Literature Review 1

Literature Review

Literature Review for MA program

Literature Review for MA Program

Many VESL students are facing problems while preparing for GED tests due to their deficiencies in first language (L1). However, their deficiency has a significant impact over their second-language learning, and that is what is reflected while they are preparing for GED. It has been observed that they lack in their speaking, writing and understanding skills which also hinders the teacher to co-operate and train them during their preparation. This part of the paper will focus on prior research works, which emphasized that these deficiencies in a student impact a student differently and ultimately it becomes a challenge for them which helps them throughout their trainings and ultimately produces better results comparatively with those that are strong in their L1.

Glenn Levine (2003) has criticized that the deficiencies in the L1 have great impacts while learning the second language. He claimed that these students feels over challenged which not only encourage them but also motivates in applying better efforts to understand the teacher and the academics. His study was based on a questionnaire which included more than six hundred foreign language students and around 160 foreign language teachers. The research gave a structure of how the foreign language students are anxious due to their deficiencies in first language which will effect the learning`s of L2 positively. The research proved that these students tend to use their L2 more often when they are provided a good communicative environment. Levine (2003) has discussed that the target language uses this anxiety. This anxiety is important due to three reasons, 1) Due to this deficiency the instructors and the teachers focus more towards those students that are deficient. The use different educational trainings or policies from which these students can learn. 2) These students use their previous experiences and perceptions, while the instructor's attitudes and behaviors are more positive. 3) They feel motivated.

The students that became part of this study included many that were deficient in their L1 writing and grammar. Eighty percent of the students reported that they feel highly motivated while acquiring the target language. One of the important questions in that the questionnaire was that it asked the students to rate the approach to learning by their instructors. Most of them appreciated the efforts of their teachers and only nine percent were unsatisfied. They claimed that the teacher's instructions were not clear, and they fail to understand. However, the teachers used their native language during most of the sessions (Levine, 2003, p. 6). It is important the teacher use different strategies and make sure that the students are following it positively. Communication is important to establish, however, it has been observed that learning is effective if there is motivation.

A research proposed by Elizabeth Bernhardt (2005) signifies that the L1 literacy level has a significant affect in L2 learning just as L2 knowledge level. The research signifies that interaction of processing strategies, background knowledge, and relationship between non-cognate and ...