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The Criteria to be the Successful Language Learner in Learning foreign Language

By. Bella Annisa Asri

The ability to learn language is different for each person. Some of them are fast to receive and process information, but some others not. This ability is affected by how we do the process correctly to be a successful language learner. A successful language learner is the learner who achieves the best result when learning language. They good in organize and handle the information which is not only from the input process, but also from the output process. Language in this term is a second language which generally called foreign language.

It is not easy to become success in learning language. Why? Because many inadequacy which can interrupt the process, such as no desire of having background knowledge and inhibition. Now, many people are still asking what the criteria to determine whether language learner is success or not are.

The first criterion is a good learner has to have good motivation. Motivation is a good vehicle to escort us to the process of learning. “In second language learning as in every other field of human learning, motivation is the crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all, how much energy he devotes to it, and how long he perseveres” (Littlewood, 1984). Motivation in learning language is an enthusiasm and could be a reason of obtaining certain language. It will be good to entice our ambition, so that we will be hard attempting to learn. Motivation could be from each self or from external side likes other people or some reasons. Although it is good, there is still a doubt whether it is motivation that produces successful learning, or successful learning that enhances motivation (Ellis, 1986).

People with high IQs are good in learning foreign language. This second criterion has correlation with the ability of learner to catch some inputs. The higher our IQ, the better we absorb the information. IQ test is determined by some English vocabulary and mathematical reasoning questions and it is make us success in school than in life, but success in learning language is more than it (Pimsleur, 1980). IQ is really helpful to learn, but we must know that language also has a hard effort which IQ test can not be reached.

The third criterion is we must capitalize the golden age. It is a period where human is in special growth for around five years. Parents should give good stimulus to children for learning language to shape their background knowledge. If they already have it, later it is easy entering the next level of the knowledge. It will be different with adults who are as a new learner. They will have difficulties, because of the complex thinking and problems that influence the process, such as adults want to learn but do not heed to the stage that they pass over. However, adults also have many advantages in learning second language because they have better memories, more efficient ways of organizing information, longer attention spans, better study habits, greater ability to handle complex mental tasks, better motivated than children, and also good in grammar and vocabulary  (Rubin and Thompson, 1982).

The next criterion is a good learner is come from an extrovert person. Extrovert means the people who are energetic and good enough in communicating and socializing. Their characters will help their selves mastering the language faster than the introvert learner. As an example, in the classroom setting, we could compare the student which is extrovert and introvert. Usually the introvert one tends to be more passive. They are just shy, quite, and only has a little bit conversation. It is very different with the extrovert one. They are so really attracted to learn new materials. Actually, people in extrovert type will have some advantages; they are good in interaction with other people, pay attention to the teachers, less inhibition which usually happened in oral activity, and they also good in performing or they have a great self-esteem (Littlewood, 1984).

Many people think on how to be a successful learner. Now after we know about the criteria. We only must to maximize what we have to do in order to make our ability increase. If we do not have a good motivation, like we learn language because of external pressure, we will not have successfulness. If we do not have a superior intelligence, we could enlarge our vocabulary through reading articles, watching some news, or listening to the radio news to add more information. In the case of the golden age, parents and teachers should take their turns to shape their children because it is easier to learn when they imitate from the people around them. As some studies investigated that it is easy to learn language even the younger you are. Then, if we are an introvert person, why we can not try to be more extroverts?

Finally, we are basically a good language learner. But to be the successful language learner, we only have to make our own opportunities and efforts to support our basic knowledge more developmental.