A Successful Foreign Language Learner

Prof. Yi-Ping Wu

The Seventh Group

Group Members

9331338Zoë Lee

9331376Lisa Wu

9331378Vicky Lin

9331372Carlos Dong

Introduction

The Purpose of the Study

Why do we choose her? - The first reasonWe want to know that how she conquered manyproblems in foreigner country. - The second reasonShe always tells us how to learn English better.

Why do we think she is successful?She is a good example who spent seven yearsstudying aboard and now is a English teacher.

Case Description

Educational background and research fields

- Deguang Catholic Girls' High School

- B.A in English Literature at Providence University

- Ph.D. in Literature at the University of Texas at Dallas

Case Description

Learning experiences-elementary school

-junior high school

-senior high school

-university

-graduate school

Methods

Data Collection

Face-to-face interviewWe planned a number of questions before the

interview.

E-mailsWe asked for some extra information.

Questionnaire She did the questionnaire of learning styles.

Analysis of Professor Wu’s Learning Characteristic

IntelligenceProfessor Wu excels in spatial, musical, and

interpersonal intelligence.

PersonalityProfessor Wu is moderately extroverted

Analysis of Professor Wu’s Learning Characteristic

Motivation and attitudesProfessor Wu has intrinsic and instrumental motivation.

Learner PreferencesProfessor Wu tends to be visual , field-independent,

reflective, and has no particular dominance on

either side.

Discussion

Behaviorism - Practice and drillShe listens to radio and watches American TV programs

everyday.

- Habit formationShe keeps practicing and repeating the language constantly to

form her habit of saying those sentences.

- ImitationShe admired a teacher’s teaching, so she started to imitate

that teacher.

- Positive and corrective feedbackShe felt confident in learning second language.

InteractionismWhen Professor Wu studied abroad, she had

many chances to communicate with others.

CPH (Critical Period Hypothesis)

Professor Wu started to learn English at ten.

ZPD (zone of proximal development)She improved her speaking skills by talking with

more advanced learners.

The input hypothesisI+1 (I= comprehensible input)-- read more

difficulty stuff.

Conclusion

Summary Professor Wu’s success in second language

learning attributes to many factors, including her strong intrinsic motivation, long-term formed habit, and positive attitude.

She believes that positive attitude and good learning skills are the best ways to study English.

“Never give up, and success will belong to you.”

Suggestion For Foreign Language Learners

Reading abilityChoose a proper material to read

Writing abilityImitate the structure of authentic articles

Listening ability Listen to ICRT and watch English videos

Speaking ability Seize every opportunity to speak in English.

Thank You

For Your Attention