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IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 24, Issue 6, Ser. 7 (June. 2019) 01-08 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org Cognitive Factors in Second Language Acquisition: A Study in The English Language Faculty of Ba Ria Vung Tau University, Viet Nam Phan Thi Phuong Nhu, Ho Van Han School of International Training and Postgraduate Studies, Ba Ria-Vung Tau University, VietNam Corresponding Author:Phan Thi ABSTRACT:This study isCognitive factors in Second Language Acquisition: A Study in English Language Faculty of Ba Ria Vung Tau University (BVU). Among all factors that contribute to the acquisition process of second language learners, this study particularly focuses on cognitive factors namely Intelligence; Language aptitude; Language learning strategies which involve the work of human perception and cognition during the learning period. It is carried out within the English Faculty of BVU, where cognitive approach to linguistics seems to be a relatively new topic that requires further exploration. The results show that most students here cannot fully comprehend the English language because they fail to see the roles of mental capacity in their studies. Built upon the framework of a number of theories regarding multiple aspects in second language acquisition and cognitive perspectives, this study has a solid foundation made up of previous studies and aims to delve deeper into certain facets or develop higher basis for the analytical work. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to gather data as the research is expected to be a perfect combination of collection methods, with an aim to generate a comprehensive view towards the research topic. This was specifically accomplished by conducting surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and observations. After that, relevant theoretical perspectives are utilized in assisting the statistical and thematic techniques for data analysis. The ultimate purpose is not only to help students of the English Language Faculty overcome their difficulties in learning a second language, but also to maximize the teaching quality of the teaching staff in this faculty with more effective pedagogic strategies. KEYWORDS:Cogntive factors, intelligence, language aptitude, language learning strategies, second language acquisition --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date of Submission: 08-06-2019 Date of acceptance: 25-06-2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- I. INTRODUCTION Some educators believe that monolingual speakers have been outnumbered by their multilingual counterparts in the global population, indicating an unstoppable trend of multilingualism as a consequence of globalization and cultural exchange. This explains for the rush to learn more and more languages in recent years, which is most easily seen in young generations. However, whilst the acquisition of native tonguesis always areal success, the opposite trend seems to go for that of a second language (L2), given the fact that learning a second language through schooling instruction is always likely to end up with serious failure in many countries. This has led a large number of researchers and teaching experts to get involved in scientific study trying to figure out the answer to the question: How is a second language acquired?. Numerous hypotheses and theories have been proposed to seek the secrets behind successful language acquisition. Despite being an appealing subject of debate since the beginning of linguistic studies, it remains a big challenge to anyone who seeks full understanding due to its broad and complex coverage. In the course of discovering the theories of second language acquisition (SLA), it has been found that this acquisitional process varies among different learners due to a variety of factors. Research on these factors concentrates on determining whether basic linguistic skills, consisting of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, are innate (nature), acquired (nurture), or a combination of both. These influential factors are generally divided into four groups: cognitive factors, linguistic factors, socio-cultural factors, and individual variation. Cognitive approaches take into account the mental processes that explain the acquisition of language learners on the basis of the more general cognitive science. Cognitive factors comprise intelligence, language aptitude, and language learning strategies. Linguistic approaches to second language acquisition research view language as a separate part of knowledge which is dsitinct and unique from any other forms, and rely on the outcomes of linguistic studies to analyze this acquisition. There are two crucial strands of research belonging to this group: DOI: 10.9790/0837-2406070108 www.iosrjournals.org 1 |Page Cognitive Factors in Second Language Acquisition: A Study in The English Language Faculty of Ba .. universal grammar, and typological approaches. Second language acquisition can also be approached by the sociocultural perspectives, which emphasizes the importance of social context in understanding how learners acquire languages. Thus, it disapproves of the idea that language is a purely psychological phenomenon (Gass & Selinker, 2008, pp. 280-281). Ellis (2008, p.281) lists out three types of social structure that influence the acquisition of second language: sociolinguistic setting, specific social factors, and situational factors. Lastly, individials themselves are also considered the causes of possible changes and development in their own language learning process. It is believed that learners are distinguished from each other by their variety in age, strategy, and affective factors, hence the differences in their progress. To examine the effects of age on language learning, there is a hypothesis called the critical period hypothesis, which asserts that there exists a particular childhood age period after which one’s ability to properly and completely acquire a language is lost. Meanwhile, strategies are commonly classified into learning strategies and communicative strategies. As for the last category, affective factors are typically defined as emotional aspects involved in the learning process, which are anxiety, personality, social attitude, and motivation. Among all the above factors that contribute to the acquisitional process of second language learners, this study shall particularly focus on the cognitive factors which involve the work of human perception and cognition during the learning period. This research area has been a commonly debated topic for decades, yet is still left incompletely uncovered due to the lack of consensus among scholars on several points. The concepts and models used in this area are taken from the broader cognitive theories of learning, which address the issues in second language acquisition as a specific case of the brain’s learning mechanisms. In fact, this is what makes it distinct from other approaches to second language acquisition. Given the fact that the acquisition of second language itself is directly linked to the subsconcious mind and heavily depends on how the minds operate, cognitive factors are believed to be of the utmost significance among all of the mentioned factors. Yet, many language learners fail to understand how they can take advantage of their cognition to optimize the outcomes, and some even ignore their mentality while learning their target language, leading to hours and hours wasted for no sign of improvement. The same situations have been going on around the English Language Faculty of Ba Ria Vung Tau University for years, with so many students struggling in vain to improve their English. The belief that most students here cannot fully comprehend the English language simply because they fail to see the roles of cognitive factors in second language learning greatly motivates this research. According to my personal observation, students in this faculty have put a lot of emphasis onpracticing speaking and listening through group communication and IELTS/TOEIC audios, as well as learning vocabulary and grammatical structures for writing and reading. During this process, however, very few are actually paying attention to the operating system of their cognitive functions in order to see the power it may have on maximizing their linguistic ability, and thus no action is being taken seriously to train intellectual capacity for language learning purpose. The results, therefore, have not shown enough positive signs for many of them. Also, despite its potential beneficial effects on the faculty’s performance, this area seems relatively new to the research history of this particular university, and the term “language acquisition” or “cognitive factors” itself is also considered unfamiliar by almost every student here. This fact adds another reason why this study is being conducted. Hopefully, my study shall meet the interests and the demands of those who seek effective methods to gain English proficiency and who desire greater efficiency of their English teaching profession. CONTEXT OF THE STUDY This study takes into consideration the main cognitive factors that have significant impacts on the ultimate L2 proficiency, namely intelligence, language aptitude, and language learning strategies. The chosen geographical area of research is the English Language Faculty of Ba Ria Vung Tau University, where a huge number of students are believed to urgently need help with their studies, and, at the same time, where the cognitive approach to linguistics has never been deeply explored. As a consequence, the study’s foci range from the role of intellectual, aptitudinal, and strategic factors in English acquisition of this faculty’s students, the links between cognitive effects and their difficulties in learning English, to the action that should be taken immediately to boost everyone’s language performance. The research takes place in the educational context of English Language Faculty because this is the area where students are expected to have the greatest amount of exposure to the English language on campus, through both schoolwork in classes and homework in the form of group or independent projects. This exposure is always known as the decisive factor in reaching full comprehension of a language, and the more learners are able to be immersed in that language, the more likely it is that they shall become fluent within a very short time. The general output of the faculty, nevertheless, has not always been up to expectation over the past couple of years, leading to