Modern concepts of linguistic giftedness

MODERN CONCEPTS OF LINGUISTIC GIFTEDNESS

Daria Ozerova

Ph.D. student, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University,

Russia, Kaliningrad

Linguistic giftedness, defined as "an increased level of abilities for accelerated thinking processes in a foreign language, for active cognitive activity in the field of language theory and history, for creativity in choosing ways of communicating in a foreign language, for stable motivation in learning a language", refers to one of the types of special giftedness . The study of language giftedness dates back to the late 50s, when the US Department of Defense decided to find out whether testing could be conducted to identify individuals who have more potential than others in the field of more effective and rapid learning of foreign languages. Such a test was developed in 1959, and it is called MLAT (Modern Language Aptitude Test). This test is based on a concept consisting of four components:

• phonetic coding ability – the ability to analyze incoming foreign sounds and then reproduce them;
• grammatical sensitivity – the ability to recognize the grammatical functions of words in sentences;
• inductive language knowledge – the ability to distinguish language elements and their relationships to each other, based on their form and meaning;
• mechanical ability to learn – the ability to store the received information in memory and successfully reproduce it in the future [1].

Although this concept is still widely used in the educational process, subsequent studies have added three more factors that affect success in learning a foreign language, namely motivation, learning strategy, and working memory. The impact of motivation on learning is self-evident. Effective deployment of learning strategies, defined as steps or actions taken to improve the development of learners' language skills, is also associated with successful foreign language learning. Working memory is the latest addition to the concept of giftedness in language, and research seems to suggest that it plays an important role in foreign language learning. Working memory depends on a person's ability to process any language data and store it in long-term memory for later use when needed. It is assumed that the more efficient the working memory, the more likely that a person will be able to gain more advanced skills in the language. It is obvious that the context of learning in which the language is acquired, whether it is natural or artificially created learning conditions, the use of modern textbooks, new technologies, as well as the qualifications and experience of the teacher, has a great influence on how successful the teaching of a foreign language will be [4].

Working with linguistically gifted students is becoming increasingly relevant. In these conditions, it is important to determine the basic concepts that specialists operate with. Today, there are numerous and diverse concepts of giftedness in the language.  Modern concepts of giftedness are the result of the evolution of many ideas related to this topic. Each new theory of giftedness builds on the earlier ones, including the ideas of the previous ones and adding additional components that reflect the current state of research. Researchers of the first wave (F. Galton, Ch. Spearman, A. Binet) laid the foundation by asking the question "What is linguistic giftedness?" and implemented tests to measure it. Researchers of the second wave (Ch. Tertown, G. Gardner) based on the theory of intelligence, discovering many different ways to be linguistically gifted. Researchers of the third Wave (J. Renzulli, R. Sternberg, S. Kaufman) recognized the importance of both general and specific aptitudes, but also added other psychological variables that they believed were important components of linguistic giftedness. Researchers of the fourth wave (F. Gayen, D. Feldman, A. Tannenbaum) further expanded the concept of giftedness by adopting many of the ideas of the first three generations of researchers, but placing talent in a developmental context that includes variables external to the individual, such as the environment.

However, there are also differences between the concepts of linguistic giftedness. The three main areas of disagreement include the importance of non-intellectual abilities, the role of creativity in giftedness, and the question of whether linguistic giftedness is a potential or an achievement.

Researchers working in specific fields tend to argue that linguistically gifted students need to build up their knowledge base in a specific field [1; 2]. As a result, they view giftedness largely as an achievement. They downplay the importance of non-intellectual abilities and view creativity as part of the end product, rather than as part of the process. Researchers of the systems approach place creativity on a par with intelligence and emphasize the need to teach creativity-based skills in addition to critical thinking skills [3; 4]. Proponents of evolutionary development (K. Eriksson, K. Rogers) view linguistic giftedness as potential, and talent as the end product. In addition, they emphasize the role of non-intellectual abilities and creativity for the emergence of talents. For both proponents of the systems approach and proponents of the evolutionary development of linguistic giftedness, knowledge and competence are important, but they are part of a large network of interrelated elements.

The Swiss psychologist J. Piaget suggests that a learner's ability to use a language informatively depends on the stage of their intellectual development. Studies have shown that students aged 13-14 years speak their native language, including all the basic elements. This suggests that the majority of students aged 13-14 years have some language awareness and readiness, which they can use when learning a foreign language [5]. In fact, the advanced verbal and higher-order thinking skills inherent in students with high learning ability also imply a high learning potential for rapid development of competence in foreign languages.

In an empirical study of the bilingual language development of a gifted student, V. Hoch, an American psychologist and linguist, concluded that driven by a strong desire to convey mental meanings to others, a linguistically gifted learner is often able to act outside of linguistic and cognitive constraints. He suggests that the great linguistic sophistication commonly seen in linguistically gifted learners should be honored and encouraged as an ability that can significantly improve language development. However, he warns against the potential tendency of such students to perfectionism, and suggests that language teachers should pay more attention to the development of strategic competence, rather than grammatical competence [6].

Realizing the urgency of this problem, a group of Russian scientists developed a working concept of giftedness, which was positively evaluated at a number of all-Russian conferences of psychologists. The development of the concept of giftedness was aimed at both revealing the concept of linguistic giftedness on the basis of the theoretical provisions of Russian psychology, and determining the basic principles in solving the problems of identifying, teaching and developing linguistically gifted children.

The concept of giftedness described in this concept is largely at odds with the usual idea of giftedness as a high level of development of specific (primarily mental) abilities of the child: giftedness is interpreted here as a systemic quality that characterizes the child's psyche as a whole [7]. At the same time, it is the personality, its orientation, and the system of values that lead to the development of abilities and determine how the individual talent will be realized. This approach makes it a priority to educate, not just teach, a gifted child. This also determines the humanistic orientation of the concept, which pays special attention to the careful attitude to the gifted child, which involves understanding not only the advantages, but also the difficulties that his giftedness brings with it.

References:

1. Clark B. Growing up gifted: developing the potential of children at school and home. Boston: Academic press, 2013. 320 р.
2. Jackson N. Young gifted children. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2013. 482 р.
3. Renzulli J.S. The Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness: A Developmental Model for Promoting Creative Productivity // Conceptions of Giftedness. 2015. С. 246-279.
4. Matthews M. Working with gifted english learners. Prufrock Press Inc., 2016. 177 р.
5. Conti G. How does personality affect foreign language learning. Rome: Lozzi, 2015. 120 р.
6. Heller K.A. Identification of Gifted and Talented Students // Psychology Science. 2014. №46. Р. 302-323.
7. Sternberg R.J. Identifying and developing creative giftedness. Roeper review, 2015. 60-64 p.