GAZI FACULTY OF EDUCATION

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING PROGRAMME

PSYCHOLOGY OF THE LANGUAGE LEARNER & CLASSROOM CLIMATE

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Code 1640002

Psychology of the Language Learner & Classroom
Course Title
Climate
Compulsory / Elective Elective
Programme Name English Language Teaching
Programme Type MA
Semester Fall
Weekly Course Hours 3 (1 online)
Weekly Course Schedule Thursday 9:30-12:20
Name- Surname of The
Prof. Dr. Gonca Yangın Ekşi
Lecturer
Contact Information of
goncayangin@gmail.com
The Lecturer

Course Prerequisites

No pre-requisites are required.

Course Definition and Objectives

This course focuses on the different accounts of how people learn languages
that are offered by psychology. It considers: behaviourism and innatism and
the impact on language teaching; cognitivism and the influence on language
teaching; socio-cultural theory and its influence on language teaching; the
concept of mindsets and the impact on teaching.
The course aims to investigate why many second language learners fail--while
some learners do better with less effort--lies in various learner attributes such
as personality traits, motivation, or language aptitude.The aim of this course is
to study individual difference factors such as age, motivation, anxiety,
willingness to communicate and so on.

Learning Outcomes and Competences

1 recognizes importance of individual differences
2 recognizes major learning theories
3. evaluates the relevance of major research findings for language education
4. draws implications from research findings for how language comprehension,
production and acquisition can be facilitated in educational and learning
contexts
 Course Weekly Plan
Week Subjects References Learning
Tasks
Week 1 Introduction ORIENTATION WEEK
Learner as a variable
A brief history of Individual Differences Research
Characteristics of a good learner

Week 2 External and internal factors in CM , issues in Q & A sessions

classroom management,, Discussions
Classroom-based research & the developing teacher

Week 3 Behaviorism Q & A sessions

Cognitive psychology Discussions
Constructivism
Social Constructivist Theory
Humanism in SLA
Week 4 Q & A sessions
Quiz 1 Discussions
Presentations
Week 5 Role of age in language learning (ESL/EFL)
Critical Age Hypothesis
Week 6 Personality & intelligence & Language Aptitude Q & A sessions
Discussions
Presentations
Week 7 Learning styles & Cognitive styles Q & A sessions
Discussions
Presentations
Week 8 Learning strategies & Learner autonomy Q & A sessions
Learner Characteristics

Discussions
Presentations
Week 9 Motivation & Willingness to Communicate Q & A sessions
Language Learning Motivation Discussions
Presentations
Week 10 Anxiety Q & A sessions
Language learning anxiety/ speaking anxiety etc Discussions
Presentations
Week 11 Learner beliefs & self-efficacy Q & A sessions
Discussions
Presentations
Week 12 Quiz 2
Classroom

Week 13 Corrective feedback Q & A sessions

Discussions
Presentations
Week 14 The use of L1, use of metalanguage Q & A sessions
 P Discussions
r Presentations
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i
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e
s
Week 15 Wrap-up & discussion Q & A sessions
Discussions

Teaching Methods and Techniques

Lecture, research, group-discussion, question-answer, collaborative hands-
on practices.

Assessment Criteria
* State the scores of the implementations (assignment, group work, project, midterm and quiz, etc.) in the
course plan on the evaluation process.
Implementations Score Percentage
Quiz 1 50
Midterm Exam %40
Presentation 50
Research Proposal 50
%60
Final Exam Quiz 2 50

Total 100%

Reading List
(1) Dornyei, Z. 2005. The Psychology of the Language learner: Individual Differences in
Second Language Acquisition. Mahwah, NJ.: Erlbaum.
(2) “How Languages are Learned” by Lightbown & Spada (Chapter 3)

