English language skills for lifelong learning: a question of acquisition or learning?

Abstract

The 9th Malaysia Plan aims to develop the nation by educating its generation through a comprehensive and lifelong learning education system. This too has to be in-line with the National Philosophy of Education that aims to develop a holistic and balanced nation in terms of their intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical aspects. Thus, the Minsitry of Higher Education has identified seven soft-skills to be implemented in the teaching and learning process at higher institutions . These include: communication skills; critical and problem-solving skills; teamwork; life long learning and information management; entrepreneurial skills; ethics; and professionalism and leadership skills. These elements show the role of language acquisition or learning is important as language is the medium to acquire all these skills. Knowledge is gathered, conveyed and disseminated through language. Thus , language skills need to be acquired or learned for a lifelong purpose through a lifelong learning process. In doing so, there is a need to study the aspect(s) of language skills to be acquired or learned and how to approach the teaching and learning of a language for a lifelong purpose in a lifelong learning process. This paper presents a study on Second Language Acquisition Among Young Learners in discussing the role of a second language, namely English, as the language to be acquired or learned and its acquisition or learning process towards lifelong learning.