and services are not able to be produced. Wants are changeable because a consumers desire for goods and services is constantly changing as a result of changes in income, technology, fashion, advertising etc. Some wants are complementary because the satisfaction of some wants leads to the desire for other wants: a car and trees is a good example. Finally wants can be recurrent cause they constantly have to be satisfied: For example there is a regular need for food.Goods and Services Goods are tangible objects that give people some utility or satisfaction. A service is non-material or intangible in nature. Services are provided when a business or person provides work of an intangible nature: a consultation with a doctor or lawyer for example. A tradesman that fixes a household defect is another example of a service. Services also create utility or satisfaction. Producers and Consumers A consumer is a person who uses good s and services to satisfy their wants and needs.When a consumer uses goods and services it is called consumption. Consumption means more than to eat food, It means to use any good or service to satisfy any want or need. When a consumer uses consumer goods they gain satisfaction which Is called utility. Consumers have to make choices regarding their consumption and are assumed to want to maxillae their satisfaction or utility. Consumers also need to decide how much to save. Saving is deferred consumption in

Single Parenthood: Literature Review

Single Parenthood: Literature Review2 This paper will look at the different research that has already been conducted on single parenthood. Possible research topics could be how single-parent families differ in their structure or financially, in contrast to households with two parents. Articles may also discuss the impact of single parent households on children, in terms of psychological impact, academic results, social and financial standings using statistics found in their research. By looking at articles done through American and Canadian research, it can be determined what research is missing, what the articles lack and possible suggestions to improve the substance of the materials listed. Economic Viewpoint In each article , different points were made about the financial hardships that children from single-parent households may experience and how it was much more likely they would experience them in comparison to children raised in a household with two parents. Lisa Calderwood, from London University’s Institute of Education, says, â€Å"Living apart from natural fathers can be associated with poverty and negative outcomes for children. †(Calderwood, 2010). Though not all single-parents are mothers, but Tim Casey, a senior staff attorney at Legal Momentum,( the U. S. ’ oldest organization advocating on behalf of the legal rights of women and girls. )â€Å"Employment isn’t keeping U. S. ingle parents — more than 80 percent of whom are single mothers — out of poverty. † (Casey, 2012). Here it states that not only are the majority of single parents single mothers, but that the income provided to these mothers is generally still not enough to keep them above the poverty line even though, â€Å"single mothers in the U. S. are employed more hours and yet have much higher poverty rates than their peers in other high-income countries. †(Casey, 2012). Single Parenthood: Literature Review 3 Paul Amato, a Professor of Sociology and Demography at The Pennsylvania State University, makes a good point saying due to lack of funds, â€Å"It is difficult for poor single parents to afford the books, home computers, and private lessons that make it easier for their children to succeed in school. †(Amato, 2005). This is a direct linkage with the academic success of children from single-parent families, which will be discussed later in the essay. Amato makes several good points, also saying, â€Å"they cannot afford clothes, shoes, cell phones, and other consumer goods that give their children status among their peers. (2005) Again this is in direct correlation with self-esteem issues that are more common in children raised by single parents. â€Å"Consistent with these observations, many studies have shown that economic resources explain some of the differences in well-being between children with single parents and those with continuously married parents. †(Amato, 2005). Amato makes the observation that many differences between children raised in single-parent households versus children raised with both parents can be explained by the financial difference brought on by a single income. An article stating that â€Å"Children raised by single mothers are twice as likely to misbehave as those born into traditional two-parent families† , (Paton, 2010), also says that â€Å"studies have found children raised by lone mothers are likely to have less economic security†(Calderwood, 2010)which the article implies influences the behaviour of the child raised in said type of household here: â€Å"parental qualifications and household income had a major effect on children’s behaviour at a young age, which could have â€Å"damaging long-term consequences. After looking at the findings from the different sources, it can be said that it is a fact that single-parent households are worse off financially than households with both parents. This is not only for the parents taking care of their children, but for the academic and social development of the children as stated by Amato (2005). Single Parenthood: Literature Review4 Academic Viewpoint Academically, the studies provide information which states that children from single-parent families do worse academically than those raised by both parents. They are twice as likely to drop out of high school, 2. 5 times as likely to become teen mothers, and 1. 