The learning strategy of the total physical response: some age differences.

There is a common belief that children arc better able than adults to leam a foreign language. This belief may be an illusion if children living in a foreign country leam the new language through phy activity while their parents try to leam independently of physical behavior. Using Russian, this study compared the listening comprehension of 8-, 10and 14-year-old children, and college adults when each S was in physical action during retention tests. The results showed that (a) the adults were superior to the children of any age group af p < .0005; (b) the youngest children, the 8-year-olds, had the poorest retention; and (c) the 10and 14-year'old children were intermediate between the adults and tJw 8-year-olds.