a lot of unanswered questions surrouding both the environment in BVU and these learners themselves. After spending almost 4 years as an English Language student in this university, I have realized a certain number of problems that may have inevitable impacts on many students’ English proficiency. To specify, in the first two years of our undergraduate program, most of our time was spent on practicing the four DOI: 10.9790/0837-2406070108 www.iosrjournals.org 2 |Page Cognitive Factors in Second Language Acquisition: A Study in The English Language Faculty of Ba .. basic skills to gain higher proficiency, i.e. listening, speaking, reading, and writing, according to the format and content of the IELTS Test. At the same time, we were also provided with elementary linguistic knowledge in sub-areas like syntax, semantics, phonology, and phonetics. These first years were meant to equip students with a sufficient level of language proficiency, serving as a foundation step, to prepare students for the next two years when we officially moved to specialist knowledge with the use of English in either tourism, business, or pedagogy. Though this seemed to be a cleverly organized curriculum for language learning, what we got to learn was mere practice of group communication, essay production following the common IELTS structure, together with exercise completion based on academic passages and short audios. There was no emphasis on the matter of training our brain for analytical, critical, and logical thinking, or instructions on how to obtain intellectual capacity, how to take advantage of our language aptitude, how to figure out our preferred learning styles that could optimize our acquisitional ability, etc. An example of this can be seen in reading classes, where we were asked to read a passage and answer some questions to test our overall understanding, without digging deeper into the structural organization as well as the generation and expression of argumentative ideas so as to learn how the writer analyzed different aspects of the same issue. This, as I believe, would have helped students get a more profound look at any given topic in English and an ability to always generate thoughts, whether academically or casually, in this language without much translation into their native tongue. This was true even for our studies into the branches of linguistics. For instance, the module called semantics was concerned with logical aspects of meaning, and phonetics was abstract, grammatical characterization of systems of sounds or signs, which means they required a lot of brainwork for language-based cognition and perception. Yet, neither of these classes offered students much opportunity to examine the relation between cognition and language, nor taught us the way of utilizing our mental processes to acquire conceptual or connotative meanings, and the physical properties of speech sounds. Therefore, I am dedicated to figuring out whether these shortcomings are among the main reasons behind problems in learning the English language within this particular area. In other words, I would like to clarify if the teaching environment has offered enough exposure, if the strategies used in each class effectively meet the needs of each student, and most importantly, if the lack of focus on cognitive factors in the curriculum and teaching styles are having negative effects on English outcomes. However, the problems can also originate from students themselves. There is a variety of factors leading to low study performance at university, including the lack of individual practice, low levels of interest and motivation, failure to set short-term and long-term goals, inability to find effective and personally suitable strategies, and so on. Though attitude and motivation play an undoubtedly important part in study success, they shall not be examined in this research. The cognitive focus of this research will, instead, explore the influence that mentality exerts on the way BVU students learn English, and so the methods they are applying for their own learning process are deeply analyzed in many aspects. That is to say, my study is concerned with the techniques students have chosen to use in their studies, the difficulties they are having with those techniques, whether the challenges have any connection with the work of cognition, whether they have not been able to realize the power of cognition and thus failed to utilize it in languages, etc. Building on such contexts, the study looks at both the faculty’s teaching approaches and students’ own ways of learning. THE AIMS OF THE STUDY By giving an insightful analysis into the field of SLA with concentration on different facets of cognitive factors, this paper generally aims to shed light on the role these factors play in improving the educational quality provided to English Language students at Ba Ria Vung Tau University. Specifically, the objectives include finding out if students and lecturers at BVU are paying little attention to cognitive approaches and if this is having any detrimental impacts on students’ study results, as well as possible relations between the lack of understanding on cognitive abilities and common challenges that the majority of these students are facing as language learners. The subsequent aims are to come up with specific strategies for English acquisition amelioration, which not only correspond with the learning styles of each individual but also make use of personal intelligence and natural linguistic ability. This targets at both language learners who are in need of efficient learning methods and language educators who desire remarkable improvement in their teaching quality. