4. Research on Second Language Acquisition in Old Adulthood: What We Have and What We Need

Kliesch, Maria; Giroud, Nathalie; Pfenninger, Simone E.; Meyer, Martin

doi:10.21832/9781783099412-006

Cited by 25 publications

(56 citation statements)

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“…The findings of these studies revealed that FLL has a positive impact on the maintenance and/or enhancement of cognitive abilities (Gruneverg and Pascoe, 1996;Ware et al, 2017;Pfenninger and Polz, 2018;Bubbico et al, 2019;Valis et al, 2019;Wong et al, 2019), irrespective of age and bilingualism (Pfenninger and Polz, 2018), which is in contrast with another study (Kliesch et al, 2017). However, one has to be slightly critical of these results as some of the studies lacked control groups, some had passive groups, some employed qualitative analysis, and there were significant differences in the length of the intervention period.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…The participants also reported that they were proud of their families that supported them in their studies (Pfenninger and Polz, 2018;Valis et al, 2019). Furthermore, the research indicates that teaching methods such as group discussions, reading, playing games, watching YouTube videos, or singing in a foreign language can stimulate older adults learning a foreign language (Gruneverg and Pascoe, 1996;Kliesch et al, 2017;Pfenninger and Polz, 2018;Valis et al, 2019). Table 1 summarizes the key findings of the detected research studies, which are ordered alphabetically according to the surname of their first author.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Altogether seven original and relevant studies were detected. Two studies were randomized controlled trials (Bubbico et al, 2019;Wong et al, 2019) and five were experimental studies (Gruneverg and Pascoe, 1996;Kliesch et al, 2017;Ware et al, 2017;Pfenninger and Polz, 2018;Valis et al, 2019). Most of them originated in Europe: Austria, Czechia, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Switzerland (Gruneverg and Pascoe, 1996;Kliesch et al, 2017;Ware et al, 2017;Pfenninger and Polz, 2018;Bubbico et al, 2019;Valis et al, 2019) and one (Wong et al, 2019) was a joint research of China and Australia.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are few studies on the effects of FLL on cognitive functions in old age (Antoniou et al, 2013). The most significant studies on this topic include those by Bak et al (2016), Ware et al (2017), Kliesch et al (2017), and Wong et al (2019)-the findings, however, are inconclusive. While Ware et al (2017) claim that their research subjects found the program motivating and pleasant, they also admitted that scores in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)-a test designed to evaluate global cognitive functioning in older adults before and after instruction-did not differ significantly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Current Research on the Impact of Foreign Language Learning Among Healthy Seniors on Their Cognitive Functions From a Positive Psychology Perspective—A Systematic Review

Klímová

Pikhart

2020

Front. Psychol.

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The purpose of this review study is to explore the existing research focusing on the impact of foreign language learning among healthy seniors on their cognitive functions from the positive psychology perspective. The methods are based on a literature review of available sources found on the research topic in two acknowledged databases: Web of Science and Scopus. The search period was not limited by any time period since there are not many studies on this topic. Altogether seven original studies were detected. The findings of this review study thus reveal that foreign language learning (FLL) has a positive impact on the maintenance and/or enhancement of cognitive abilities irrespective of age. In addition, the FLL courses seem to offer new opportunities for healthy seniors in the area of socializing and integration into society, which consequently may positively affect their overall well-being. Furthermore, the research shows that it is partly through the stimulation of social well-being that the cognitive effects of FLL might be observed. Cognitive aspects of older age are to be further investigated, including the importance of learning a foreign language, as basically all research conducted proves at least some maintenance or even improvement of cognitive functions of older people when starting intensive language training.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Current Research on the Impact of Foreign Language Learning Among Healthy Seniors on Their Cognitive Functions From a Positive Psychology Perspective—A Systematic Review

Klímová

Pikhart

2020

Front. Psychol.

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“…In Kliesch et al (2018), an EEG experiment was conducted after an intensive English course (four hours a day, i.e. 60 lessons over the course of three weeks) with ten German-speaking 'young-olds' (monolingual Swiss-or High-German native speakers, mean age = 68.20, SD = 2.44, range = 65-74) who were controlled for musical training, hearing ability, use of English (beginners), amount of time spent in an English-speaking context, neurological, psychiatric or language disorders, IQ and physical activity.…”

Section: How Older Adults May Benefit From L2 Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical review of research relating to the learning, use and effects of additional and multiple languages in later life

Pfenninger

Singleton

2019

Lang. Teach.

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While there is a growing body of research on second language acquisition (SLA) in children, adolescents, young and more mature adults, much remains to be explored about how adults in later life learn a new language and how good additional language learning is for THEM. Our goal in this article is to survey and evaluate what is known about the linguistic, socio-affective, neurobiological and cognitive underpinnings of the second language (L2) learning process in older individuals, the extent to which L2 acquisition may be seen as contributing to healthy and active ageing, and how these phenomena are to be approached scientifically, methodologically and pedagogically. Our view is that a developmental enterprise as complex as L2 learning in senior adulthood and its effects in later life cannot be explained by a single theory or set of principles. Furthermore, we take it that L2 acquisition in the third age needs to be regarded not just as a goal in itself but as a means of promoting social interaction and integration, and that it is partly through the stimulation of social well-being that its cognitive effects may potentially be observed.

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Exploring a poorly understood variable: An agenda for classroom research on the age factor

Singleton¹,

Pfenninger

2018

Lang. Teach.

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This article is concerned with age in second language learning. It steers well clear, however, of the well-worn issue of maturational constraints and the intractable problems of locating their consensual offset point and finding indisputable evidence for or against them. Instead we propose something completely different in our agenda for age-related research: a programme on some poorly understood non-maturational dimensions of the age factor which will stand some chance of yielding results unlikely to become entangled in theoretical controversy. In other words, the results will, we think, be immediately usable and useful. The topics included in our outlined agenda are: (1) age effects in various dimensions of language teaching and learning (in relation to bilingualism and biliteracy, to different target languages and to Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL); (2) what can be observed in respect of second language (L2) learning in the third age; (3) an ecological perspective on age in classroom L2 research methodology; and (4) an exploration of the attitudes of teachers of different-aged L2 learners.

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4. Research on Second Language Acquisition in Old Adulthood: What We Have and What We Need

Cited by 25 publications

References 0 publications

Current Research on the Impact of Foreign Language Learning Among Healthy Seniors on Their Cognitive Functions From a Positive Psychology Perspective—A Systematic Review

Current Research on the Impact of Foreign Language Learning Among Healthy Seniors on Their Cognitive Functions From a Positive Psychology Perspective—A Systematic Review

A critical review of research relating to the learning, use and effects of additional and multiple languages in later life

Exploring a poorly understood variable: An agenda for classroom research on the age factor

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