Matt Altstiel
TESL 3501
5/7/07
TESL 3501: Final Paper
Introduction
Earlier in the semester, I completed series of learning style strategies instruments to help gauge the way I learned a language and to improve upon areas that might have hindered my learning ability. The series of instruments highlighted a number of positives learning tendencies which I possessed and allowed me refocus on underdeveloped reading and writing skills. I directed the focus of this final paper to answer the questions that had evaded my mid-term research. What, if any, was the correlation between study abroad duration and language retention almost a year afterwards even while all subjects took classes at a similar academic level? While each participant is taking classes at the 3xxx level, which was more important for language acquisition, academic experience or “real” language experience? To find answers to these questions, I asked several friends to help me in my research.
The Instruments and the Tasks
To fully understand my subjects’ abilities and tendencies as language learners, I distributed four language instruments and prepared two-multi level language tasks. The first instrument, <<>> assessed my test subjects’ general approach to learning and the overall preferences they possessed as long time students. The second instrument, <> highlighted many different strategies for acquiring and using a second language. This instrument provided a wide variety of linguistic tools, many of which we were entirely unfamiliar with. The third instrument, <>, catalogued strategies for cultural acquisition and retention relating to foreign study abroad experiences. My subjects took the final instrument, <>, before, during and after the first language task. Subjects were asked to read Pablo Neruda’s >>, provide a short three to four sentence summary, and circle unfamiliar words. Students were asked fill out the <> instrument at the task’s conclusion. The second task required my subjects to participate in a free-form conversation to gauge speaking strategies and their social dynamic as language learners.
Subject Profiles
Before jumping into my analysis, it is necessary to briefly provide background information regarding my students to better understand their results. All subjects involved shared a common second language background with Spanish. Additionally, all three students lived with a host family while studying abroad in Toledo, Spain. While their duration in Spain varied due to program length, all subjects studied abroad during the spring or summer of 2006. All participants continued taking Spanish academically at the University of Minnesota the following year, working to earn their Spanish Minor.
My first subject, Adam, is 21, a junior at the U and currently enrolled in the Carlson School of Business Management. He describes himself as <> and <>.Adam grew up in a middle-class family in the western suburban area of Minneapolis. As the president of a fraternity, he carries added responsibility and must balance academics and extracurricular obligations. I selected Adam because of his comparatively short duration abroad. After spending two and half months in Toledo through a summer study abroad program, he has continued studying Spanish Literature. However, Spanish is simply an academic language for Adam since he does actively seek out opportunities to speak with native speakers.
My second subject, Seth, is 22, a graduating senior at the U and currently enrolled in the CLA School of Journalism. He sees himself as <> and <>Seth was raised in a middle-class family in the northern suburban area of St. Paul. Seth balanced his classes with a journalism internship, but has little extracurricular responsibility since its completion. I picked Seth because he stayed in Spain the longest and because of his above average speaking skills. After spending five and half months in Toledo through the spring semester study abroad program, he has continued studying Spanish Linguistics. Seth has not looked for opportunities to use Spanish, but is considering attending conversation hours.
My third subject, Melanie, is 21, a junior at the U and currently enrolled in the CLA Honors Art program. She describes herself as <> Melanie grew up in a single parent family in rural, northern Wisconsin on an Indian reservation. Melanie takes on a rigorous course load with 19 credits and spends a lot of her free time taking pictures or painting. I selected Melanie because of her natural ability, but high affective language filter. After spending four and a half months in Toledo, is currently taking SPAN 3104. Melanie volunteers with the Latino community on campus and attends cultural events to improve her language and cultural awareness.
The Results of the Instruments - FINDINGS
The pre-study interviews some what reflected the results of the instruments and the tasks. The sheer number of questions produced some unexpected results as respondents found some of their personal learning assumptions to be misguided. As predicted, the subjects’ motivation varied from instrument and from task to task, but not significantly enough to skew the results of the study. The instruments and tasks were done in front of me so I could act as a guide and sounding board. The instruments and tasks were done in a sequential order over a two hour period with a ten minute break provided after the <> Only the results deemed most pertinent are included in the analysis of this study. The chart below outlines all of the participant responses.
