engleski

Individual learner differences and young learners' performance on L2 speaking tests

This chapter focuses on motivation and self- concept and their role in oral production in early learning of English as a foreign language. A review of major research findings considering the relationship of these individual learner differences and oral performance by young foreign language learners is followed by presentation and discussion of the study the author carried our with Croatian learners of English as a foreign language. The participants, aged 11 at the start and 14 at the end of the study, were followed for four years. Each year their motivation and self- concept were measured by means of smiley questionnaires and oral interviews, while their oral production was elicited each year through picture description tasks and personal oral interviews. The study offers interesting evidence of the dynamics of young learners' motivation and self-concept and their relationship with their developing oral performance. Implications of the findings are considered as well.

young learners, individual learner differences, motivation, self-concept, oral production, English as a foreign language

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