Intelligence
Howard Gardner (1993) proposed that individuals have ‘multiple intelligences’ (e.g., abilities in the areas of music, interpersonal relations, athletics or the verbal intelligence) unlike traditional IQ tests that have assessed only a limited range of abilities. However, I believe that IQ may reflect multiple intelligences and affect to language learning as well.
For example, my brother has higher IQ than me. He got the highest IQ at school every time he took the IQ test. His life has been always smoother and easier, but I have to put ten times more effort in everything. He didn’t study English at all since graduated from high school and hardly used English while majoring in electro- technology for his bachelor’s and master’s. I thought I was better than him at least in English because he said he didn't like English.
Last year, he and I took TOEIC test together. It was his first time and I had taken TOEIC test several times. Then… a month later, we got our scores. He got the almost perfect score and I got a loooot lower score. I was proud of my brother, but at the same time I was embarrassed and frustrated. Looking at my brother who always outperforms me, I think IQ reflects multiple intelligences and stretches to learning various subjects.
Intelligence may be distinctive from other variables (Aptitude, Learning style, Personality, Motivation, Attitudes, Learner beliefs, Age factors, etc.) in that it could be the base of learning languages. Based on the given intelligence, other factors could accelerate or decelerate in language learning.
Howard Gardner (1993) proposed that individuals have ‘multiple intelligences’ (e.g., abilities in the areas of music, interpersonal relations, athletics or the verbal intelligence) unlike traditional IQ tests that have assessed only a limited range of abilities. However, I believe that IQ may reflect multiple intelligences and affect to language learning as well.
For example, my brother has higher IQ than me. He got the highest IQ at school every time he took the IQ test. His life has been always smoother and easier, but I have to put ten times more effort in everything. He didn’t study English at all since graduated from high school and hardly used English while majoring in electro- technology for his bachelor’s and master’s. I thought I was better than him at least in English because he said he didn't like English.
Last year, he and I took TOEIC test together. It was his first time and I had taken TOEIC test several times. Then… a month later, we got our scores. He got the almost perfect score and I got a loooot lower score. I was proud of my brother, but at the same time I was embarrassed and frustrated. Looking at my brother who always outperforms me, I think IQ reflects multiple intelligences and stretches to learning various subjects.
Intelligence may be distinctive from other variables (Aptitude, Learning style, Personality, Motivation, Attitudes, Learner beliefs, Age factors, etc.) in that it could be the base of learning languages. Based on the given intelligence, other factors could accelerate or decelerate in language learning.
Aptitude
I thought aptitude was more like, how much a learner was into the language at first, however, it is the ability to analyzing languages (analytic ability). Then, it may be co-related to intelligence in some way. I wonder if people were born with certain aptitude like intelligence, or aptitude could be developed with effort. Paul(2005a) viewed that aptitude has several components (1)identify and memorize new sounds, (2)understand the function of particular words in sentences, (3) figure out grammatical rules from language samples.
I think these abilities are subject to change unlike intelligence because learners will improve those analytic abilities to recognize sounds, words, grammar over time.
The savant, Christopher, he must have high aptitude with possibly low IQ. This example shows that an aptitude is independent of cognitive, social, and personality characteristics. But this is such an exceptional case and cannot apply to everyone. In some way, intelligence and aptitude could correlate. When we think of the students who always got the first grade in class, they were good at most of subjects and there were not much in scores although they didn’t like some of subjects.
Personality + Krashen's FIVE Hypotheses
It is often argued that an extroverted person is well suited to language learning. An extroverted person with high-esteem may be not reluctant to make mistakes while talking. In other words, the learner is less likely to closely monitor his/her performance. Relatively, an introverted or reserved learner is more cautious about what she/he is talking and monitoring can be an effective learning strategy. Of course, over-use of the Monitor is counter-productive, but attention to language form or awareness of the learning process could lead to the successful learning (Stephen Krashen’s Monitor Hypothesis).However, Krashen regarded Monitor as a post-learning process and a tool for use of language in certain restrained conditions such as formal exam situations, but I think monitoring works widely from casual mundane conversation to formal test environment as long as it is not over-used enough to prevent communication.
As Krashen’s another hypothesis (The Acquisition/Learning Hypothesis) shows, SLA is the process of paying attention to the second language, which is called ‘learning’ and it enables learners to develop a ‘Monitor’ especially for adult-learners. The acquisition in SLA goes through a series of stages(The Natural Order Hypothesis),similar to developmental sequences (grammatical morphemes order) in FLA and the predictable order is not necessarily same as apparent simplicity to complexity. Selinker points out that the majority of adult learners never achieve full fluency in L2 and almost all of them fossilize at some point or other. And one of the reasons for fossilization is the input way beyond the learner’s present interlanguage. Krashen states the learner needs to be provided with sufficient input that is just a little beyond the present capacity(i+1 input) and this is the only way to learn (The Input Hypothesis). However, input alone is not sufficient. It should be provided under low anxiety and high motivation environment (The Affective Filter Hypothesis).
It is often argued that an extroverted person is well suited to language learning. An extroverted person with high-esteem may be not reluctant to make mistakes while talking. In other words, the learner is less likely to closely monitor his/her performance. Relatively, an introverted or reserved learner is more cautious about what she/he is talking and monitoring can be an effective learning strategy. Of course, over-use of the Monitor is counter-productive, but attention to language form or awareness of the learning process could lead to the successful learning (Stephen Krashen’s Monitor Hypothesis).However, Krashen regarded Monitor as a post-learning process and a tool for use of language in certain restrained conditions such as formal exam situations, but I think monitoring works widely from casual mundane conversation to formal test environment as long as it is not over-used enough to prevent communication.
As Krashen’s another hypothesis (The Acquisition/Learning Hypothesis) shows, SLA is the process of paying attention to the second language, which is called ‘learning’ and it enables learners to develop a ‘Monitor’ especially for adult-learners. The acquisition in SLA goes through a series of stages(The Natural Order Hypothesis),similar to developmental sequences (grammatical morphemes order) in FLA and the predictable order is not necessarily same as apparent simplicity to complexity. Selinker points out that the majority of adult learners never achieve full fluency in L2 and almost all of them fossilize at some point or other. And one of the reasons for fossilization is the input way beyond the learner’s present interlanguage. Krashen states the learner needs to be provided with sufficient input that is just a little beyond the present capacity(i+1 input) and this is the only way to learn (The Input Hypothesis). However, input alone is not sufficient. It should be provided under low anxiety and high motivation environment (The Affective Filter Hypothesis).
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