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: - What role do cognitive factors play in studying English at BVU? - How can this role be linked to the general role of cognitive factors in second language acquisition? - What are the stages that English Language students in BVU go through in their English language acquisition? - What are the common problems related to cognitive factors that they encounter during these learning stages? - How cognitive factors have influenced the outcomes of English studies produced by these students? - What can these students do to improve their English performance based on the understanding of cognitive factors? - How can the focus on cognitve factors allow lecturers of this faculty to enhance their teaching efficiency? DOI: 10.9790/0837-2406070108 www.iosrjournals.org 3 |Page Cognitive Factors in Second Language Acquisition: A Study in The English Language Faculty of Ba .. From a practical perspective, this research is expected to produce beneficial outcomes for the quality of education in BVU and many other universities of Vietnam. Within the scale of BVU in particular, it shall give assistance to language instructors, who in this case are Vietnamese lecturers of the English Language Faculty and, more generally, other faculties of the School of Languages - Cultures - Arts which are all organizing academic studies into various languages, for the purpose of achieving new heights in their teaching and training profession. This will be done with the use of new linguistic approaches that have rarely been taken before. The study offers ranges from the form of theoretical understanding to suggested hands-on actions that could be largely applied all over the university for students of all ages. In addition, the author is hopefully the answer for those who are desperately looking for the appropriate road to success in their undergraduate work with languages at BVU, whether it is English, Japanese, Chinese, French, or Korean; given the fact that all second languages go through the same stages of acquisition and are influenced by similar factors ranging from cognitive factors, linguistic factors, socio-cultural factors, to individual variation. Therefore, the effects of this study are likely to reach much farther than merely inside the English Language Faculty as it originally planned. Taking an even broader view of the issue, the researcher personally aims to spread the focus of the study across a much wider area in the country of Vietnam, creating largely influential impacts on the language teaching systems of universities, schools, and other educational institutions. It is the ultimate goal of this study that its long-term positive influences shall go beyond the campus of BVU and reach other places where a variety of languages are being taught as well. Due to the incessantly increasing demands of learning foreign languages all over the country, acquisitional methods of high efficiency are urgently required to fulfill the need of integration into this constantly globalized world. As a consequence, cognitive approaches suggested by this study are expected to advantageously contribute to the acquisition of any languages other than the native tongue, helping learners from everywhere of the country relieve the pressure of mastering a new language for whatever purpose, including study, work, travelling, and moving abroad. By utilizing the power of mental capacity, learners shall have a chance to develop other related skills such as critical thinking, analytical, organizational, argumentative, communication, and management skills, which without doubt bring enormous benefits to numerous types of jobs people do today. COGNITIVE FACTORS IN SLA Modern L2 research has been viewing the process of acquisition from a cognitive perspective. This approach aims at analyzing the mental processes that language acquisition involves and the nature of language knowledge stored in the mind. According to cognitive research, L2 acquisition is more like an exceptional circumstance of general learning mechanisms in human brain, owing to the fact that it applies the same concepts and models as in learning theories in terms of cognition. The prevailing position among all approaches in this particular research field belongs to the computational model, acknowledged by Rod Ellis (2008, pp. 405-406). There are three stages involved in this model. The first stage is where learners store their retained language input, known as intake, in short-term memory. Some of the intake is then converted to form second-language knowledge in the next stage, which ends up with information saved in long-term memory. Finally, this amount of knowledge is utilized to produce speech - the learning output. To cast light on the importance and effects of cognitive factors on SLA, this paper shall divide these factors into three groups: intelligence, linguistic aptitude, and learning strategies. Intelligence The first category