Behaviourist Approaches

 

https://www.vcdwrites.com/journal/2017/6/14/behaviorist-theory-and-adult-ells

The Direct Method led to Behaviourist approaches which influenced teaching methods such as Audiolingualism in the mid-20^th century. Behavioursim emphasised the spoken rather than written language. Audiolinguaglism combined structuralism and behaviourism. In this method language is broken down into structures which are taught sequentially. Learning occurs inductively.

Behaviourist theory according to Demirezen (1988, p. 135), was a psychological theory founded by J.B Watson. It is a theory of how native language is acquired. According to Demirezen (1988, p. 136), "the major principle of the behaviourist theory rests on the analysis of human behaviour in observable stimulus-response interaction and the association between them." Applying this to native language learning, when a baby babbles, he is rewarded which reinforces the sounds. The complexity of the babblings increases and words and sentences spoken by the child rewarded and reinforced. As Rivers (1968, in Demirezen, 1988, p. 136) states "through a trial-and-error process, in which acceptable utterances are reinforced by comprehension and approval, and an unacceptable utterances are inhibited by the lack of a reward, he gradually learns to make finer and finer discrimination in his utterances, approximate more and more closely the speech of the community in which he is growing up." The learning is through habit formation. As Demirezen (1988, p. 137( notes, "language is controlled by the consequence of behaviour." Learning occurs through habit formation due to reinforcement and reward. Positive reinforcement leads to a repeat of the behaviour and an association between the stimulus and response occurs, leading to conditioning. Learning in this theory, is claimed to be the same for everyone.

The following You Tube video briefly explains the history and main aspects of the Behaviourist approach to second language acquisition.

Payne, M., & Sitler, S. [Sharon]. (2014, March 23). Behaviorist theory of second language acquisition [Video]. YouTube.

Criticisms of the approach includes the fact that habit formation exercises may not promote intrinsic language learning. It does not explain social influence on language learning and how it that effects language acquisition. Furthermore, language learning is not the same for all individuals and may only explain early language learning. As was explained by Payne & Sitler (2014), the approach does not view meaning and what the individual is saying as important in the learning process.

In contrast to the Behaviourist approach, Chomsky had a cognitive approach to language learning. He argued that children are born with an innate language acquisition device, the (LAD) which is how they acquire language, not through the consequence of behaviour. 

Demirezen (1988, p. 139) notes that the learning process is complex and takes a long time and that "language acquisition cannot take place through habit formation, since language learners are thrown between stimulus and response chain."

Despite the criticisms of the Behaviourst approach, it has influenced many teaching methods including Audiolingualism and British Structuralism.  It brought into focus the laws of behaviour and its possible influence on language acquisition.

I have also seen during my teaching experiences how the Behaviourist Theory can explain some aspects of language learning. Some students do tend to repeat behaviours that are positively reinforced, either through external rewards, such as praise, or through intrinsic rewards such as feelings of success.

Language learning however, is a complex process and no two individuals are the same. Therefore using the Behaviourist approach on its own, is not the only solution to language teaching.

Demirezen, M. (1988). Behaviorist theory and language learning. Hacettepe Univeritesi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi, 3(3), 135-140.