2.5 Acquisition Vs Learning
Since this research deals with the relationship between cooperative learning and achievement in language acquisition, the concept that surrounds acquisition and learning
is very significant.
Learning and acquisition have always been compared by Krashen 1982, Fromkin and Rodman 1993, Lightbrown and Spada 1999. Krashen 1982 states that
children have two distinct and independent ways of developing competence in a second language. Acquisition is referred to the process by which children unconsciously acquire
in their native language while English language learning is referred to conscious knowledge of a second language, knowing the rules, being aware of them, and being able
to talk about them.
Krashen 1982 in the monitor hypothesis further states that acquisition is the sole initiator of all second language utterances whereas learning can function only as
“Monitor” for the output. He claims that anything the learner wants to say comes from acquired knowledge. However, learnt knowledge can monitor this speech production
before or after actual output. The Monitor Hypothesis stresses that consciously ‘learnt’ knowledge is only available for monitoring rather than usable in other ways.
Krashen 1985 believes that ‘learnt’ knowledge can never be converted into ‘acquired’ knowledge. His theory is a “no interface” relationship between acquisition and
learning Krashen, 1985a: 38.
Fromkin and Rodman 1993 agree that children acquire their first language without explicit learning. A second language is usually learned but it may also be
acquired depending on the background and the input received by the second language learner.
According to Lightbrown and Spada 1999:177, language learning refers to a learner’s developing knowledge of the target language. Other researchers also use the
term ‘language acquisition’ to refer to the same process. In this study, the terms “acquisition” and “learning” will be interchangeably used irrespective of whether they
involve conscious or subconscious processes.
According to Nesamalar et al 1997, both these processes are useful to second language learners as they support and complement each other. Conscious learning of
language items should be supported by exposure to the use of the items in real-life situations to enable acquisition to take place. Acquisition can be encouraged through
more emphasis on Cooperative learning strategy that focuses on group work and communicative activities which provide opportunities for the learners to make full use of
the language.
However, Krashen’s theory of second language acquisition has been challenged in recent years. Munsell and Carr 1981 questioned the distinction between “learning” and
“acquisition” and the notion of “conscious” and “unconscious” rules. They believe that it is much easier to learn a second language by starting with a conscious exposition of the
rules and building one’s skill upon that foundationpp.498-99. Munsell and Carr 1981 claim that Krashen should incorporate language learning theory into a wider context
where the nature of human skills is explored.
Besides this, McLaughlin 1987 also comments on Monitor Theory. He claims that the acquisition learning distinction is not clearly defined. Various studies have shown
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