Innatist and Interactionist Learning Approaches of Elementary School Students’ Language Acquisition

Abstract

Language acquisition starts in childhood. Oral language is the initial language to learn. Within it, lies norms to make language functional. Children start to function the language through communication. Communication provides an identity that shapes them into different settings. As language acquisition is unique and individual, experts have been studying to interpret it. There are at least three theorists of language acquisition. They are a behaviorist, innatist, and interactionist. Experts are debating on which theory provides the most appropriate approaches for the students. The discussion will compare innatist and interactionist approaches to the students’ first and second language acquisition. It describes how the educational program would be like when using innatist and interactionist learning approaches. There are also critiques on innatist and interactionist approaches. A suggestion is provided to strategically integrate both approaches to understand language acquisition process in both first and second language students.

Learning Strategies Used by ESL Pupils in A Sub-Urban Primary School to Develop Listening Skills

“…Because their surroundings encouraged them, children continued to copy and practise these sounds and patterns until they established 'habits' of proper language use (Broad, 2020). Similarly, Mulyani (2019) stated in her paper that as children continue to produce language, they will gradually shape their habits.…”

“…Chomsky's view that humans are born with biological mental processes designed for language acquisition serves as the foundation for the Innatist theory of second language acquisition (Board, 2020). According to studies cited in Mulyani's (2019) article by Dulay and Burt (1974), the majority of grammatical errors produced by early second English language learners were identical to those made by young first English language learners. As a result, the study concluded that, while the process of acquiring a first and second language was not comparable, it revealed a similar pattern.…”

“…As a result, the study concluded that, while the process of acquiring a first and second language was not comparable, it revealed a similar pattern. Learners constructed the rules of the second language with such a way that they became independent of the rules of their first language (Mulyani, 2019). As a result, an integrative approach to second language acquisition learning would continue to be helpful in supporting students in acquiring their second language.…”

“…However, developmental and cognitive psychologists argue against innatists who place too much emphasis on the "final state" of adult native speakers' competence and not enough on the developmental aspects of language acquisition; acquisition is just one example of the human child's ability to learn from experience (Broad, 2020). In the context of second language acquisition, interactionists focus on the interaction between native and non-native speakers, or first and second language learners (Mulyani, 2019). Individuals in the process of learning should be able to effectively experience and develop proficiency in employing diverse social strategies in their discourse by engaging in interactive communication.…”

Becoming Polyglots through Formal and Non-Formal Language Education

“…The innate theory (as introduced by Chomsky in Pinker, 1994;Mulyani, 2019) asserts that language is an innate capacity; that a child's brain contains special language-learning mechanisms at birth. With this capacity a child is familiar very well with the whole intricacies of the language system: its sound system, its grammatical system, and its lexical system.…”