Second Language Acquisition. How far are the three major theories represented in modern textbooks? (eBook)

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Pedagogy, Literature Studies, grade: 1,7, University of Duisburg-Essen (Anglistik), course: Teaching English as a Foreign Language II, language: English, abstract: The main goal of this term paper is to examine in how far the three major SLA theories, named behaviourism, innatism, and interactionism, are represented in modern textbooks. Initially, the various theories need to be explained and figured out. What point of view do these theories have of learners? Which are the differences between them? In this way, one can gain an overview. Afterwards, different textbooks from the ninth grade with several tasks will be analysed regarding the approaches of SLA. Consequently, the results will be discussed and evaluated in order to answer the research question relating to the representation of SLA theories in modern textbooks.

Most of the people in the world speak more than one language. Except for the native language, many people want to acquire other languages, and as never before, humans depend on learning a second language. In times of globalisation, foreign language profi- ciency is becoming increasingly important. Speaking multiple languages can even impact one’s life and career prospects. In most cases, the prerequisite for entering the interna- tional business world is the knowledge of English. Therefore, especially teaching English has become crucial for students’ education in almost every country. According to this, the study of how people acquire a second language plays an important role for foreign language teachers. Nevertheless, what does it mean to acquire a second language? There may be numerous answers to this question since there are many different hypotheses made about Second Language Acquisition (SLA).