Characteristics of Good Language Learners

Most researchers have rejected the notion of a single profile of the “good language learner” because over the years research studies have shown that there can be striking differences among equally successful language learners (Macaro, 2001). Rather than limiting the description of the good language learner to one that is prescriptive and ignores learner differences, the more recent and inclusive view is that there are various ways that language learners can be successful. For the most part, these learners are strategic in their learning. But, not necessarily all students use the same strategies.

Research on strategies for effective language learning has focused on the identification, description, and classification of strategies; their frequency of use and the learner’s success at using them; differences in language proficiency level, age, gender, and cultural background that might affect their successful use of strategies; and the impact of language strategy training on student performance in language learning and language use.

Whether the strategies that a given learner selects are successful depends on many factors, including:
• Nature of the language task
• Characteristics of the learner such as learning-style preferences
• Language-learning aptitude
• Prior experience with learning other foreign languages
• Motivation to learn this language, cultural background, age, and personality characteristics
• Language being learned
• Learner’s level of language proficiency

No single set of strategies will be appropriate for all learners or for all tasks. Students need to learn how to apply strategies according to what actually works for them. This is where we as language teachers come in: to explicitly teach learners to be more aware of their learning-style and language strategy preferences.

How to know if our students or we are good language learners? Here are some guidelines or strategies we could use to motivate ourselves and most of all to motivate our students to be good language learners in order to achieve our goal.

Below we can find fourteen characteristics of a good language learner written by Rubin and Thompson (1982).

1. Good language learners find their own way and take charge of their learning. They determine the methods that are best for them as individual learners. They learn form others and experiment with different methods.
2. Good language learners organize their study of the language, and they organize information about the language they study.
3. Good language learners are creative. They understand that language is creative. They experiment with the language and play with grammar, words, and sounds.
4. Good language learners make their own opportunities for practicing the language inside and outside of the classroom.
5. Good language learners learn to live with uncertainty by focusing on the meaning of what they can understand, by not getting flustered, and by continuing to talk or listen without necessarily understanding every word.
6. Good language learners use mnemonics and other memory strategies to recall what they are learning.
7. Good language learners make errors work for them and not against them.
8. Good language learners use linguistic knowledge, including knowledge of their first language, in learning a second language.
9. Good language learners use contextual clues to aid their comprehension of the language. They maximize use of all potential contexts around the language attended to for enhancing comprehension.
10. Good language learners learn to make intelligent guesses.
11. Good language learners learn chunks of language as wholes and formalized routines to help them perform beyond their competence. For example, they may learn idioms, proverbs, or other phrases knowing what the whole phrase means without necessarily understanding each individual part.
12. Good language learners learn certain tricks that keep conversations going.
13. Good language learners learn certain production techniques that also fill in the gaps in their own competence.
14. Good language learners learn different styles of speech or writing to learn to vary their language according to the formality of the situation.

Obviously the question we now want to ask ourselves or to our students is: How do I (they) match up as a language learner to this list of characteristics?

1. Questionnaire for a good language learner
Below is a very simple questionnaire to help you think about what you do as a learner. Circle the answer that describes how you approach language learning.
A: always O: often S: sometimes R: rarely N: never
The good language learner finds a style of learning that suits him/her
1.1 try to get something out of every A O S R N
learning situation even if I don't like
it.
2.I choose learning situations that are A O S R N
suited to my way of learning.

Good language learners are actively involved in the language learning process
3.Besides language class, I plan A O S R N
activities that give me a chance to
use and learn the language.
4.I choose activities because I am A O S R N
already familiar with the ideas.
5.I can figure out my special A O S R N
problems.
6.I try to do something about my A O S R N
special problems.
7.I do things I don't usually do to gain A 0 S R N
more information about my foreign
language.

Good language learners try to figure out how the language works.
8. I pay special attention to A O S R N
pronunciation.
9. I pay special attention to grammar. A O S R N
10. I pay special attention to vocabulary. A O S R N



Good language learners know that language is used to communicate
11.I try to develop good techniques to A O S R N
practice listening, speaking, reading
and writing.
12.I try to develop good techniques to A O S R N
improve my pronunciation, grammar
and vocabulary.

Good language learners are like good detectives
13.I am like a detective. I look for clues A O S R N
that will help me understand how
language works.
14.When I don't know, I guess. A O S R N
15.I ask people to correct me if I make A O S R N
a mistake.
16.I compare what I say with what A O S R N
others say to see if I'm using correct
language.
17.I think about what I've learned. A O S R N

Good language learners learn to think in the language
18. I try to think in my target language. A O S R N

Good language learners try to overcome their feelings of frustration and lack of confidence

19. I overcome my feelings of frustration A O S R N
and lack of confidence.
20. I can laugh at my mistakes. A O S R N

2. Another way of deciding whether you have the characteristics of a good language
learner is by using the list of adjectives below.

􀁺 self aware
􀁺 inquisitive
􀁺 tolerant
􀁺 self critical
􀁺 realistic
􀁺 willing to experiment
􀁺 actively involved
􀁺 organized


After answering and analyzing these two questionnaires I can assure I am a good language learner. Now we, as teachers should motivate our students into being good language learners too. We have the responsibility to guide, motivate and help them to be better language learners. We should offer them all the tools and techniques we know in order to help them become owners of their own learning.

These questionnaires help us motivate ourselves and our students to be good language learners. Using them they can realize how are they doing and what they can improve. But, most important of all is to understand and respect the variety of learning styles in order to help and guide our students in a better understanding of the language.




References:

Rubin and Thompson; (1982); 14 Characteristics of a good language learner; http://www 4.ncsu.edu/~dfstephe/14characteristics.html

Mougel; Language Learning Strategies; pp 31-33; http://www.carla.umn.edu/maxsa/ samples/ig_goodlanglearner.pdf