Implicaciones didácticas sobre los factores cognitivos y afectivos en la enseñanza de ELE

Abstract

The shift that led the coinage of the concept of communicative competence implied a more reflection on what it really meant to learn a language. Considering this theoretical framework, different didactic paradigms were born and changed the focus of attention from models centered on the teacher or the structure of the language towards the students. This situation in which the circumstances of the learners began to be considered in the curricular designs and in the theoretical models left the door open to the incorporation of applied knowledge on aspects that condition learning, such as sociocultural and contextual, cognitive, affective or motivational factors. This was an important point since these factors explain how the success rates and linguistic competence of the students are different despite all are exposed to the same stimuli during the lessons. For this reason, this chapter presents the individual differences that determine the learning of foreign or second languages and the different models that have conceptualized them. Likewise, those related to cognitive, emotional and motivational aspects are described in detail. In this theoretical review, special attention will be paid to the most relevant knowledge of each area, but also to studies carried out specifically about Spanish as a foreign language. Throughout this state of the art, different areas of action are pointed out. Finally, the main conclusions are presented together with the most important didactic implications of considering individual differences while teaching.