Foreign Language Aptitude Research Articles

Efl Students’ Speaking Achievement And Its Relationship With Epistemic Beliefs

The purpose of the present research is to uncover relationship between English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' speaking score achievement and their epistemic beliefs. To this end, 63 Indonesian EFL students completed two different instruments, namely EFL epistemic beliefs questionnaire and final test of Intensive Speaking course. The results of Pearson Product Moment Correlation demonstrated that speaking achievement is significantly correlated with epistemic beliefs adapted from Emaliana (2017), consisting seven sub dimensions, namely, fix ability, certain knowledge, simple knowledge, omniscient authority, learning and communication strategies, foreign language aptitude, and motivation and expectation. Likewise, the findings manifested that sophisticated students who are indicated by high level of epistemic beliefs outperform simple students, who are otherwise having low level of epistemic beliefs. This research holds significant implications for curriculum, teaching and learning materials and instructional media developers, as well as teachers to afford students with personal beliefs about knowledge and knowing EFL to enhance the students' speaking skill.

An Exploratory Interplay of EFL Teachers’ Reflection and Their Teaching and Learning Beliefs

The main objective behind this study was to investigate the association between EFL teachers’ reflective behavior and their language learning and teaching beliefs. Accordingly, two respective questionnaires were given to 130 male and female EFL teachers who were conveniently sampled, and the elicited data were analyzed via correlational and multiple/multivariate regression analyses. Five components of teachers’ beliefs such as foreign language aptitude, the difficulty of language learning, the nature of language learning, learning and communication strategies and motivation and expectations were taken into account in the analyses. The results indicated that although there is a significant relationship between teachers’ reflectivity and their beliefs on language learning, teachers’ reflection is not a significant predictor for teachers’ beliefs and its constituting components.

Correlation Study on Grammatical Sensitivity Test Indexes in Intercultural Communication

Language teaching cannot be separated from cultural factors. Foreign language communication is cross-cultural communication, which has some relations with linguistic ability. As one of the important components of linguistic aptitude, grammatical sensitivity issues play an important role in the second language acquisition and English teaching. Through the exploration of Carroll's MLAT, we independently designed a set of test questions. The purpose of this study is to study the grammatical sensitivity of linguistic aptitudes and to provide theoretical support for foreign language learning and college English teaching. Our research has found that grammatical sensitivity has a significant impact on their cross-cultural communication and language learning activities among foreign-language learners who are native speakers of Chinese. After research, we can say that the means of making words, extending sentences and reading paragraphs can effectively test the grammatical sensitivity of Chinese learners. Finally, grammatical sensitivity can truly affect the outcome of language learning. However, due to the different grammar of each language, Chinese grammatical sensitivity cannot be used as an indicator to test foreign language aptitude in Chinese-speaking learners.

CZYNNIKI AFEKTYWNE W TEORII I BADANIACH NAD ZDOLNOŚCIAMI JĘZYKOWYMI

There is much controversy surrounding the influence of affect on foreign language aptitude. In most foreign language aptitude models and tests this factor is treated marginally or it is entirely absent. In research studies, much attention is devoted to individual factors defined in the context of positive psychology, but their relationships with cognitive factors are rarely analyzed. This paper is an attempt to present the role of factors other than cognitive in foreign language aptitude theory and research, selected reasons for their weak position, as well as pedagogical implications and suggestions for further research.

Identification of Language Learning Beliefs among Saudi EFL Learners

It is argued that positive yet realistic beliefs are source of success as language learners whereas negative or unrealistic beliefs can be an impediment to successful language learning. This empirical survey identifies Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ beliefs through Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) developed by Horwitz’s (1987). The Arabic version of the questionnaire has been administered and 118 Saudi EFL learners from a Saudi university returned the questionnaire. The research questions set for this survey include what beliefs Saudi EFL learners have towards the difficulty of foreign language learning, foreign language aptitude, the nature of language learning, learning and communication strategies and motivation and expectations for English language learning. The results reveal that the participants bear high English language learning aptitude and believe that it is easier to learn it in childhood. No strong relationship in learning subjects like science and math and English language was reported. The participants also believe that for quick and successful language learning, it is imperative to practice the target language extensively. A positive trend is that Saudi EFL learners have been extremely positive and encouraging towards their chances of achieving communicative competence and do not have any unnecessary inhibition in speaking English.

