Foundations of Second Language Acquisition and Language Learning
What the questions test
Candidates must distinguish major theories and apply them to classroom scenarios. Know Krashen's five hypotheses (acquisition–learning, natural order, monitor, input, affective filter), and be able to contrast them with Swain's output hypothesis, Long's interaction hypothesis, and Schmidt's noticing hypothesis. Understand Cummins's BICS and CALP: conversational proficiency generally develops in about one to three years, academic language in five to seven years or more. Know interlanguage, fossilization, transfer (positive and negative), error analysis versus contrastive analysis, and Vygotsky's ZPD with scaffolding. Recognize typical developmental sequences (pre-production, early production, speech emergence, intermediate fluency, advanced fluency) and the role of affect, motivation, aptitude, and the critical period debate.
Traps that catch candidates
- Blaming every error on L1 interference. Many errors are developmental and appear in all learners, including native speakers.
- Reversing BICS and CALP timelines, or claiming a student with fluent playground English has no language needs.
- Confusing the affective filter (emotion blocks intake) with the monitor (conscious editing).
- Treating comprehensible input as "easier text" rather than input pitched just beyond current competence (i + 1).
- Assuming correction alone produces acquisition; feedback matters most when learners are ready to notice the form.
Worked example
A fourth grader writes, "Yesterday I goed to the park with my cousings."
- goed is overgeneralization of the regular past-tense rule - evidence of rule construction, not carelessness or L1 transfer.
- cousings is a phonological/spelling error, possibly transfer-influenced. Response: recast the past tense in a meaningful context, do not drill every error, and continue rich input. Errors of this type usually resolve with development.
Rule of thumb
Ask: could a monolingual child make this error? If yes, it is developmental - respond with modeling and patience rather than a grammar lesson.