Abstract
Aptitude for second or foreign language learning is the ability to successfully adapt to and profit from instructed, or naturalistic exposure to the L2. Attention allocation, control, rehearsal in memory, self-regulation, analogical reasoning and many more processes combine to facilitate adaptation and learning in instructed settings, and during participation in instructional tasks. The cognitive processing, emotional and behavioural challenges various settings and tasks pose draw on subtly differentiated clusters of abilities and other personal factors. This paper argues research is needed into these in order to identify ‘complexes’ of abilities or ‘aptitudes’ for ‘types’ of situated pedagogic activity. An aptitude battery that assessed strengths and weaknesses in such complexes would be of great diagnostic value in matching learners to optimal learning contexts. Currently available aptitude tests cannot be used to this end, and so new aptitude batteries must be developed.
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Robinson, P. (2012). Individual Differences, Aptitude Complexes, SLA Processes, and Aptitude Test Development. In: Pawlak, M. (eds) New Perspectives on Individual Differences in Language Learning and Teaching. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20850-8_4
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