The role of aptitude in second language segmental learning: The case of Japanese learners’ English /ɹ/ pronunciation attainment in classroom settings

AbstractBuilding on the extensive work conceptualizing, developing, and validating foreign language aptitude for successful second language acquisition (e.g., Skehan, 2015, inApplied Linguistics), the current project expounded the cognitive abilities relevant and instrumental to adult Japanese classroom learners’ pronunciation attainment of English /ɹ/. The speech production of 50 Japanese participants was elicited, acoustically analyzed, and linked to different aspects of their aptitude profiles (phonemic coding, associative memory, and sequence recognition). Whereas those with higher phonemic coding demonstrated better performance in a relatively easy dimension of English /ɹ/ pronunciation (lower F2 for tongue retraction), those with greater associative memory demonstrated more advanced performance in the relatively difficult dimensions of English /ɹ/ pronunciation (longer transition duration for phonemic length; lower F3 for labial/alveolar/pharyngeal constrictions). The role of incidental learning aptitude (i.e., sequence recognition) remained unclear. The findings here indicate that explicit aptitude related to phonological analysis and memory may play a key role in predicting the incidence of advanced second language segmental proficiency attainment in classroom settings.

Saudi University Undergraduates’ Beliefs about Language Learning along Gender Lines

A growing mass of research has reported that each human being is different like a signature and particular characteristics based on their specific personalities have a strong effect on their language learning possibilities. Research posits that identification of EFL learners’ beliefs about language learning positively affects language learning process as it helps the teachers to address to their students’ learning effectively and also bears positive overbearing in case they bear some less positive beliefs. The study in hand is an attempt to investigate the beliefs of Saudi undergraduates along gender lines by using Horwitz’s (1987) BALLI. The comparative analyses generated by Independent-sample T-test reveal that male participants have assigned comparatively higher values to the majority of the questionnaire items as compared to their female counterparts. The participants of this survey have exhibited the greatest gender-based differences in their beliefs about “motivation and expectations”. Beliefs about “learning and communication strategies” and “the nature of language learning” have shown medium gender-based differences whereas male and female participants have seen eye to eye to each other in their perceived beliefs related to “foreign language aptitude” and difficulty of language learning. The findings of this empirical study have several pedagogical implications to revisit and modify teaching/learning practices of English language in Saudi Arabia in particular and Arab world in general. The findings will help English language teachers teaching in the KSA to understand the gender-based dimensionality of the language learning beliefs which will help them align their teaching methods to their learners’ beliefs; thus, maximizing the possibilities of much sought after goal of effective and efficient ELT in the KSA.

Индивидуальные различия в лингвистических способностях и их связь с флюидным и кристаллизованным интеллектом

This article presents the empirical results of the study on the interaction between fluid and crystallized intelligence and individual differences in foreign language aptitude. The three-factor model of cognitive abilities was constructed and showed a suitable fit to empirical data. According to the model the latent factor of foreign language aptitude demonstrated strong positive correlations with the factors of both fluid and crystallized intelligence. Another important empirical result supports the existence of different patterns of relationships which disclose the variables under study as depending on the level of productivity in the language sphere. Namely, it was shown that on the high level of foreign language test performance there were no significant interactions between foreign language aptitude and different parameters of fluid and crystallized intelligence assessments. We discuss our findings in terms of contemporary approaches to understanding of differential impact of certain cognitive factors on foreign language aptitude

Identification of Language Learning Beliefs Among Saudi EFL Learners

It is argued that positive yet realistic beliefs are source of success as language learners whereas negative or unrealistic beliefs can be an impediment to successful language learning. This empirical survey identifies Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ beliefs through Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) developed by Horwitz’s (1987). The Arabic version of the questionnaire has been administered and 118 Saudi EFL learners from a Saudi university returned the questionnaire. The research questions set for this survey include what beliefs Saudi EFL learners have towards the difficulty of foreign language learning, foreign language aptitude, the nature of language learning, learning and communication strategies and motivation and expectations for English language learning. The results reveal that the participants bear high English language learning aptitude and believe that it is easier to learn it in childhood. No strong relationship in learning subjects like science and math and English language was reported. The participants also believe that for quick and successful language learning, it is imperative to practice the target language extensively. A positive trend is that Saudi EFL learners have been extremely positive and encouraging towards their chances of achieving communicative competence and do not have any unnecessary inhibition in speaking English.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs about Foreign Language Learning: A Study of Three Different Teacher Training Study Programmes in Slovenia

It has been determined that beliefs about language learning are significant for the learning and teaching process, and that learners may differ in their beliefs towards learning a new language. Similarly, student-teachers of different subjects may differ in their beliefs about language learning. The main aim of this study was thus to investigate pre-service preschool teachers’, primary school teachers’, and special education teachers’ beliefs about foreign language learning in Slovenia. Three different areas were researched more closely: beliefs about foreign language aptitude, beliefs about the nature of learning and beliefs about foreign language motivations and expectations. The BALLI questionnaire was used to gather data, with responses provided by170 first-year students. The results show that despite attending different teacher training study programmes, students do not differ significantly in their beliefs about language learning; however, in comparison to other studies, the results imply that learners from different cultures see language learning differently.

