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Educational Psychology-Bouaricha

Glossary

This glossary provides a systematic compilation of technical terms and fundamental concepts central to the field of Educational Psychology and Second Language Acquisition (SLA). As the study of learning moves from traditional teacher-centered models to complex cognitive and social frameworks, the language used to describe these processes has become increasingly specialized.

The purpose of this document is to bridge the gap between theoretical research and classroom practice. By mastering this terminology, students can engage more deeply with academic literature, improve their pedagogical precision, and better analyze the diverse learning processes occurring within their future classrooms.

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Nativism

Universal Grammar (UG): An innate, biological blueprint of grammatical principles shared by all human languages.
Language Acquisition Device (LAD): A theoretical "mental organ" or "black box" in the brain that allows children to trigger language rules from input.
Poverty of the Stimulus: The argument that children acquire language skills far beyond the limited and messy input they receive from adults.
Competence vs. Performance: Competence is the intuitive knowledge of language rules; Performance is the actual use of language in real situations.
Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH): The theory that there is a biological window (ending around puberty) after which native-like language acquisition is much more difficult.

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Educational Psychology-BouarichaGlossary

N

Nativism

Nativism

Educational Psychology-Bouaricha
Glossary