Research Conclusions
While it will always be hard to measure the success of the various teaching methods for second language acquisition, there are many key elements that are necessary for a child to fully grasp the language. Grammar rules are important, but it is very important that students learn how to hold conversations and learn conversational elements of the language they are learning. While Bridget’s narrative talks about the struggles that she faces conversationally in America as a teacher, Rhea’s narrative focuses on teaching younger children how to speak English. When coming to America, Bridget is immersed in a community that is full of American teenagers that have grown up around American pop culture and that have been immersed in it for a while. Perhaps being in this type of environment, one where Bridget not only has to learn English but has to also understand American pop culture to understand teenage lingo, makes her feel as though she was not well prepared enough. If the children that Rhea had taught were to come to America, there would not be as much pressure for them to understand conversational English because they would spend time growing up here and getting used to American pop culture and idioms. While the student-to-teacher relationship fosters the student’s achievement in a second language and the teacher determines how the student is taught and how much they learn to speak conversationally, the experience they have goes beyond that in the classroom. The age at which one migrates to a country to begin using the language makes a big difference. At a younger age, a child has more time to adapt to his new environment and learn the “culture” of the country alongside his new peers. However, coming at an older age, experiencing many years of the culture of one’s homeland, makes it harder to transition and get used to new lingo because one did not grow up around it. That being said, the student-to-teacher relationship is still an important one because, as Rhea’s narrative proves, a teacher who has confidence in her students can help them grow as learners and can engage them.