"When Music Speaks": Auditory Cortex Morphology as a Neuroanatomical Marker of Language Aptitude and Musicality.

Recent research has shown that the morphology of certain brain regions may indeed correlate with a number of cognitive skills such as musicality or language ability. The main aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which foreign language aptitude, in particular phonetic coding ability, is influenced by the morphology of Heschl’s gyrus (HG; auditory cortex), working memory capacity, and musical ability. In this study, the auditory cortices of German-speaking individuals (N = 30; 13 males/17 females; aged 20–40 years) with high and low scores in a number of language aptitude tests were compared. The subjects’ language aptitude was measured by three different tests, namely a Hindi speech imitation task (phonetic coding ability), an English pronunciation assessment, and the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). Furthermore, working memory capacity and musical ability were assessed to reveal their relationship with foreign language aptitude. On the behavioral level, significant correlations were found between phonetic coding ability, English pronunciation skills, musical experience, and language aptitude as measured by the MLAT. Parts of all three tests measuring language aptitude correlated positively and significantly with each other, supporting their validity for measuring components of language aptitude. Remarkably, the number of instruments played by subjects showed significant correlations with all language aptitude measures and musicality, whereas, the number of foreign languages did not show any correlations. With regard to the neuroanatomy of auditory cortex, adults with very high scores in the Hindi testing and the musicality test (AMMA) demonstrated a clear predominance of complete posterior HG duplications in the right hemisphere. This may reignite the discussion of the importance of the right hemisphere for language processing, especially when linked or common resources are involved, such as the inter-dependency between phonetic and musical aptitude.

An exploratory study on the role of foreign language aptitudes in instructed pragmatics learning in L2 Chinese

AbstractThis study investigated whether and how foreign language (FL) aptitudes interacted with different instructional conditions to affect pragmatic gains in L2 Chinese. Fifty American learners of Chinese were randomly assigned to an (explicit) input-based treatment group, an (explicit) output-based treatment group, and a control group. Following a metapragmatic session, the two treatment groups practiced target request-making forms through their respective computer programs, while the control group did not practice. Gains in pragmatic performance were measured by a listening judgment test and an oral production test at immediate and delayed posttests. The participants also completed three foreign language (FL) aptitude tests assessing rote memory, grammatical sensitivity, and working memory. The results revealed different patterns of correlation between FL aptitudes and pragmatic gains. The input group showed positive correlations between working memory and reductions in judgment response times at both immediate and delayed posttests. The output group showed a positive correlation between grammatical sensitivity and gains in production speech rates at immediate posttest; a negative correlation was also found between rote memory and reductions in production planning times made at immediate posttest.

Individual Differences in the Learning of the English Copula Be by Junior High School Students : Foreign Language Aptitude and Native Language Awareness

Individual Differences in the Learning of the English Copula Be by Junior High School Students : Foreign Language Aptitude and Native Language Awareness

An Empirical Examination of the Association between Individual Differences Variables and Writing Performance of Iranian EFL Learners

The present study was designed to initially test a model of the role of a set of cognitive (namely, aptitude and working memory) and motivational (namely, language learning goals, self-efficacy beliefs and self-regulation strategy use) individual differences variables in writing performance of a group of Iranian undergraduate EFL learners and, subsequently, to identify the possible differences in the writing quality and composing behavior of learners with different individual characteristics. A convenient sample of 125 BA level students of English Language Teaching and Literature from three state universities in Iran took part in the study. As for the data collection procedure, these participants, in various time intervals, wrote an argumentative essay, responded to the composing process scale, completed the aptitude and working memory measures and filled in the questionnaires exploring their motivational propensities, self-efficacy beliefs and self-regulatory strategy use in writing. The collected data were analyzed by using Path Analysis and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Due to some problems like small sample size and idiosyncratic nature of the data, the model did not give satisfactory fit indexes. However, it was found that cognitive variables were more strongly correlated with the writing competence of the learners than the motivational ones. More specifically, the construct of foreign language aptitude had the highest potential to account for the writing competence of the learners and the learners having different levels of this construct were different from each other in terms of writing quality and composing processes employed while writing.

The Language Learning Beliefs of Arab ESL Students

Learning a second / foreign language is more than memorizing the grammatical rules and vocabularies. Language learning is a very complex activity, and culture plays a crucial role in this very dynamic, amorphous and debatable process. Learners of foreign /second languages also use different learning strategies which are influenced very much by their cultural and educational backgrounds. Belief is one of the most significant and important components of culture that encompasses language, religion, race and the personal history of any individual. During the last two decades many researchers have focused on learners’ beliefs. This study investigates the beliefs of Arab undergraduate students who are studying at three Malaysian Universities, are assessed on an adapted version of the Belief about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI), which was developed by Horwitz (1985). The paper assesses the students’ beliefs in relation to the following areas of language learning: difficulty of language learning; foreign language aptitude; the nature of language learning; learning and communication strategies; and motivations and expectations.