Learning Style Strategy Results
|
| P: 1 | P: 2 | P: 3 | P: 4 | P: 5 | P: 6 | P: 7 | P: 8 | P: 9 | P: 10 | P: 11 |
| Adam | A:23 B:12 C:26 | A:23 B:12 | A:15 B:8 | A:11 B:2 | A:11 B:13 | A:15 B:8 | A:7 B:5 | A:7 B:4 | A:5 B:7 | A:8 B:5 | A:3 B:6 |
| Seth | A:30 B:24 C:29 | A:16 B:13 | A:13 B:12 | A:9 B:11 | A:14 B:11 | A:15 B:11 | A:7 B:8 | A:8 B:7 | A:10 B:6 | A:9 B:3 | A:7 B:3 |
| Melanie | A:22 B:27 C:16 | A:7 B:20 | A:9 B:21 | A:7 B:5 | A:12 B:11 | A:8 B:15 | A:7 B:6 | A:3 B:9 | A:5 B:7 | A:0 B:4 | A:4 B:0 |
Part 1: The results for Adam and Seth were not all that surprising, however I was somewhat intrigued by the results for Melanie. Adam, being the subject demonstrating the greatest qualities of upfront leadership, recorded high numbers for tactile learning. Clearly, organizing events and projects on a consistent basis results a preference more hands on learning. Seth had almost equal numbers between visual, auditory and tactile learning. I falsely predicted that Melanie would have a high tactile score and a low auditory score because of her self-admitted introverted nature, and her major choice. In short, Melanie’s results were almost the inverse of Adam’s.
Part 2: As a language learner, I feel that an extroverted nature allows for greater language acquisition because learners are more willing to take risks, engage native speakers in conversation and seek out social situations to practice the language. Adam was noticeably the most extroverted of the group, recording a number of 23. Seth displayed a slightly more extroverted nature, but this varied according to task and mood. Melanie recorded a 21 for the section dealing with introversion, while only marking a 7 for questions pertaining to extroversion.
Part 3: As a leader charged with planning upcoming events of high pressure and importance, Adam is very future oriented and as shown later in the tasks, is very proactive modifying his plans as he experiments. Seth approaches learning and language acquisition on a task by task basis, obviously not demonstrating a clear preference for either approach. Melanie once again gave rather unexpected answers. One would think an artist would prefer abstract thinking and speculation over a calculated, metered approach, at least in an academic setting.
Part 4: This section yielded very contradictory results especially for Adam. While part 3 revealed that Adam preferred to speculate about possibilities, part 4 made it clear that deadlines were important for guiding his learning process. Clearly, these two sections must reach a balancing point to justify such a response. Seth recorded high numbers for both sections but did seem to prefer one approach over the other. Melanie, as part 3 would predict, showed a greater tendency to use deadlines to structure her learning process, but did not reflect the disparity of the previous part.
Parts 5 and 6: Adam has an extroverted nature and a random intuitive preference indicating a global method for processing information. However, he aligns more strongly toward the particular method. While he claims to be more particular, the instrument reveals another contradiction though his high number for synthesizing. Seth’s numbers appear to match up for both sections of processing and further processing allowing for a relative coherence of data. Melanie’s answers also paint a contrasting picture, but her methodical approach towards language lends more credibility to the numbers in part 6.
Part 7: How one commits a language, or any learning to memory is (in my mind) one of the most important determiners of success. Unlike other parts of this instrument, subject disparity was not as noticeable. Adam tended to prefer accuracy, learning certain parts of grammar to deduce how each part fit into the whole. Seth focused more upon learning certain conventions and speech acts. Melanie showed more inclination towards leveling although her previous answers reveal her to be more methodical, with more focus on form than on expediency.
Part 11: Finally, I examined the results of this part because of its cultural implications. Those like Melanie and Seth who are more metaphoric are more likely to understand pragmatics and colloquial expressions. Adam, taking things at face value may have a problem with negative transfer between languages, especially in certain structures where there is no literal translation.
Language Strategy Use Inventory
This instrument is divided into <>, <>, <>, <>, <>, and <> Thus, it encompasses many of the required linguistic skills to effectively use a language, providing a wide variety of strategies. This section of data analysis will summarize the most interesting findings on an individual level. Comparisons between the three respondents will follow.
Adam: The majority of the strategies for the listening strategy usage section went unused. However; he demonstrated desire to use these strategies in the future. Adam indicated that he frequently asks for clarification, repetition and slower speech from native speakers. This suggests a proactive stance in language listening, but a lower level of linguistic familiarity. In reference to vocabulary strategy use, Adam shows no general affinity for the strategies advocated in the instrument. Contextualizing new words and creating mnemonic devices to remember these words were the only two frequently used strategies. However, Adam had at one time used every strategy and indicated that he would use some strategies again.
