Common language teaching methods such as oral drills, memorization, and fast-paced competitive activities disadvantage older learners¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 1987 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Evidence quality · No study behind this claim is a peer-reviewed article with a DOI: it rests on an ERIC document (a report, conference paper or thesis). It is kept because 3 design pages cite it; treat it as a lead to check, not an established finding.

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Methods relying on auditory discrimination, short-term memory, and speed put older learners at a disadvantage, because the adult learns best by integrating new material into existing cognitive structures rather than by rote. → Schleppegrell 1987

Evidence¶

Schleppegrell 1987¶

Schleppegrell, Mary. (1987). The Older Language Learner. ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics, Washington DC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED287313

q2 · i? · review · r1

In its classroom practices section, the digest states that oral drills and memorization "rely on short-term memory" and discriminate against the adult learner, and that speed works against older students in fast-paced drills and competitive activities. No empirical study or effect size is reported for this assertion.

"Exercises such as oral drills and memorization, which rely on short-term memory, also discriminate against the adult learner. The adult learns best not by rote, but by integrating new concepts and material into already existing cognitive structures."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Age and Developmental Stage — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it

Related Claims¶

• Learning ability does not decline with age in healthy older adults — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Federally-funded adult ESL programs and citizenship classes largely exclude older beginner immigrants because instruction is designed for workforce-bound younger adults — related
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• Executive-control tasks discriminate old performance groups while speed, attention and memory tests show less consistent or no differences — related
• In one practitioner's report on her own older-beginner Step One class, with no comparison group, students gained an average of 128 BEST Plus points over 6 months and two former absolute beginners passed the citizenship test — related
• A practitioner digest asserts, without cited studies, that no research evidence suggests older adults cannot succeed in learning another language — related
• Best and poorest drill pupils both gained more than their non-drill counterparts, narrowing the within-class gap — related
• Learning is a process of development in which the beginner's mode of working constantly changes and cannot use expert methods — related