The transformative powers of digital technology to improve student learning and the resulting effect of that technology to make the business of education more cost-effective are two of the more exciting dynamics in schooling today. Before the current school year ends, new products and upgrades will be available to replace much of the technology that surrounds you.
We all know that language is at the center of human life. It is one of the most important ways of expressing our love or hatred for people; it is vital to achieve many of our goals and careers.
As a matter of fact, a theory of second language acquisition includes an understanding in general, of what language is and what learning is.
So, there are some factors that influence the development of second-language skills.
In addition to the learners’ emotions, cognitive abilities, and social relationships, their age also influence the development of second-language skills.
Age seems to be a major factor in language learning including second-language vocabulary. So, age might be a major factor that influences the development of learning the second-language vocabulary.
To understand the function of each of the components of language, we must first consider the aspects of the world around us and what we might want to say about that world. We live in a world comprising people, places, things, ideas, and concepts, and we use words to refer to these issues. The term 'vocabulary' refers to 'a list or set of words for a particular language or a list or set of words that individual speakers of a language might use'.
It is clear that no one can learn a language without knowing its vocabulary. In fact, vocabulary is the most important building block of any language, and grammar is the cement to hold the bricks together.
According to the previous survey, it is claimed that vocabulary usually plays a greater role in communication than other components of language. So, it would be impossible to learn a language without vocabulary. Vocabulary learning is at the heart of language learning and language use.
This research investigates whether the technique of using computer as an educational tool assists the learning of vocabulary among second-language learners. Findings show that the adult performed better in learning vocabulary through using computer.
Research suggests that the difference between children and adults to develop second-language skills may not be so great. Children do seem to have an advantage in out-of-class learning situations and in acquiring a native accent. However, adults appear to have an advantage in learning language in formal classrooms.
Some of the earliest studies of the effect of age on the acquisition of a second language focused on proving or disproving Lenneberg's (1967) critical period hypothesis. Lenneberg theorized that the acquisition of language is an innate process determined by biological factors which limit the critical period for acquisition of a language from age two to puberty.
Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is an approach to teaching and learning in which the computer and computer–based resources such as Internet are used to present, reinforce and assess materials to be learned.
Thus, CALL has been a remarkable development in the educational technology. Computer can provide rich, contextual environment for vocabulary learning. It consequently allows learners to become active in learning ― particularly second language. Because, computer ― as a tool ― plays a great role to enhance vocabulary instruction.
Therefore, computer is a major factor in vocabulary learning. Internet plays a very big role in today’s society, it is crucial for second-language learners to use Internet and experience its usage in classroom.
So, it is useful to incorporate technology in the second-language learning classroom for vocabulary learning especially for older children who are mature enough to use technology while learning.
To sum up, if children and adults, who are learning a second-language vocabulary through technology are compared, adults are better. So, we can conclude that there is a significant relationship between age and second-language vocabulary acquisition.
Based on this review and the statistics gathered among majority of students, we can assert that older children aged 9-14 are faster, more efficient language acquirers than younger ones aged 4-8.
The older students, whose first language proficiency is better developed, learn a second language more rapidly than younger ones. Those mentioned students who are learning to collect data are mature enough to learn new language particularly second language vocabulary through Internet. Thus, it can be deduced that the adults performed better after using computer to learn new vocabulary. The use of computer helped learners to perform better and more efficient in learning vocabulary compared to using printed materials.
It is obvious that that older students have the advantage of cognitive development in their first language to assist them with acquiring school skills in the second language.
It has also been argued that older learners have an advantage in cognitive maturity, which gives them more strategies for learning a new language.