Effects of Environment on Language Learning

Effects of Environment on Language Learning

Regardless of your view on language learning, certain environmental factors and features are supportive of early language development. For example, children who their parents help in reading often have better language development — a vibrant social, home and online environment help in building language skills.  Teachers and parents must ensure that they exhaust all possible avenues of language learning to impart a deep understanding of language in the kids. How and where the children are brought up from zero age to adolescence, have a significant impact on their mother tongue and second language mastery. Home environment plays key role in languages learning, which is also boosted by a vibrant social accompaniment. Online environment involves application technology in language learning. Current technological advancements have contributed to significant improvement in language learning. If teachers can fully adopt educational programs supported by technology, then classroom activities can be enhanced.

Language learning processes are made simple, effective, accessible, and convenient through new technology in education programs. Today, technology is a crucial part of the learning process carried out in and out of class. As the use of technology continues to grow, educators have not only improved language learning for the learner but have also helped themselves by acquiring new skills for language delivery in and out of class (Foster et al. 2005).  Both home and online environment have significant implications for language learning in children. This paper, therefore, provides a critical analysis of how family and social media platforms impacts on early childhood language development. It further highlights some merits of online language learning.

Melhuish et al. (2008) point out that language learning begins at home, and young kids learn a language at an incredible pace. When a baby is born, their brain develops many networks for language learning for the first years of their life. Further, it is explained that even before the young ones can talk, their brain parts responsible for language matures rapidly and begins to absorb new information. It is noted that parents can help children develop language through their speech. The young children learn to decode the stream of sounds they hear from their parents and then segment them into patterns. As they begin to comprehend the meaning of the sound, they learn to reproduce similar sounds and try to communicate verbally. Based on this process, it is evident that parents have a significant role in language learning. Children’s vocabulary spurt is dependent on their parent’s speech (Melhuish et al. 2008). The language environment created by the parents; therefore, defines the children’s language learning progress and also the type of language they will eventually speak when they grow up. Kid’s language learning significantly depends upon the words they hear and listen to at home. This explains why children adopt the language spoken by their parents while they were young as their mother tongue.

The words spoken at home by the family members influence children language development (Foster et al. 2005). It should be noted that early experiences play a critical role in progress because they may have long-lasting impacts on the kid’s well-being. If infants are exposed to positive language influences at home, then they will develop language mastery skills that may help them in schools and their entire life. Throughout childhood, the variety and amount of language the kids listen to at home environment and the school actively define their language mastery ability. Parents have to ensure that their children hear and the right words and a variety of words. Further, they should increase the rate of verbal interaction with the children, which can be achieved by talking with the children most of the times. Children can effectively learn a language if they hear those around them speak. Foster et al. (2005) noted that language learning is a social process that relies on the environment. Development of literacy skills depends on why the young ones copy from others.  Noteworthy is that the quality and amount of speech that adults use with the children have the most significant impact on children language learning. When children are at age three and below, they tend to capture and borrow more from their mothers from whom they lean the first language.

Grenier & Vaillancourt (1983) research shows that sensitivity responsive parenting when the baby is young results in better language understanding and comprehension. Proper sensitivity parenting at early ages influences achieving milestones and rapid language skills in the first three years. If parents and people at home can use multiple questions and different words, then the children can learn and develop language more quickly. The ability to learn a variety of languages depends on exposure to numerous language setups and skills. If the family speaks different languages, then the children would probably learn all those languages after they have mastered the first language (Grenier & Vaillancourt, 1983). Also, parents play a vital role in teaching their children their mother tongue. At early stages of development, children entirely rely on their mother tongue to communicate, which is defined by the parents. If mothers can give instructions and rapidly talk to the child in a specific language, then the child will grow up with a high level of mastery of that particular language. It is, therefore, vital for parents to practice sensitive, responsive parenting when the kids are still young.