For someone with such an outgoing personality and tactile method, it was strange <> was one strategy that did not interest him. The majority of the strategies received a checkmark for <>. None of the reading strategies received frequent usage and only three earned any usage at all. Using bilingual dictionaries and reading level appropriate texts revealed a lack of motivation, a wholesale rejection of Krashen’s I+1 hypothesis. Conversely, Adam was much more proactive in his writing strategies frequently seeking the opinion of native speaker to improve his writing. Taking notes in the target language and making frequent revision of his writing also gained frequent usage. Finally, Adam’s use of translation strategies shows a general insecurity in his language usage.He has not yet reached a level where he can fully think in the target language and create meaning without translation.
Seth: In his strategy usage, Seth frequently uses most of the strategies to increase his exposure and to prepare for listening to conversation. In the first three sections under this heading, there is not one strategy that he has not used or does not fit him. Listening in to conversations in the target language contributes greatly to his ability to understand native speech speed and patterns. The tone, context and stress of the word greatly interest Seth, whereas as asking for classification does not his fit his language ego. When learning vocabulary, Seth frequently repeats new words and periodically reviews them so they stay fresh in his memory. In many ways, the strategies used by Seth appear almost the opposite of those used by Adam. As familiarity with the language increases, more and more strategies are discovered and used.
In terms of speaking strategies usage, Seth shies away from a structured grammatical acquisition model in favor of engaging a conversation partner and experimenting. While he frequently directs the conversation towards familiar topics, he also actively participated in conversations above his ability level. Using gestures, asking for corrections looking for different ways to express himself features prominently in his speaking strategy. By his own admission, <> Consequently, staying within a comfortable level of his own reading ability was an important strategy for him. Writing strategies garnered usage as he frequently revises his writing, uses reference materials and rephrases his writing to make it more accessible. With translation strategies, Seth indicated that he often <>
Melanie: Melanie’s results seemed to fall in between the two strategies and preferences of Adam and Seth in this instrument. Given her current volunteering and stay with a host family, most of her strategies for language listening were used frequently or would be used again. Given her tendency for leveling when committing something to memory, listening for grammar structures and for specific details received the <> checkmark. A language learner with an auditory learning style, learning clusters and clues of language earned frequent usage. Melanie’s strategy for learning new vocabulary practically mirrored Seth’s strategy preferences, although their personality types and learning styles were markedly different.
While much more auditory and introverted in her approach to learning, Melanie would engage native speakers indicating that <> and <> were strategies she has tried and would use again. Because of her auditory and introverted nature, she frequently practiced new expressions to herself and plan out in advance what she wants to say. Melanie uses more of the reading strategies than Adam or Seth, and frequently makes predictions and ongoing summaries of the text. One glaring exception to the correlation between her learning style preferences and her language strategy usage is her general disregard for writing strategies. Examples like, <> did not suit her. For Melanie, certain language skills in Spain had higher importance in daily life. Finally, like Seth, her translation strategies went largely unused but, her reliance on some translation indicated that it remained an important skill.
Culture Learning Strategies Inventory
Adam: In all three major sections, certain things stuck out about his cultural and linguistic behavior. Adam revealed that he did not really care to think of cultural difference and be mindful of avoiding stereotypes before his arrival. While in Spain, significantly, he mentioned he liked to call home frequently and often discussed his experiences with people of his own culture. He said he arranged an intercambio, but never followed up on the meeting, marking <>. Reading newspapers and observing media was something that did not appeal to him. He said he liked and used the strategy of establishing ground rules with his family, but denoted that sharing culture and living as a family did not fit his strategy. For the return arrival section, Adam marked that none of the readjustment strategies fit his personality style. In general, culture acquisition was either something that did not fit, or something that he had not yet tried. Due to his short duration, he likely did not notice many of the cultural differences. Even if he did, perhaps he didn't have the (perceived) time necessary to really engage the language and people of Toledo.
