ABSTRACT
In this chapter we turn from language-learning processes that are thought to be general to all learners to studies that are concerned with identifying differences between the ways individuals learn an additional language. Researchers have tried to find out why some learners seem to learn faster and become more proficient in a language than others. Over the years research on the ‘good language learner’ has focused on factors such as age, aptitude, personality, motivation, attitude and learning strategies (for an overview of these, see Larsen-Freeman, 2001).
