Myths And Misconceptions About Second Language Learning Essay
841 Words4 Pages
Barry McLaughlin’s report, "Myths and Misconceptions About Second Language Learning: What Every Teacher Needs to Unlearn," points out 5 misconceptions people often have on young L2 learners (second language learners) by using research from different ESL programs in different cultures and countries; therefore, teachers are asked to be aware of and break down these misconceptions to avoid having unrealistic expectations while teaching L2 to children.
According to McLaughlin, people often have the wrong assumption believing that young children, comparing to adults and adolescences, are better L2 learners. However, evidences show that young leaners encounter as much difficulties as order learners; in fact, children even face more difficulties than adult while learning English as second language.…show more content… In fact, young children don’t pick up L2 better than adults and adolescences. Research has shown that adults and adolescences actually perform better than children on the whole. Besides, children do not encounter less fear than adults while making mistakes; in contrast, they can be embarrassed easily while making mistakes in front of peers.
Second, the claim saying that “the earlier children begin to learn a second language, the better (McLaughlin 2)” is proven to be a myth. A research shows that students of Grade 7 and 8 perform as well or even better than Grade 1 learner while learning L2. However, McLaughlin isn’t suggesting that early exposure to L2 is harmful to children; as for language minority learners, an early exposure to English is required for them to catch up with other native students in school. But still, the author points out that a child’s early exposure to L2 doesn’t mean he or she will acquire L2