is understood as mental ability that governs logical thinking and reasoning. Just as significant as determination, diligence, and hard work, the vital role of intelligence in learning a new language is proven by the commonly seen fact that children with high intellectual levels are more likely to come up with clever use of structures and vocabularies, as well as possess sharp argumentative skills. This is the major reason why many students with excellence in maths or physics, which basically requires logical ability and data analysis, tend to perform equally well at lingusitic subjects. The importance of intelligence in SLA has in fact been acknowledged by Rubin (1981, pp.117-131) who believes verbal intelligence is among the most crucial cognitive factors, alongside phonological processing ability and long term memory capacity. Undoubtedly, success in life and learning should have some correlations to high IQ Test Scores, whic means high IQ is associated with better results in language tests. However, it has been identified by Spolsky (1989, p. 103) that this is only true as far as academic skills are concerned, meaning “the ability to perform well in standard intelligence tests correlates highly with shool related second language learning, but is unrelated to the learning of a second language for informal and social functions”. Similarly, Howard Gardner (1993, pp.169-172) proposed a theory that there are multiple intelligences, yet only one or two of them are most instrumental in learning languages. There are eight types of intelligence described in his theory of Multiple Intelligences: linguistic (sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability to use the language for achieving specific targets); logical-mathematical (the capacity of deductive DOI: 10.9790/0837-2406070108 www.iosrjournals.org 4 |Page Cognitive Factors in Second Language Acquisition: A Study in The English Language Faculty of Ba .. reasoning, logical thinking, and pattern detecting); spatial (ability to perceive wide space and more confined areas, and make use of their patterns); musical (ability to control musical pitches and rhythmic patterns by recognizing and creating them); bodily-kinesthetic (capability of utilizing mental abilities to support body movement coordination); interpersonal (capacity to recognize and comprehend others’ intentions, motivations and aspirations); intrapersonal (capacity to develop a sense of self- identity and have full understading of oneself); and naturalistic (capability to absorb knowledge about the natural world). At the same time, Gardner states that all these eight intelligences co-exist in everyone, and go through independent evolvement differently in terms of times and extents. He argues that these types of intellectual abilities are closely interconnected in a way that the development of one area leads to the growth of them all. Therefore, he concludes that it is essential for learners to improve all eight intelligences, as the way of being intelligent greatly varies leading to various ways of learning. Language aptitude Linguistic aptitude is considered a talent, or an inherent capacity to excel in languages. It is not an achievement itself, but is the potential for achievements. Therefore, L2 learners, especially beginners, often hear about aptitude tests which have been designed for the purpose of predicting individuals’ future performance. From my own perspective, though it does not play the role of a determiner for language comprehension, those who lack linguistic aptitude surely find far more struggle to reach the same competence as their aptitudeequipped counterparts and within a longer time. There are several experiments and studies supporting this point of view. Harley and Hart (1989, p.379) stated that language aptitude is “one of the central individual differences in language learning” and also “the most consistent predictor of one’s success in learning a foreign language”. They conducted a study on the correlations between language aptitude and L2 proficiency in 1997, in which intact classes were utilized to see how aptitude could affect the learning process of classroom learners. Their subjects were classroom learners whose intensive exposure to second languages started from different ages. Their findings revealed some differences between adolescent and younger participants, with the former having their L2 competency positively linked to analytical dimension of language aptitude, and the latter showing the same connections between their L2 outcomes and memory ability. These results act as strong evidence for the above argument on the positive effects that linguistic aptitude has on every language learner. Another study in favour of linguistic aptitude’s crucial position in SLA is the one conducted by Skehan (1986). This researcher focused his work on the fundamental complexity of language aptitude and the way it is linked to its the acquisition of first and second language. He finally found out that the ability to handle languages without clearly set contexts is actually included in human aptitude, and that it is associated with both learning academic skills and intelligence (Ellis, 1994). With these results, I personally believe what this research has found out is not only that language aptitude contains essential elements