LG541-7-AU-CO:
Language Learning Across the Lifespan
2023/24
Language and Linguistics
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
05 October 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
MA Q11012 Applied Linguistics,
MA Q110JS Applied Linguistics,
MA Q15012 Psycholinguistics,
MA QX1312 Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL),
MA QX13JS Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL),
MPHDQ15048 Psycholinguistics,
PHD Q15048 Psycholinguistics
This module provides an up-to-date overview of key topics in the area of additional language learning across the lifespan.
We will look at theories of language learning that broadly take a usage-based perspective and compare and contrast these with more traditional formalist approaches in order to highlight changes and new points of emphasis in current theorising in the field.
We will consider the role of explicit (conscious) and implicit (non-conscious) knowledge and processes in additional language learning and how these interact with characteristics of the individual learner, the learning context, and the linguistic input that constitutes the learning target. Importantly, we will look at the influence of these factors across the lifespan to pinpoint if and how language development differs in children, younger adults and older adults. In this way, we will capture current research trends that move beyond the traditional sample population of educated young adults and include hitherto under-researched groups such as third-age learners and low-educated learners.
In order to facilitate your own research endeavours that are expected as part of your MA course, we will also consider methodological questions such as the ways in which different types of knowledge and developmental processes can be measured in learners of different ages and abilities.
The aims of the module are to
• introduce you to the assumptions of selected current theoretical approaches to additional language learning;
• familiarise you with the notions of explicit and implicit knowledge, learning and processes;
• show how these types of knowledge and learning dynamically interact with other factors, including characteristics of the learner, the learning context and the language aspects to be learned;
• develop your understanding of similarities and differences in language development in learners of different ages, including children and older adults;
• familiarise you with tools that are available to measure language knowledge and development in learners across the lifespan.
On completing the module, you will have achieved
• an understanding of selected theoretical concepts and models in the field of additional language learning;
• an appreciation of the complexity, dynamicity and interconnectedness of factors influencing the language learning process at different points in the human lifespan;
• critical awareness of the challenges inherent in empirically researching language development in context;
• the practical ability to meet these challenges within the context of graduate-level work by means of identifying manageable research aims and choosing appropriate research tools.
The module will be delivered over 10 weekly two-hour sessions focusing on the following topics:
1. Learning additional languages: the theoretical landscape
2. L2/L3/Lx learning, bilingualism, multilingualism
3. Adult language learning
4. Explicit and implicit knowledge and learning
5. The learner and the learning context
6. The linguistic input: Are some (aspects of) language(s) more difficult to learn than others?
7. Child language learning
8. Metalinguistic awareness
9. Third-age language learning
10. Researching language learning across the lifespan
We will have one 2-hour class each week for 10 weeks. The module will draw on a combination of lecture-style input and student-centred seminar activities. Lecture-style input introduces theoretical concepts and models and provides an overview of key research findings. Seminar activities include exercises, pair- and group-work tasks, and discussion.
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Leung, Y.I. (2009)
Third language acquisition and universal grammar. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=408818.
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LICHTMAN, K. (2016) ‘Age and learning environment: Are children implicit second language learners?’,
Journal of Child Language, 43(3), pp. 707–730. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000915000598.
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De Houwer, A. and Ortega, L. (eds) (2018b)
The Cambridge Handbook of Bilingualism. Cambridge University Press. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316831922.
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KLIESCH, M. and PFENNINGER, S.E. (2021) ‘Cognitive and Socioaffective Predictors of L2 Microdevelopment in Late Adulthood: A Longitudinal Intervention Study’,
The Modern Language Journal, 105(1), pp. 237–266. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12696.
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Roehr-Brackin, K. (2022) ‘Explicit and implicit knowledge and learning of an additional language: A research agenda’,
Language Teaching, pp. 1–19. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S026144482200026X.
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Roehr-Brackin, K.
et al. (2021) ‘Are individual differences in cognitive abilities and stylistic preferences related to multilingual adults’ performance in explicit learning conditions?’,
Language Awareness, 30(4), pp. 391–412. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2021.1969404.
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Caldwell-Harris, C.L. and MacWhinney, B. (2023) ‘Age effects in second language acquisition: Expanding the emergentist account’,
Brain and Language, 241. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105269.
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Elaine K. Horwitz, Michael B. Horwitz, Joann Cope (1986) ‘Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety’,
The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), pp. 125–132. Available at:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/327317.
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Daubney, M., Dewaele, J.-M. and Gkonou, C. (eds) (2017)
New Insights into Language Anxiety: Theory, Research and Educational Implications. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Multilingual Matters. Available at:
https://essex.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resolveService&package_service_id=4723317790007346&institutionId=7346&customerId=7345.
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MACINTYRE, P.D., GREGERSEN, T. and MERCER, S. (2019) ‘Setting an Agenda for Positive Psychology in SLA: Theory, Practice, and Research’,
The Modern Language Journal, 103(1), pp. 262–274. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12544.
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Rodríguez Silva, L.H. and Roehr-Brackin, K. (2016) ‘Perceived learning difficulty and actual performance’,
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38(02), pp. 317–340. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263115000340.
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Grosjean, F. (2008)
Studying bilinguals. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=415801.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Assignment (3000 Words) |
|
100% |
Additional coursework information
N/A
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Louise Rolland, email: l.rolland@essex.ac.uk.
Louise Rolland
l.rolland@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
Yes
Dr Petra Schoofs
University of Birmingham
Lecturer
Dr Troy McConachy
University of Warwick
Associate Professor
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
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