Learner Variables and the Learner

Abstract

This chapter will:

• survey ‘aptitude’, ‘the good language learner’, ‘learning styles and strategies’, ‘learner training’ and ‘attitude and motivation’ to see how the traditions and concerns in these areas of learner variables research imply particular views of the learner;

• discuss how such views relate to our Five Propositions;

• show that there are some encouraging signs of a greater acceptance of the highly complex and essentially social nature of classroom language learning;

• conclude, however, that the field has disappointed us, because of its focus on categorising and classifying people.