which contribute to the full development of a language in human minds, but also the implications that it has strong bonds with other determiners of SLA, proving its role as a predictor of L2 achievement. This is also the conclusion of Cummins reached after his studies in 1983, in which he investigated academic language performance in the context of formal classroom instruction. He finally came up with the idea that aptitude acts as a predictor that foretells L2 proficiency and that there should be some improvements in aptitude tests so that they would measure both cognitive competence and communicative capabilities. Language learning strategies The strategies individuals apply for their learning bear noticeable associations with their cognition. Apparently, learners who come up with more effective and personally appropriate strategies end up with higher levels of motivation and faster achievements. Their preferred learning styles, how they believe a language should be acquired, and the type of learners they want to be are among many factors that determine one’s choice of strategies. As these factors belong to the mental awareness of themselves and of the target language, the mentioned relation between chosen strategies and learners’ cognition is proven. This viewpoint is also supported by the assumption of Gardner and McIntyer (1993), who assert that situational variables, individual characteristics, and learning strategy used are the indicators of success in L2 learning. They argue that these three aspects interplay in a complex way and all produce certain changes to the proficiency of languages. To give more information about learning strategy, some researchers also refer to it as cognitive style. It is the specific and certain method of doing something with effort. Needless to say, each L2 learner has their own technique to deal with language problems, but whether that technique corresponds with their cognitive styles which would certainly allow them to reach their best achievements is another question. In fact, different scholars have suggested different ways of categorization for learning styles. Reid (1987) categorizes everyone’s general learning styles according to several modalities, including audio (hearing), kinesthetic (touching), visual (seeing), and tactile (touching). The first type is used to describe those who require verbal explanations or thorough instructions for grammatical rules, tackle problems by using dialogues or discussions, as well as create rhythms and sounds to learn things by heart. The second refers to the ones that are capable of memorizing well by writing down words, phrases, and sentences, with preference for activities or movement. By contrast, the next DOI: 10.9790/0837-2406070108 www.iosrjournals.org 5 |Page Cognitive Factors in Second Language Acquisition: A Study in The English Language Faculty of Ba .. group is more likely to absorb or retain information easily through images, diagrams, and other visual aids, while hands-on practice like demonstrations, presentations, writing, and drawing are decisive factors in the success of the final type of learner. Another way to classify learning strategies has been presented by Brown (1994), who relies on brain functions to find the variations in people’s preferred ways of learning. What he did was to examine a table, written by Torrance (1980), which demostrated the distinctions between humans’ left and right brain in terms of functional characteristics. He realized that those in possession of intellectual strengths, keen on certain amounts of established information, and depending on language to generate thoughts or memorize things are dominated by left-brain. Meanwhile, right-brain dominated ones are recognized with intuition, holistical way of processing information, and dependence on drawing and demonstration to learn better. Two other researchers that have contribute another way of sorting out learning strategies are Chamot and O’Malley (1987). They argue that there are three principal types: metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective strategies (Ellis, 1994, pp. 537-538). Metacognitive strategies is defined as the strategies used for analysis, monitoring, evaluation, planning and organization during the learning period. As regards cognitive strategies, learners especially find them useful when they get involved in activities like repeating, translating and note-taking for the purpose of getting the learning resources transformed. When learners make effort to develop the quality and the amount of their L2 communication as in the situation of talking to native speakers for the first time ot using L2 to give enquiry, they change their styles to social strategies. However, if learners attempt to take over their emotions and feelings, such as anxiety, embarrassment, or irritation, the strategies they shall be using belong to the affective group. THE ROLE OF INTELLIGENCE IN SLA This study shall look at the matter of intelligence in L2 acquisition from the perspective of Howard Gadner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which is deemed to be very practically and theoretically detailed about the categorization of intelligence. Nevertheless, just as Gadner himself says that only one to two of these types are significant for learning languages, my