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56KEY FACTORS AFFECTING LANGUAGE ACQUISITION DEVELOPMENT OF EFL LEARNERS Khakimova M.Kh.
Khakimova Munira Khabibullaevna - Teacher, DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY, ENGLISH LANGUAGES FACULTY 3,
UZBEKISTAN STATE WORLD LANGUAGES UNIVERSITY, TASHKENT, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: the article discusses the importance of recognizing and considering the impact of learner characteristics such as age, learning style and learning strategies on successful language acquisition. It develops the viewpoint that learners' specific learning needs such as style preferences, age factors and learning strategy specifications should be taken into account while teaching English to students in the EFL classrooms. Keywords: foreign language acquisition, age factors, learning styles, learning strategies and motivation.
There are some key factors influencing successful language acquisition in the procedure of language learning and teaching. These factors are mostly composed of some basic learner characteristics including personality, aptitude, and motivation, learning styles and strategies and the factor of age [3, 9]. From the perspective of age, it should be specifically noted that the relationship between age and success in second language acquisition is a complex and controversial subject matter dealt with in the research of language acquisition study.
In our opinion, it is important to clarify the concept of language acquisition at this point. The terms "language acquisition" and "language learning" are widely used in methodology, however, they carry different meanings and mostly understood in different senses. For example, Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines these terms in the following way: language acquisition (n)-the learning and development of a person's language. The learning of anative first language is called
first language acquisition, and of a second or foreign language, second language acquisition. Some theorists use "learning" and "acquisition" synonymously. Others maintain a contrast between the two terms, using "learning" to mean a conscious process involving the study of explicit rules of language and monitoring one's performance, as is often typical of classroom learning in a foreign language context, and using "acquisition" to refer to a non-conscious process of rule internalization resulting from exposure to comprehensible input when the learner's attention is on meaning rather than form, as is more common in a second language context. Still others use "acquisition" only with reference to the learning of one's first language.
In addition to the age factor influencing the language acquisition process, there are other key issues of teaching individuals a foreign language that should be taken into consideration during the teaching procedure. In this connection, it should be highlighted that learning styles and strategies are considered to be the most essential points to which English language teachers should pay much attention when they teach students a language. It is an irrefutable fact that the way students learn is different, therefore English language teachers should have the necessary skills for dealing with different learning styles and strategies in the classroom so as to enable their students to learn most efficiently according to their learning style and strategy preferences. The terms learning stylesand learning strategiescan be confusing. According to the standard definition, learning styles refer to "an individual's natural, habitual, and preferred ways of absorbing, processing and retaining new information and skills.[2, 8]. From this definition it is clear that every learner has their own way of learning something new and they apply them in the process of learning. These learning styles seem to be the root of the effectiveness and success of their learning. Therefore, the English language teachers' interest in learning styles has dramatically increased in recent years. Furthermore, in the lastdecade the number of the works specifically devoted to learning styles andEnglish language teaching such as Reid , Kinsella , Oxford , and Oxford and Anderson has increased
significantly. The perceptual learning styles such as visual, auditory, kinesthetic,and tactile are the most prevalent types of learning styles. However, they are only one piece of a muchlarger learning-style picture. Therefore, it is important to see the different learning stylesas connected because learners will have more than one learning style. Inaddition, different tasks may be approached in different ways, more than one learning style can be significant to accomplish a given task. The general learning strategies are important for all language learners in formal classroom environments. General learning strategies are classified into three broad areas: metacognitive (i.e., strategies to help students think about their own learning), cognitive, and socio-affective [1, 272].It is clear from the content that learners use different learning strategies in the process of language acquisition and learning and however they approach differently to foreign language mastery.
Learner characteristics such as age, learning styles and learning strategies play a significant role in language acquisition development. Teaching methods, techniques and strategies should be adapted and based on the learner needs such as age, learning style and strategies. Learner peculiarities in terms of their learning styles, strategies and age factors should be taken into consideration in order to promote success in EFL classrooms.
References
1. Larsen-Freeman, D. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.-Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
2. Nunan, D. "Language Teaching Methodology". Prentice Hall, 2003.
3. Oxford, R. "Language Learning Strategies". Oxford, 1990.
4. Reid S. " Language Learning Styles and Strategies"Oxford Journals, 1995.