Seth: The participant with the longest stay, and most extensive travel experience within Spain itself, Seth was also the most aware of the many cultural strategies of the instrument. While his pre-departure strategies roughly mirrored those of Adam, his in country strategies were much different, suggesting the length of his stay changed the way he approached language and culture. Most categories suggesting maintaining strong connections with the country of origin received a <>.As Seth used the familiarity of home as a coping mechanism, but was more independent once he became comfortable with the language and culture,. He mentioned he liked joining clubs and playing sports while abroad, allowing Seth to maintain his interests while meeting new people and experiencing new situations. Finally, he marked he liked having a host family in all categories, revealing a real desire to share culture and himself with his host family. Upon arriving home, Seth practiced many of the strategies included in the instrument, liking to maintain connections with those he had met in Spain.
Melanie: Melanie, similar to the previous instrument represented a balance of the other two subjects. In general, she was much more mindful of perceived stereotypes and said she used and liked <> and <> While in Toledo, she was less likely to communicate with those back home than either Adam or Seth, marking that <> While she did not mark the <
It appears in the case of both Melanie and Seth, study duration was a very motivating factor. Not willing to do the bare minimum, both realized acquiring language and cultural skills would create a more meaningful and enjoyable experience. Also, both participants went through the phases culture shock, place acculturation, cultural acceptance, and many more subliminal experiences.
THE TASKS
Pre –Task Motivation
After a ten minute break following this portion of the project, all three participants placed their pre-task motivation level at 3’s out of a possible four. This indicated that each subject perceived themselves to like taking Spanish, were aware of its importance, and were somewhat competitive concerning the language task at hand.
The First Task
The first was completed over a 15 minute period, with a five minute period for discussion and for filling out the motivation instrument included afterwards. The task was to determine the academic level of their reading comprehension and writing ability. The second portion, in which they circled vocabulary words, would test the correlation between style strategy and linguistic skills they gained while studying abroad.
Adam: Adam, jumped right into the text. Adam actively circled the words and write them down on the bottom of the page and stopped for a about a half a minute. Then he wrote his summary of the poem taking a long time to pause after every sentence. Like his style preferences suggested, he took the meaning of the poem very literally in his summary and failed to account for multiple meanings of words. Although he had misread the poem, his grammar and generally writing accuracy were commendable. Like part 6 in the first instrument, his answer showed a tendency towards synthesizing. He choose a bi-lingual dictionary as his method of deriving meaning for unknown words revealing over-generalizations and language simplifications to be common linguistic problems.
Seth: As a self-described poor reader and writer, Seth approached this task carefully, focusing on every word and asking me for the directions twice before starting. Seth wrote notes on the side of the page, rephrasing certain lines before going back to circle the words. Finally, after reflecting for two minutes, Seth began writing down his summary. The summary was not as well organized, not as grammatically accurate of that of Adam’s. However, his summary was global in its focus, more metaphorical and more correct in its totality than Adam’s. In addition, he decided to use a synonym book to look up unfamiliar words and contextualize them within the text. The strategies used clearly show that learning style is not the only factor, but cultural learning and language strategies play key roles as well.
Melanie: In first two instruments, Melanie appeared to enjoy both reading and writing exercises more than her counterparts. As reader Melanie has the unique ability to combine a calculated, metered approach with the ability to pull together a more global picture in her summarization. When reading she took the text slowly, but did not write in notes as Seth had, or even circle words before beginning her summary. The nature of the task, in her estimation was <> and hindered her motivation. The summary was generally correct in its idea, but not in structure. Her summary was also noticeably shorter than either Adam’s or Seth’s response. She reflected that if she has circled the words and tried to define them, she would have used a mono-lingual dictionary. In this example, the nature of the task and its irrelevance to her daily life prevented its completion.
During and Post-Task Motivation
For Adam, his motivation dropped on average during task to a 2, down from a 3. The task was neither as interesting nor beneficial as he would have liked. However, during the task his self-confidence jumped up to a 4. Seth saw his numbers rise to a 4 almost without exception, (the exceptions being <>, which dropped to a 2. Seth did not like reading, but was aware he had figured out the main gist and thematic elements of the poem. Melanie marked down 1s for the majority of the during task motivation section, a task which she did not complete in its entirety.
The post-task numbers also shifted after I revealed the results and whether or not they had properly interpreted the text. Adam saw his answer on drop to a 1 for feedback, and stay at 2 in motivation to do another, similar task. Despite his extroverted nature, it appeared he was more easily frustrated and used more language avoidance. Seth’s numbers stayed at high at 4 because he performed the best out of the three. Although the task was academically focused, his language coping strategies and handle of speech clusters allowed him to negotiate meaning from the text. Melanie saw her number’s go up to 3 after she realized that she had done a better than anticipated job in her summary. As a language learner, one could see Melanie’s affective filter varied widely according to task and reviewer feedback.