4 times as likely to be idle. † (McLanahan , 2001). Here, Sara McLanahan states that studies have shown that children raised by single parents are more likely to drop out of high school, more likely to become teen parents and more likely to be out of school and without a job. As mentioned earlier by Paul Amato (2005), children raised by single parents cannot afford many things that could greatly benefit them in school such as â€Å"books, home computers, and private lessons. † (Amato, 2005). Paul Amato also states â€Å"In a meta-analysis of sixty-three studies of non-resident fathers and their children, Joan Gilbreth and I found that children had higher academic achievement when non-resident fathers were closely involved in their lives. † (Gilbreth & Amato, 2005). In her article, Sara McLanahan says that family disruption is not the same in all families and risk of failure in school varies among different American nationalities: â€Å"Family disruption increases the risk of school failure by 24 percentage points among Hispanics, 17 percentage points among whites, and 13 percentage points among blacks. (McLanahan, 2001). This is a pattern that is also consistent when it comes to dropping out. â€Å"Behavioural problems were less likely among children living in families with higher levels of parental qualifications. † (Calderwood, 2010) Here, Lisa Calderwood discusses behavioural problems among children raised in single-parent families, especially when it c omes to academics and found that these types of issues were more frequent in children raised by a lone parent. Single Parenthood: Literature Review5 In a chart from the National Study of Adolescent Health (1995), statistics can still show how there is a visible difference in the patterns of children raised by a lone parent, versus children raised by two. Nineteen percent of children raised by two parents had repeated a grade, compared to 30 percent of those raised by a single parent had repeated a grade, (1995). The chart shows this, as well as other categories such as, violence, delinquency, suspended, attended therapy, had smoked in the past month, attempted suicide and had thoughts of suicide. In each of the categories, the percentage of children who had done these things from a single parent household, was consistently higher than the percentages of those raised by both parents. (National Study of Adolescent Health , 1995). Emotional Nina Parry-Langdon , the author of a report done by the Department for Health and The Scottish Government, finds that â€Å"Children from broken homes are almost five times more likely to develop emotional problems than those living with both parents. †(Parry-Langdon, 2008). She specifies further to say that, â€Å"Children and young people in households of ‘reconstituted' families, particularly where there were step-children, were more likely to develop conduct disorder as were those in families which had two parents at Time 1 and one parent at Time 2. † (2008). It is important to realize that not all children that are raised by single parents, have never been raised by two parents. Here Nina points out that distress in children raised in blended families, is similar to that of children who have been through a parent’s divorce. After interviewing 5,364 children aged between five and 16 in 2004 and again last year, the researchers found that 3 per cent had developed problems over that time. †(Parry-Langdon, 2008). Again, this article makes a point to mention how quickly being Single Parenthood: Literature Review6 raised in a single-parent family can take its toll, in this case, in as little as three years’ time before con duction their second round of interviewing. From Paul Amato’s article, he states that â€Å"Interviews with children reveal that losing contact with fathers is one of the most painful outcomes of divorce. † (Amato, 2005). This shows that children are obviously impacted by the loss of contact, which can be compared to grief. Also in his article, Amato says that children from single-parent households have more exposure to stress, through many circumstances such as dealing with the financial burden, the inter-parental conflicts and in many cases having to move homes after the separation of parents. (2005) Tying in directly with stress Amato reveals, â€Å"[a study] based on a large sample of twins, found that growing up in a single-parent family predicted depression in adulthood even with genetic resemblance controlled statistically. †(Amato, 2005). This can partly be credited due to the high exposure to stress, stated above. He concludes by saying, â€Å"evidence strongly suggests that growing up without two biological parents in the home increases children's risk of a variety of cognitive, emotional, and social problems. † (Amato, 2005). In conclusion, after viewing these articles, there is much evidence to support the thesis that children from single parent households suffer in comparison to households in which both parents reside with their children. Further topics that should be considered are geographical patterns, as it seemed most of the research was focused at the United States. Another suggestion for the articles would be to gather more personal information from children of single-parent households, rather than cold statistics. The statistics make it easy to dismiss the reason behind the negative results, as opposed to hearing from children who are being raised by single parents to hear how they feel and why they feel they are suffering in certain aspects. Single Parenthood: Literature Review8 The articles did a good job at looking at the different categories including, financial, academic, and emotional issues that stem from single parenting. Out of the articles, Paul Amato (2005) and Sara McLanahan ( 2001). Research available from reputable sources on the topic of single parenthood is limited and its importance as an issue in North American society is diminished as ‘normal’, despite its serious impact shown in said articles. Work Cited Kaufmann, G. (2012, 12). This Week in Poverty: U. S. Single Mothers- ‘The Worst Off'. Moyers ; Company. Retrieved 04, 2013, from http://billmoyers. com/2012/12/24/this-week-in-poverty-us-single-mothers-%E2%80%94-%E2%80%98the-worst-off%E2%80%99/ Amato, P. (2005, 11). The Impact of Family Formation Change on the Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Well-Being of the Next Generation. The Future of Children. Retrieved 04, 2013, from http://futureofchildren. org/publications/journals/article/index. xml? journalid=37 McLanahan, S. (2001, 12). The Consequences of Single Motherhood. The American Prospect. Retrieved 04, 2013, from http://prospect. org/article/consequences-single-motherhoodleid=107 §ionid=690 Paton, G. (2010, 04). Children in Single-Parent Families ‘Worst Behaved'. The Telegraph. Retrieved 10, 2013, from

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