Beginning from the conflict between individual learner differences and the institutionalized, often inflexible character of formal language instruction, Individual Learner Differences in SLA addresses the fact that despite this apparent conflict, ultimate success in learning a language is widespread. Starting with theoretically-based chapters, the book follows the thread of learner differences through sections devoted to learner autonomy; differentiated application of learning strategies; diagnostic studies of experienced learners’ management of the learning process; and reports on phonological attainment and development of language skills. Rather than providing an overview of all individual variables, the book reveals how some of them shape and affect the processes of language acquisition and use in particular settings.

The scope of individual learner differences is broad, yet there is no current, comprehensive, and unified volume that provides an overview of the considerable amount of research conducted on various language learner differences, until now.

Understanding the way in which learners differ from one another is of fundamental concern to those involved in second-language acquisition, either as researchers or teachers. This account is the first to review at book length the important research into differences, considering matters such as aptitude, motivation, learner strategies, personality and interaction between learner characteristics and types of instruction.

Second language learners differ in how successfully they adapt to, and profit from, instruction. This book aims to show that adaptation to L2 instruction, and subsequent L2 learning, is a result of the interaction between learner characteristics and learning contexts. Describing and explaining these interactions is fundamentally important to theories of instructed SLA, and for effective L2 pedagogy. This collection is the first to explore this important issue in contemporary task-based, immersion, and communicative pedagogic settings. In the first section, leading experts in individual differences research describe recent advances in theories of intelligence, L2 aptitude, motivation, anxiety and emotion, and the relationship of native language abilities to L2 learning. In the second section, these theoretical insights are applied to empirical studies of individual differences-treatment interactions in classroom learning, experimental studies of the effects of focus on form and incidental learning, and studies of naturalistic versus instructed SLA.

This textbook takes a Complex Systems Theory approach to examine individual differences between learners and the potential impact of these variables on the process of acquiring a second language. The authors argue that individual variables cannot provide the complete picture, and that they must instead be understood as part of an interconnected and dynamic system of different factors in order to be useful in a language learning context. Written in an accessible style and suitable for final-year undergraduate and Masters-level students, the book includes clear definitions of key terms, discussion questions for classroom use, practical exercises and activities, and examples of real empirical studies that students and teachers can replicate in their own contexts. This textbook will be of interest to students taking TESOL and SLA courses and modules, as well as those on broader Applied Linguistics programmes.

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Individual Differences provides a thorough, in-depth discussion of the theory, research, and pedagogy pertaining to the role individual difference (ID) factors play in second language acquisition (SLA). It goes beyond the traditional repertoire and includes 32 chapters covering a full spectrum of topics on learners’ cognitive, conative, affective, and demographic/sociocultural variation. The volume examines IDs from two perspectives: one is how each ID variable is associated with learning behaviors, processes, and outcomes; the other is how each domain of SLA, such as vocabulary or reading, is affected by clusters of ID variables. The volume also includes a section on the common methods used in ID research, including data elicitation instruments such as surveys, interviews, and psychometric testing, as well as methods of data analysis such as structural equation modeling. The book is a must-read for any second language researcher or applied linguist interested in investigating the effects of IDs on language learning, and for any educator interested in taking account of learners’ individual differences to maximize the effects of second language instruction.

The volume constitutes an attempt to capture the intricate relationship between individual learner differences and other variables which are of interest to theorists, researchers and practitioners representing such diverse branches of applied linguistics as psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, pragmatics or language teaching methodology. It brings together contributions by Polish and international authors, including leading experts in the field, touching upon changing perspectives on individual variation, cognitive, affective and social variables, learning deficits as well as their impact on learning and teaching. It offers a multifaceted perspective on these problems and shows how theory and research can be translated into classroom practice.

This book also focuses on analyzing each trait from the point of view of its higher and lower order structure, as well as from the affective, cognitive, behavioral, social and academic perspectives, apart from outlining the field of personality psychology. Personality traits are important in daily interaction, and are a significant factor in achieving educational goals also for second and foreign language (L2) learners. Consequently, studying the role of personality in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) appears to be of primary importance, especially because there has been little research on this subject. Moreover, general results pertaining to the role of personality in L2 are inconclusive. This book’s primary objective is to present a concise and updated picture of personality on the basis of the Big Five model, which is accessible for non-psychologists. The middle part of the book focuses on discussing potential merits and drawbacks of each trait for the purpose of the process of SLA, both from the formal and informal, theoretical and empirical points of view. The next part includes a description of an empirical study, whose main aim is to sensitize the reader to direct and indirect influences that personality may exert on L2 learning. The book closes with a concluding chapter aiming at clarifying directions for further empirical study of personality as well as issues in research methodology.

An introduction to the key questions that drive the field of L2 acquisition research, including its historical foundations.

This volume is a collection of nine original papers exploring dimensions of individual difference in language learning from narrative and biographical perspectives. This volume is a collection of nine original papers exploring dimensions of individual difference in language learning from narrative and biographical perspectives. Topics covered include motivation, emotion, age, learning strategies and beliefs, identity and the influence of classroom, distance and self-instructional settings. The authors use a variety of research methods to investigate learners' experiences of these aspects of the learning process. Among the countries represented in the research are Australia, Bahrain, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, New Zealand, Peru, the United Kingdom and the United States. The studies will be of interest to teachers, teachers-in-preparation, teacher educators and researchers.