English Language Teaching in its Social Context
English Language Teaching in its Social Context
English Language Teaching in its Social Context
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12 ROSAMOND MITCHELL AND FLORENCE MYLESis ‘picked up’ <strong>in</strong> the community). Some second language researchers have proposed apr<strong>in</strong>cipled dist<strong>in</strong>ction between formal, conscious learn<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>in</strong>formal, unconsciousacquisition .This dist<strong>in</strong>ction attracted much criticism when argued <strong>in</strong> a strong form by StephenKrashen (1 98 1); it still has both <strong>its</strong> active supporters and <strong>its</strong> critics (e.g. Zobll995; Rob<strong>in</strong>son1997). We th<strong>in</strong>k it is difficult to susta<strong>in</strong> systematically when survey<strong>in</strong>g SLL research <strong>in</strong> thebroad way proposed here, and unless specially <strong>in</strong>dicated we will be us<strong>in</strong>g both terms<strong>in</strong>terchangeably.What makes for a good theory?Second language learn<strong>in</strong>g is an immensely complex phenomenon. Millions of human be<strong>in</strong>gshave experience of second language learn<strong>in</strong>g, and may have a good practical understand<strong>in</strong>gof the activities which helped them to learn (or perhaps blocked them from learn<strong>in</strong>g). Butthis practical experience, and the common-sense knowledge which it leads to, are clearly notenough to help us understand fully how the process happens.We know, for a start, that peoplecannot reliably describe the language rules which they have somehow <strong>in</strong>ternalized, nor the<strong>in</strong>ner mechanisms which process, store and retrieve many aspects of that new language.We need to understand second language learn<strong>in</strong>g better than we do, for two basicreasons.1 Improved knowledge <strong>in</strong> this particular doma<strong>in</strong> is <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>its</strong>elf, and can alsocontribute to more general understand<strong>in</strong>g about the nature of language, of human learn<strong>in</strong>g,and of <strong>in</strong>tercultural communication, and thus about the human m<strong>in</strong>d <strong>its</strong>elf, as well as howall these are <strong>in</strong>terrelated and affect each other.2 The knowledge will be useful. If we becomc better at expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the learn<strong>in</strong>g process,and are better able to account for both success and failure <strong>in</strong> L2 learn<strong>in</strong>g, there will be a payofffor millions of teachers, and tens of millions of students and othcr learners, who arestruggl<strong>in</strong>g with the task.We can only pursue a better understand<strong>in</strong>g of L2 learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> an organi7ed and productiveway if our efforts are guided by some form of theory. For our purposes, a theory is a more orless abstract set of claims about the un<strong>its</strong> that are significant with<strong>in</strong> the phenomenon understudy, the relationships that exist between them, and the processes that br<strong>in</strong>g about change.Thus a theory aims not just at description, hut at explanation. Theories may be embryonicand restricted <strong>in</strong> scope, or more elaborate, explicit and comprehensive. (A theory of L2learn<strong>in</strong>g may deal only with a particular stage or phase of learn<strong>in</strong>g, or with the learn<strong>in</strong>g ofsome particular sub-aspect of language; or it may propose learn<strong>in</strong>g mechanisms which aremuch more general <strong>in</strong> scope.) Worthwhile theories arc collaborative affairs, which evolvethrough a process of systematic enquiry, <strong>in</strong> which the claims of the theory are assessed aga<strong>in</strong>stsome k<strong>in</strong>d of evidence or data. This may take place through a process of hypothesis test<strong>in</strong>gthrough formal experiment, or through more ecological procedures, where naturallyoccurr<strong>in</strong>g data is analysed and <strong>in</strong>terpreted. (See Brumfit and Mitchell 1990 for fullerdiscussion and exemplification of methods.) F<strong>in</strong>ally, the process of theory build<strong>in</strong>g is areflexive one; new developments <strong>in</strong> the theory lead to the need to collect new <strong>in</strong>formationand explore different phenomena and different patterns <strong>in</strong> the potentially <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ite world of‘facts’ and data. Puzzl<strong>in</strong>g ‘facts’, and patterns which fail to fit <strong>in</strong>, lead to new theoretical<strong>in</strong>sights.