Acculturation: a significant factor

This is another environmental-oriented theory which was proposed at first by Schumman (1978). He creates a famous longitudinal investigation of some syntactic aspects with six learners (2 children, 2 teenagers and 2 adults), using questionnaires, observed spontaneous conversations during ten months and he applied a qualitative treatment over the data.

One of the findings that he got was that the learner who acquired the least amount of second language was the same who keep longer distance socially and psychologically integration with the target language group.

It clearly means, acculturation theory means that the learners who maintain fewer distances in social and psychological aspect between them and second language speakers will be more successful.
http://www.veramenezes.com/slatheory.pdf

Analyse this picture

At first I was confused when interpret this theory because I thought that we must to keep contact with native speakers of the target language to acquire well the process but what really means or try to show it´s that you need to be closer over the other culture adopting not just the language but the environment as well, you adopt the other culture but keep yours and create a distance which involves all the principles in the process of learning a second language.

Social

Psychological

First language ---------interlanguage--------- Target language

(Mistakes)

http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/files/rcd/BE021582/The_Effects_of_Acculturation.pdf

Here you will find a good research project where is related to acculturation and present the impact of this theory over a situation of research.