ADDITIONAL READINGS WORTH EXPLORING AND/OR USING FOR RESEARCH

PROPOSAL IDEAS:
1. Introduction to Individual Differences
Dörnyei, Z. (2006). Individual differences in second language acquisition. AILA
Review 19 (2006), 42-68.
2. Successful and Unsuccessful L2 Learners
Gan, Z., Humphreys, G. and Hamp-Lyons, L..(2004). Understanding successful and
unsuccessful EFL students in Chinese universities. The Modern Language Journal
88, 229-244.
3. Age and L2 Learning
 DeKeyser, R. (2000). The robustness of critical period effects in second language
acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 22: 499-533.
Bialystok, E. (2002). On the reliability of robustness: A reply to DeKeyser. Studies in
Second Language Acquisition 24: 481-488.
4. Language Aptitude and L2 Learning
Robinson, P. (2005). Aptitude and second language acquisition. Annual Review of
Applied Linguistics 25, 46-75.
5. Learning Styles and L2 Learning
Johnson, J., Prior, S., & Artuso, M. (2000). Field dependence as a factor in second
language communicative production. Language Learning 50, 529-567
6. Personality and L2 Learning
Verhoeven, L. & A. Vermeer. (2002). Communicative competence and personality
dimensions in first and second language learners. Applied Psycholinguistics 23, 361–
74.
7. Anxiety and L2 Learning
Horwitz, E. (2001). Language anxiety and achievement. Annual Review of Applied
Linguistics 21, 112-126.
8. Motivation and L2 Learning
Dörnyei, Z. & Csizer, K. (1998). Ten commandments for motivating language
learners. Language Teaching Research 2: 203-229.
Csizer, K. and Z. Dörnyei. (2005). Language learners’ motivational profiles and their
motivated learning behaviour. Language Learning 55: 613–59.
9. Willingness to Communicate
Cao, Y. & Philip, J. 2006. Interactional context and willingness to communicate: a
comparison of behaviour in whole class, group and dyadic interaction. System 34,
480–93.
10. Learners’ Beliefs about L2 Learning
Mori, Y. (1999). Epistemological beliefs and language learning beliefs: what do
language learners believe about their learning. Language Learning 49, 377–415.
11. Learning Strategies
Tseng, W., Z. Dörnyei, & N. Schmitt. 2006. A new approach to assessing strategic
learning: the case for self-regulation in vocabulary acquisition. Applied Linguistics
27: 78–102.
12. Individual Differences and Language Instruction
Macaro, E. (2006). Strategies for language Learning and for language use: revising
the theoretical framework. Modern Language Journal 90, 320–37

Reading List 2:
Al-Hoorie, A. H., & MacIntyre, P. D. (Eds.). (2019). Contemporary language
motivation theory: 60 years since Gardner and Lambert (1959). Multilingual Matters.

Arnold, J. (Ed.). (1999). Affect in language learning. Cambridge University Press.

Benesch, S. (2013). Considering emotions in critical English language teaching:
Theories and praxis. Routledge.

Benson, P. (2013). Teaching and researching: Autonomy in language learning.

Routledge.
Consoli, S. (2022) Practitioner research in a UK pre-sessional: The synergy between
exploratory practice and student motivation. Journal of English for Academic
Purposes.

Dewaele, J.-M. (2013). Emotions in multiple languages (2nd ed.). Palgrave

Macmillan.

Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational strategies in the language classroom. Cambridge

University Press.

Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (Eds.). (2009). Motivation, language identity and the L2
self. Multilingual Matters.

Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The psychology of second language acquisition. Oxford

University Press.

Dörnyei, Z., & Kubanyiova, M. (2014). Motivating learners, motivating teachers:

Building vision in the language classroom. Cambridge University Press.

Dörnyei, Z., & Ryan, S. (2015). The psychology of the language learner revisited.
Routledge.

Dweck, C. S. (2000). Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and

development. Psychology Press.

Dweck, C. S. (2017). Mindset (2nd ed.). Little Book Group.

Gkonou, C., Daubney, M., & Dewaele, J.-M. (Eds.) (2017). New insights into
language anxiety: Theory, research and educational implications. Multilingual
Matters.

Gkonou, C., Dewaele, J. M., & King, J. (Eds.). (2020). The emotional rollercoaster of
language teaching. Multilingual Matters.

Gregersen, T., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). Capitalizing on language learners'

individuality. Multilingual Matters.

Hiver, P., Al-Hoorie, A. H., & Mercer, S. (Eds.). (2020). Student engagement in the
language classroom. Multilingual Matters.

Li, S., Hiver, P., & Papi, M. (Eds.) (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Second
Language Acquisition and Individual Differences. Routledge.

Mercer, S., Ryan, S., & Williams, M. (Eds.). (2012). Psychology for language
learning: Insights from research, theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan.
Mercer, S., & Kostoulas, A. (Eds.). (2018). Language teacher psychology.
Multilingual Matters.

Mercer, S., & Dörnyei, Z. (2020). Engaging language learners in contemporary

classrooms. Cambridge University Press.

Mercer, S., & Gregersen, T. (2020). Teacher wellbeing. Oxford University Press.

Prior, M. T. (2015). Emotion and discourse in L2 narrative research. Multilingual

Matters.

Sampson, R. J., & Pinner, R. S. (Eds.). (2020). Complexity perspectives on

researching language learner and teacher psychology. Multilingual Matters.

Skehan, P. (1998). A cognitive approach to language learning. Oxford University

Press.

Ushioda, E. (2020). Language learning motivation: An ethical agenda for research.

Oxford University Press.

Williams, M., Mercer, S., & Ryan, S. (2016). Exploring psychology in language
learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.