Payne, Whitehurst & Angell (1994) noted that another impact of family on language learning is that shared reading among family members can improve language development. If the family puts it as a routine to read and share language at home, then the children would get the speech input every day. This would significantly improve the children’s ability to master a variety of languages. As they read books and tell stories, the kids are introduced to new vocabularies. After learning of new words, the learners begin to apply them as they have conversations among the family members (Payne, Whitehurst & Angell, 1994). In the dialogues and readings, the adults should practice responsiveness and sensitivity to enhance language mastery. If the learners are allowed to take the lead and participate during the reading sessions, the learning would be fun and initiate their interest in books. The young generation significantly relies on their parents and the society to ensure that they have the opportunity to progress in the language. Parents should, therefore, work together with early childhood educators to foster faster language learning in children while they are still young. As forwarded by most researchers (Payne, Whitehurst & Angell, 1994) ideas that are learnt at an early age always stick in the brains never to be forgotten. It, therefore, means that for first and second language mastery, educators should start as early as three years to impart language knowledge maximally into the young generation. Parents, siblings and the general society play an essential role in language development in children.

Home and family members provide language learners with support and prior linguistic knowledge. Studies show that if the children find support at home, then they would be exposed to different languages (Forget‐Dubois et al. 2009). It is noted that exposure is an essential factor in language acquisition and comprehension. If one language is spoken at home, then the family should provide the needed help for the student. Also, parents should place more value in language learning. If parents prioritize language learning, then they are more likely to push the students to keep trying until they achieve a high level of language mastery. Further, parents should act as motivating factors for learners. In this case, the children would see how important language is to the parents and analyze how it directly applies to their future life.

Forget‐Dubois et al. (2009) point out that early childhood professionals forward that a contextual, theme-based curriculum would help the students more motivated and excited to know more about language. Home environment also provides students with prior linguistic knowledge. If the learner is successfully introduced to the first language, then they would have the courage to acquire a foreign language faster. Language students always can translate learned skills from one language to another. This is because once they have learned the first language, they can recognize rules, patterns and apply vocabulary to other foreign languages. The home environment has a significant impact on the language learning process. Languages used by the family members and the value attached to them are factors that impact on students. The way family members communicate words and vocabularies used to set the pace for language learning for the young. It is, therefore, essential for parents and family members to understand their role in the language learning process.

Despite the home environment being the primary determiner of language learning, other environments such as social and online also contribute significantly to the learning process. For mature language learners who can access technological devices such as smartphones, laptops, among others, language can be imparted via an online platform. Currently, technology has been used to support language learning in and out of classrooms (Ushida, 2005). Technology is a crucial part of the learning process carried out in and out of class. As the use of technology continues to grow, educators have not only improved language learning for the learner but have also helped themselves by acquiring new skills for language delivery in and out of class. Further, using technology allows students to be creative and increase their problem-solving abilities. As learners interact via technological platforms, they become creative, corporative, and do a lot of research. For example, the use of e-dictionary has aided intermediate and advanced learners of the Chinese language. The e-dictionary has helped students to read an expository text (Ushida, 2005). Advanced technological learning devices have made language learning easy and accessible such that learners entirely depend on innovations to further their skills and language intellect.

In conclusion, a vibrant social, home and online environment help in building language skills.  Teachers and parents have to ensure that they exhaust all possible avenues of language learning to impart a deep understanding of language in the kids. How and where the children are brought up from zero age to adolescence, have a significant impact on their mother tongue and second language mastery. Home environment plays a vital role in languages learning, which is also boosted by a vibrant social accompaniment.

References

Forget‐Dubois, N., Dionne, G., Lemelin, J. P., Pérusse, D., Tremblay, R. E., & Boivin, M. (2009). First child language mediates the relation between home environment and school readiness. Child Development, 80(3), 736-749.

Foster, M. A., Lambert, R., Abbott-Shim, M., McCarty, F., & Franze, S. (2005). A model of the home learning environment and social risk factors concerning children’s emergent literacy and social outcomes. Early childhood research quarterly, 20(1), 13-36.

Grenier, G., & Vaillancourt, F. (1983). An economic perspective on learning a second language. Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development, 4(6), 471-483.

Melhuish, E. C., Phan, M. B., Sylva, K., Sammons, P., Siraj‐Blatchford, I., & Taggart, B. (2008). Effects of the home learning environment and preschool centre experience upon literacy and numeracy development in early primary school. Journal of Social Issues, 64(1), 95-114.

Payne, A. C., Whitehurst, G. J., & Angell, A. L. (1994). The role of home literacy environment in the development of language ability in preschool children from low-income families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 9(3-4), 427-440.

Ushida, E. (2005). The role of students’ attitudes and motivation in second language learning in online language courses. CALICO Journal, 49-78.