study shall particularly examine the linguistic and logicalmathematical intelligences, which I believe have the strongest connections to the ability of acquiring languages. To explain, people who possess linguistic intelligence are very skilled in using spoken or written languages as a tool to achieve their goals, and thus tend to be very persuasive, reliable, and powerful with the words they use. This is definitely what a successful language acquirer is capable of. Likewise, logically and mathematically intelligent people have the ability to think logically and quickly, to reason thoroughly and deductively, and to easily recognize details and patterns, which is without doubt required in any L2 learning process, especially when learners are asked to produce logical, well-organized, and analytical essays or speeches, as well as comprehend academic and critical written works in that language. The role of these two types of intelligence, consequently, will be deeply analyzed in regards with the acquisition of BVU English Language students. THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE APTITUDE IN SLA Also carrying out research into the ways language aptitude affects learners in classrooms, the research in 1997 of Harley and Hart is the perfect foundation for me to base my study on. To be exact, both their study and mine aim at recognizing how L2 proficiency and linguistic aptitude are correlated and interconnected by investigating the work of students’aptitude. The only difference is that their study covers a much wider range of subjects at different years of age, while the study only goes towards students at BVU, which means teenagers and adolescents. As mentioned, one of their results specially showed that the characteristics of aptitude vary as people age, with the older more likely to possess explanatory power and language analytical ability, and the younger prone to memory factors. During my research, it will also be analyzed whether this is true for BVU English students. That is to say, students’ age will be taken into account, from freshmen to senior ones, so as to examine if there are dissimilarities in the aptitudinal characteristics (memory or analysis) they prefer. With this sub-topic, this research is expected to deepen the understanding of the way humans’ natural linguistic ability operates rather than merely working on its relations to L2 outcomes. The role of language learning strategies in SLA As mentioned above, Reid (1987) sorts linguistic learning strategies into various styles according to the work and perception of human senses, Chamot and O’Malley (1987) propose the categorization based on the objectives and actions people implement at different stages of their learning process, while Brown (1994) looks at the same issue from the view of brain functions and operation. It is clear that these three suggestions combined have provided a comprehensive approach to the matter of how proper strategies affect learning outcomes, and from different angles the issue shall appear as a new field to dig into. However, this research shall be taken from the framework of Reid’s viewpoints only, for his ideas distinguish learners in accordance with their learning natures, making it much easier to come up with the most effective learning techniques for each individual. This is especially true when considering that they obviously differ in terms of backgrounds, DOI: 10.9790/0837-2406070108 www.iosrjournals.org 6 |Page Cognitive Factors in Second Language Acquisition: A Study in The English Language Faculty of Ba .. personality, educational levels, interests, and so on. With the aim of looking for the perfect SLA methods to help students at BVU English Faculty, I realize that the proposal of Chamot and O’Malley prove to be inappropriate since they place learning strategies according to their use in certain activities, which means all learners utilize them at different times of their learning. This makes it almost impossible to find the practical methods tailored for each one. Similarly, Brown’s ideas are just too general when mentioning the power of each brain hemisphere, causing difficulties if the goal is to get specific features of the suitable styles. Thus, it is the categorization done by Reid that will serve as a foundation for this research to produce more detailed results within the educational context of BVU. II. RESULTS Overall, every single question has been answered in great detail. With demonstrations and figures found in terms of current challenges in English language acquisition, the external and internal reasons behind all language problems, possible solutions that one has tried for their own improvement, the effects of the chosen methods, as well as the stages English learners of BVU go through during their entire English learning process, the cognitive factors, namely intelligence, language aptitude, and language learning strategies, have proven to be of indispensable significance for the development of languages in the human minds. The role they play hold a decisive position, especially with regards to an educational environment where students possessing great intellectual and cognitive capability are short of elementary knowledge of what cognition means in SLA or the power it holds to their linguistic process, thus unable to take