Running head: ENGLISH LEARNING

English Learning Difficulties for Adults

Ayuka Tamagawa

Madonna University

ESL 4230 Research Proposal (D2)

February 6, 2017
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English Learning Difficulties for Adults

Research questions:

Informative paper: What difficulties do adult English learners face?

Argumentative paper: Should adult English learners give up learning English?

Nowadays we can hear English everywhere in places such as airports, hotels, and

business situations. Most people would agree that English is a language that they commonly use

so many countries recommend learning English as a second language. For instance, in Japan,

English is usually added as one of the school subjects during junior high school, but there are

some discussions that it should be added during elementary school to learn more English. In

addition, people who have an ability to speak foreign languages could have a bigger advantage.

Due to these current circumstances, I feel that the number of adult English learners is increasing

remarkably, because they think English is a necessary skill. I have met many adults who have

tried to acquire English skills, and most of them said they have faced some challenges. For

instance, they understand what they have learned slowly, or they cannot keep their motivation

levels high for learning English. Since many adult learners have a difficult time studying

English, I hope my research will allow people to think about resolutions for adults learning

difficulties.

From my experience, English started to became popular gradually when I was a high

school student, and I have many friends who started learning English and are still studying. All

of them have struggled with learning English. I have also met many adults who had tried to learn

English, but they hesitate to start or struggle with language acquisition. Interestingly, most of

them said to me that the reason why I can study new things is that I am still young. Nevertheless,

I think this excuse is not enough to determine their possibilities. It is inevitable to be old, but we
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should not limit what we want to do because of our age. At that time, I thought about

encouraging adult learners to keep their motivation. After I go back to Japan, I am going to

participate in a research seminar about difficulties of adult learners, which is one of the theme we

will study.

For the research question of my informative paper, I chose: What difficulties do adult

English learners face? When I looked for articles in the library database, I found that many

articles that mentioned common difficulties they would face. Each of the adult learners who I

have met have had their own troubles, and they emphasized the difference of learning difficulties

between the time when they were young and now. Wu, Wu and Le (2014) commented that the

difficulties have to be identified, and teaching approaches or learning strategies for adult learners

also have to be reconsidered in order to discuss education literature, principles, and guidelines. I

plan to begin with the explanation that describe the common difficulties adult learners face. For

example, Cozmaa (2015) said:

The thorough analysis of the answers gathered in this way pointed to the fact that, when

it comes to teaching English to adult learners, my subjects are generally faced with

challenges that are related to a series of personal factors, that is, to within-student or

teacher characteristics, involving physical, cognitive, and affective variables. (p.1211)

In addition, when I read some articles, I noticed that there have been many arguments about

ways to approach these problems. I will also introduce how people should approach these

problems in order to resolve them. Mathews-Aydinli (2007) described a process called Process

for Students to solve against challenges, which should be done with teachers. I will tell readers

the sequence of how they face the challenges and how the students and their teachers overcome

them.
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For the research question of my argumentative paper, I chose: Should adult English

learners give up learning English? Adult English learners must encounter many kinds of

difficulties. I will show readers the common reason why they barely keep learning English.

Lewis (2016) explains that there are many reasons why adult learners give up their studies such

as age, money, and motivation. These reasons, however, are just excuses. Another source

explains that adult learners have some advantages, which children do not have, such as self-

correcting, experiences, and understand directions more easily (Shaman, 2013). I plan to

introduce the key points to lead adult learners to succeed. For instance, Cozmaa (2015)

illustrated that adult learners can use modern technology skillfully to learn English with tools

such as Skype lessons. As another example, Cozmaa (2015) also said:

Since adults frequently feel rather insecure in their position as students, teachers should

provide support and encouragement when asking them to take risks or try new skills.

Moreover, adults tend to take errors personally and are more likely to let them affect their

self-esteem. Because of the students feelings of anxiety, the teacher should pay particular

attention to the process of error correction, focusing also on the positive aspects and on the

progress that learners are making. (p.1214)

I will give some examples or analysis to readers in my paper on these methods for success.

This research will help me to learn studying strategies. Since many adult learners try to

learn English and have a difficult time studying, people should rethink about how they can help

these students learn English. I am also getting old, and I would encounter many learning

difficulties. Therefore, I will be able to know how to stay motivated. One of my dreams is

becoming an English or Japanese teacher. Because of this research, I will be able to understand

students feelings of anger, sadness, and dissatisfaction for learning. As a result, I will know how
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to deal with learning difficulties from two aspects, as both a learner and a teacher. I am glad to

explore this topic, and I am sure this research will help me study.
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Reference

Lewis, B. (2016). The many reasons (32 so far) why we DONT succeed in learning languages.

Retrieved from http://www.fluentin3months.com/reasons/

Shaman, J. (2013). Adult disadvantage in learning English. Retrieved from

http://www.skypeenglishclassnow.com/essays/adult-disadvantage-in-learning-english/

Mathews-Aydinli, J. (2007). Problem-based learning and adult English language learners.

Retrieved from http://www.cal.org/adultesl/pdfs/problem-based-learning-and-adult-

english-language-learners.pdf

Cozmaa, M. (2015). The challenge of teaching English to adult learners in today's world,

Retrieved from http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1877042815043815/1-s2.0-S1877042815043815-

main.pdf?_tid=0ebcbbca-e14e-11e6-b185-

00000aab0f26&acdnat=1485163785_84dba4ff9018a55be9b1ed9d03b82a88

Wu, R. Wu, R. & Le, V, T. (2014). Challenges of adults in learning English as a second language:

Focus on adult education in China. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(5),

1132+. Retrieved from http://madonnaezp.liblime.com/login?

url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?

p=GPS&sw=w&u=lom_madonnaul&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE

%7CA383459794&asid=e90fdb21f68d58793903079b85372d04