The Second Task
For the second task, I required all three subjects to interact with each other in a free form, five minute conversation only in Spanish. In this task, I observed the social dynamic of each member and whether their study abroad experience length carried over into their ability to maintain conversation. Coming into the this task, I assumed that after a certain time, language cues gained from study abroad would be triggered to provide motivation regardless of personality type. While the previous task was academic in nature, this task was strictly extra-curricular.
In the beginning, Adam dominated the conversation although he did appear to auto-correct his forms before speaking. Negative language transfer was very obvious for Adam as he made noticeable, at one point saying <>. As mistakes mounted and corrections from Melanie and Seth became more frequent, his amount of speaking fell off drastically. Used to negotiating meaning and describing an object when they could not name it, Seth and Melanie essentially drove the conversation for the final three minutes. After reading, writing and finally hearing Spanish being spoken, the skills they had picked up in Spain were reactivated. Although the subject matter was familiar to all three, (Toledo and Spaniards), some of the cultural markers such as gestures and personal space that Melanie and Seth discussed escaped Adam. In terms of speaking ability and listening comprehension, the length of study abroad experience was the clear determining factor for language retention.
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
Although there is ample commentary included within the findings of the instruments and tasks, it is necessary to further elaborate on a number of thematic elements. In particular, there was a general correlation between the pre-study interviews and the results of the first instrument. How students learn in general depends to a large part on their personality and also upon their intrinsic motivation. Even still, there were several aberrations between perception and reality between these two sections. For example, an introverted, more analytic and metaphorical person could be detail oriented and deadline focused at the same time. Within each person, there exists contradictory measures of personality, and this is by no means a negative reality when it comes to learning.
Length of Study Abroad Duration Does Make a Difference
Language learning for some (Adam and Melanie) seems to operate much differently than they way it does for their approach to other academic subjects. Thus, the language ego is a crucial component for analyzing these results. The language ego when confronted with difficult situations may rise or it may fall depending on several factors. Therefore, the duration of the study abroad session is crucial to understanding the general direction of the language ego.
In the case of Adam, he only had time to pass through the initial euphoria of a new place, but left on a low note. He likely went home with the realization that his language ability could not compare to that of native speakers, and was aware of cultural difference, but could not yet accept it at face value. This carries through to the second and third instruments very clearly. His use of language strategies appears underdeveloped by the high number of used or disliked options that were chosen. Across most levels, the transitional level between academic Spanish we learn in class and every day Spanish we learn through extended contact requires a very different set of linguistic and cultural skills. The two most academic sections of this second instrument received the greatest strategy use, while the three more practical, survival oriented skills sets were not very highly developed. In addition, his reliance on translation, not just linguistically, but culturally as well, denoted a low level of desire to make Spanish something tangible to him. As a result, the personal learning ego and the language ego of Adam were not balanced. While I believe any study abroad experience is positive, the nature and length of the program probably produced a great deal of discouragement within his language strategy development.
In the case of Melanie and Seth, the longer duration of their stay produced some positive personal changes that no doubt affected the way they learned and approached language. The majority of the strategies proposed in the instruments two and three received if not frequent usage, at least some usage during the length of their stay. Many of these strategies, such as negotiating meaning and taking into account cultural/pragmatic differences served each well during the competition of the tasks. While, certain academic skills did not noticeably improve during the stay in Spain, the basic communicative skills were markedly better than Adam’s despite a similar Spanish class level at the University.Linguistic problem solving skills were used much more effectively because both participants on the spring program encountered more types of people, more problems and more surprises because they were there longer. Their language ego also differed from regular learning ego in that, because of the nature of the tasks, the use of Spanish was relevant and intrinsically motivating for both.
The language and cultural skills gleaned by Melanie and Seth also had a very real effect on the nature of the study itself. In general, both were much more patient when confronted with the material, not as likely to complain about the length of the instruments and less willing to concede defeat when faced with negative feedback.