action for promoting their mental abilities with an aim to achieve remarkable changes in their studies. Results from interviews, observations, the survey, and the questionnaire have shown a variety of worth-noting points as follows: o Students and teachers pay little attention to the types of intelligences students may be having, namely linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. Thus, some students reported having no intelligence or not believing in its power to help them achieve their goals of proficiency. o Many students have chosen the learning strategies that are not accordant with their cogntive styles, leading to failure to improve. o Students in BVU are mostly audio and visual learners, with a smaller percentage being kinesthetic or tactile ones. o Though many reported having language aptitude, they are not making attempt to take advantage of their natural ability for pushing their proficiency to higher levels, but rather refuse to believe in the positive influence of their innate skills and depend totally on other factors. o Students in this educational setting do experience the stages proposed by Stephen Krashen in their acquisition process, but not every stage. In fact, some students skip one or several stages but are still able to succeed in their learning. III. CONCLUSIONS Intelligence Primarily based on the Theory of Multiple Intelligences proposed by Howard Gadner’s, and specifically his definitions of linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences, the study has successfully found that students of the English Language Faculty of BVU do possess certain levels of one or both types of intelligence. Some students may find it easy to express their ideas or thoughts in English, to convey topicfocused points in their written essays, or simply to use languages and communication as a tool to achieve what they want, such as persuading others, negotiating, or consulting, and these are the ones that have a high power of linguistic intelligence. On the other hand, there are others who have no difficulty in analyzing texts with arguments, in debating about different critical issues. These are regarded as logically and mathematically intelligent. The number of these mentioned types, however, is rather limited, as the majority are lacking in one or two of these intelligences and so often have to struggle to perform well in one way or another. Language aptitude Formed with the foundation of Harley and Hart’s research into the impacts of language aptitude’s on L2 learners within the setting of classrooms, this study has come to a certain conclusion according to which the grounded theory was not only adapted but also had its gaps addressed in specific cases. The research has found that most young English students are not familiar with linguistic analysis simply because they are given little approach and exposure to critical issues that stimulate and encourage their analytical minds to work. By contrast, older ones seem to have had a lot more chances of encoutering these issues through written essays, internship reports, specialized studies, scientific projects, and so on, hence their stronger ability of analysis. The fact that freshmen who has previously been given the conditions to develop their critical minds do perform well in analysis has confirmed this belief. As a result, students’ outcomes in memory or analysis has little to do with DOI: 10.9790/0837-2406070108 www.iosrjournals.org 7 |Page Cognitive Factors in Second Language Acquisition: A Study in The English Language Faculty of Ba .. age, as opposed to what Harley and Hart had found. This specific affirmation, however, is to be true for only students in the English Faculty of BVU and no guarantee is claimed for outside of this area. Language learning strategies The study has also succeeded in figuring out the 4 types of learners that all participants could be classified into, which are audio, kinesthetic, visual, and tactile learners. This is an adaptation from Reid’s theory, which has served as a perfect ground for this study to dig deeper into the patterns and trends within the particular area of BVU. In conclusion, visual learners and audio learners are the most commonly seen among all types in English Language Faculty, for their favourite and effective methods of learning would be either audial like songs, voices, rthyms, discussions; visual like videos, charts, graphs; or both like videos. This finding shall enable further recommendations for speedy improvement in the quality of language acquisition. REFERENCES [1]. [2]. [3]. [4]. [5]. [6]. [7]. [8]. [9]. [10]. [11]. [12]. [13]. [14]. [15]. [16]. [17]. [18]. [19]. [20]. Ana Lomba (2012). https://www.analomba.com/anas-blog/the-silent-period-in-language acquisitiontruth-or-myth/ Brown (1994). Principle of Language Learning and Teaching. Englewood Cliffs, N. J. Chamot and O’Malley (1987). The Learning Strategies of ESL Students. Wendenm A. and Rubin J., Eds., Learner Strategies for Second Language Acquisition.Englewood Cliffs, N. J. David Annoussamy (2001). Psychological Aspects of Language Acquisition. Gass & Selinker (2008). 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IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS). vol. 24 no. 06, 2019, pp. 01-08. DOI: 10.9790/0837-2406070108 www.iosrjournals.org 8 |Page