SELECTED VARIABLES IN THE MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION OF A MODEL OF SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

The Objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine several variables as they relate to success in language learning and to do so across enough subjects so as to be able to draw substantive conclusions. Personality, attitudinal, motivational, and cognitive variables were selected due to the demonstration of previous research that they each have a relationship to language-learning success. It was hypothesized that these could be grouped into two constructs labeled Aptitude and Perseverance. Finally, where other studies have investigated primarily linear relationships between the above types of variables, it was also the purpose of this study to examine selected non-linear and interaction variables.;Findings. Perhaps the most noteworthy finding of the study was the measurement of the relative importance of personality and attitude variables. In the summary analysis, for example, it was found that the second order factor pertaining to personality (comprising Approval Motive, Lack of Empathy, and Tolerance of Ambiguity) accounted for 19% of the total 62% accounted for by the variables in the regression.;Secondly, more personality scales were found to correlate with listening scores rather than with other measures of success. This provides evidence of the notion that "language acquisition" is more dependent upon affective constructs than is "language learning." Listening is not an overt application of easily learned facts such as grammar rules and vocabulary, and thus appears to be more subject to influence from the affective domain than are perhaps other skills. Also, the higher-order variables and interactions that were investigated were shown to be important predictors of language-learning success.;Implications. The findings of this study have two primary implications that involve the student's learning of a second language. Gaining a better understanding of learners through this type of research will allow the development of approaches that will tailor instruction to better meet the needs of each student. Where the first implication relates to adapting instruction to the student, the second involves directing attention toward helping the student adapt to the learning situation, i.e. learning to be a better learner.