After a Certain Level, Experiential Knowledge is Preferable
Obviously, academic learning has a definite value and emphasizes the development of numerous linguistic skill sets. However, once a student has a reached a certain academic level, such as late high school or early college, there is an expected level of competency. This competency provided the appropriate background for language and also provides a framework that allows students to learn and adapt to new settings. Even in conversation classes that emphasize the communicative portion of language, there appears to a plateau. Students can simply not replicate the patterns of native speakers or learn their pragmatics in a cultural vacuum. In this study, even though Adam had the greatest reading and writing skill sets, (although all were roughly around the same level), the cultural knowledge of speech acts that Seth gained abroad allowed for the correct interpretation. Even in a purely academic task, this outside acquisition of knowledge took the learner above the linguistic plateau.
While there is a great deal of problem solving involved in academic tasks, there is no real risk / reward apart from grades. In experiential learning, being linguistic incompetent or unable to negotiate meaning can bring much more immediate, tangible rewards or losses. For example, taking the wrong train resulted in a very costly (both in time and money) detour for Seth that forced to learn train/transportation related phrases in ways academics never could. Basic grammar structures should be taught inductively and academically. However, culture and communicative skills are best learned in a manner combining visual, auditory and tactile senses.
Limitations of the Study
For more accurate results, a larger cross section is necessary. Three test subjects simply does not give the desired amount of data to eliminate possible personal bias. Another possible fault of the study is timing and time requirement. In general, two hours on any specific task is too long. However, while my participants showed excellent energy and motivation throughout, perhaps the surveys would be best completed at home. At home there is likely less pressure and more time to truly think about each strategy. The personal interviews also should probably been have conducted over the phone with a preset list of questions, not done informally in the presence of the other test subjects. This may have led changed some answers to reflect a greater than normal level of (outward) linguistic confidence. Finally, after the completion of the task, there should have been more positive re-enforcement on my part and the delivery of an immediate reward.
Personal Recommendations
Adam: I recommended to Adam that he carry over more of his helpful strategy and personality traits that he uses for most types of learning over to his language learning. The majority of the strategies mentioned in the second and third instruments went on used. Therefore, I urged him to conscious try many of those strategies, see what worked, what didn’t work and incorporate those that were most effective. Above all, I told him that he needed bridge the cultural disconnect between his language learning and cultural acquisition that he had missed out on in Spain. His language ego got in the way of effectively engaging native speakers and taking risks.I recommended that he concentrate less on accuracy and more on expediency, noting from the examples of Seth and Melanie that accuracy would eventually come as well. His general approach towards vocabulary and translation also could take be improved by incorporating such strategies like: going over new words often, trying new words in variety of ways, and avoiding bi-lingual dictionaries in favor using more context clues.
Seth and Melanie: I grouped the latter two subjects together because of the similarity of culture and language instrument responses. In large part, Seth and Melanie had acquired a through knowledge of most of the strategies and had an excellent idea which strategies matched his personality and which didn’t. There was also an excellent correlation between Seth’s learning style strategy and his language and culture use strategies. Therefore, his language ego corresponded with his learning ego. However, Melanie seemed much more confident with her language ego, than she did with her overall learning and personality ego. Melanie’s motivational level also showed large variance, and keeping a higher motivational focus should be a priority for her. With Seth, his motivational level on reading and writing tasks however, was a cause for concern. By attempting some of the strategies they had neglected and retrying those which they had rejected they could definitely improve their academic performance. I explained how I personally changed my strategy towards reading comprehension and my writing process. The positive results encouraged me to examine some of assumptions, and it could do the same for them.
Final Conclusions
In this study, I attempted to determine through the data provided by three test subjects what impact, if any, studying abroad had on language acquisition and retention. A second question examined whether academic learning was preferable to experiential learning, and if so, at point in the learning curve. My subjects all came from a fairly similar personal and education background, and all studied abroad in the same place through a home stay. Through 4 separate survey instruments and two language based tasks, I was able to collect verifiable data about the nature of my subjects and language in general.
Over the course of the study, my subjects and learned several important lessons. There was a clear correlation between length of the study abroad program in terms of language development, cultural legibility and long term retention. Similarly, after a certain point, experiential learning is much more beneficial than academic learning because of the level of multiple inputs. Personality type, as well as learning style preference impact learning, but not as much as individual intrinsic motivation and personal relevance. Long term success requires a proactive nature to engage a language community and learn cultural norms. Above all, one should not disregard a certain strategy until one has diligently tried it.
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