Date of Award

Spring 5-2-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA English

Department

English

Advisor

Kelly Shea, PhD

Advisor

Gail Vignola, PhD

Keywords

Second Language Acquisition (SLA), Second Language (L2), Adults, Universal Grammar (UG), Interactionist Theory, Integrative Approach

Abstract

The process of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has been explored by several scholars, who start with fundamental questions such as: “Does second language acquisition work in the same way as first language acquisition?” “What are the differences in the processes each individual experiences?” “Is it possible to become fluent in a second language at an older age?” This paper aims to show some key research conducted on this topic and provide a clear understanding of the processes that second language learners face.

This paper will delve into three main approaches to SLA: Behaviorist Theory, Universal Grammar (UG) and Interactionist Theory. The first, formulated by B. F. Skinner shows how the studies started with basic experiments in mice to explain how language is a behavior that requires stimulus and reinforcement to be acquired. Skinner’s study is further criticized by Noam Chomsky, who presents UG as the most reliable theory for SLA, exploring cognitive abilities inserted in the human brain and basing the instruction on this internal structure. The third, Interactionist Theory, challenges Chomsky’s viewpoint and argues that the most important aspect of SLA is the social interactions that a learner needs to experience to understand language. Moreover, this paper will include a survey exploring contemporary experiences of second language learners and how UG and Interactionist Theory integrates into their learning processes, introducing the the proposed Integrative Approach, which is based in these two theories and incorporates psychological research, aiming to provide a better approach to SLA.

The review of related and important literature on each approach such as on the suggested practical applications leads the way in this thesis to provide a solid foundation for the conclusion and to answers to the fundamental questions that inspired this study.

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