Foreign language aptitude theory: Yesterday, today and tomorrow

Foreign language (FL) aptitude generally refers to a specific talent for learning a foreign or second language (L2). After experiencing a long period of marginalized interest, FL aptitude research in recent years has witnessed renewed enthusiasm across the disciplines of educational psychology, second language acquisition (SLA) and cognitive neuroscience. This paper sets out to offer a historical and an updated account of this recent progress in FL aptitude theory development and research. As its subtitle indicates, the paper centres on three major issues: following the introduction and clarification of basic concepts, Section 1 traces the early conceptions of FL aptitude dominated by John Carroll's pioneering work. Section 2 summarizes and examines more recent theoretical perspectives and FL aptitude models proposed by researchers from multiple disciplines that have significantly broadened the conventional research traditions associated with Carroll's original conception. Based on the research synthesis of current FL aptitude models, Section 3 suggests the directions FL aptitude theory and research might take in coming years. We conclude that a working memory perspective on FL aptitude presents one promising avenue for advance, as does the development of new aptitude tests to predict speed of automatization, implicit learning and greater control over an emerging language system. In addition, it is argued that issues of domain-specificity versus domain-generality for aptitude tests may lead to aptitude theory and research becoming more central in applied linguistics.

Investigating the Relationship between Vocabulary Knowledge and Academic Success of Arabic Undergraduate Learners in Swansea University

AbstractThe number of Arabic learners studying abroad has increased significantly over the last decade, and continues to increase. To test such students’ proficiency with English in an academic setting, most universities use standardised exams, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Test System (IELTS). Although these tools are considered valid entry tests (Taylor and Falvey, 2007) they don’t appear to be useful predictors of academic success (e.g. Cotton and Conrow, 1998). We have therefore tried to find alternative measures to help refine our ability to predict academic performance. These include vocabulary knowledge using the XK_Lex test (Milton & Al- Masrai, 2009); intelligence test (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, WASI) and a foreign language aptitude test (Modern Language Aptitude Test, MLAT; Carroll & Sapon, 1959).36 Arabic undergraduate students in Swansea University participated in this study. The results of the measures were correlated with participants’ Grade Point Average (GPA) as a measure of academic achievement. The findings suggest that a vocabulary knowledge threshold of 5000 and above is necessary for L2 learners to undertake international education; below this volume of vocabulary, they risk failure or academic hardship during their studies. No correlation was found between intelligence or aptitude test scores and learners’ academic achievement, but a significant relationship was noted between intelligence and vocabulary knowledge, confirming the trend that learners with high intelligence scores are more likely to possess an extensive vocabulary than learners with low intelligence scores.

From a Simple Testing Tool to Advanced Computer-based MLAT Test: A Century of Aptitude Testing

The beginning of the aptitude concept, as well as aptitude testing, or, in other words, measuring one’s predispositions to foreign languages dates back to the 1920’s when the first aptitude tests, like the Iowa Foreign Language Aptitude Examination, or the Luria-Orleans Language Prognosis Test came into existence Carroll 1962. Since that time, aptitude tests have gone through a multitude of different transformations — from simple testing tools that resembled intelligence tests to an advanced computer-based version of the most influential Modern Language Aptitude Test developed by Carroll and Sapon in 1959 Dörnyei and Skehan 2003. Apart from them, researchers from different countries have attempted to create their own unique versions of the MLAT, like the Hungarian HUNLAT battery Safar and Kormos 2008, the Polish version named TUNJO Rysiewicz 2011, or even the CANAL-F battery based on an artificial language Kocic 2010. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to provide a thorough theoretical analysis and review of the available aptitude testing batteries and find the differences and similarities between them. What is more, the paper aims to describe the components of all the possible aptitude tests and discover the potential behind the testing tools that examine one’s natural predispositions effectively. Apart from the general knowledge about aptitude testing available anywhere nowadays, it is necessary to understand how the tests work, and what they expect from a participant taking part in such an initiative. As they are often compared with intelligence tests, the purpose of this paper is to show that aptitude tests constitute a different tool, and measure different abilities and skills than a set of intelligence related instruments. To reach this goal, I examine the tools available, describe their properties and potential success rate, analyze their components and compare them with the other batteries.

The interface between research on individual difference variables and teaching practice: The case of cognitive factors and personality

While a substantial body of empirical evidence has been accrued about the role of individual differences in second language acquisition, relatively little is still known about how factors of this kind can mediate the effects of instructional practices as well as how empirically-derived insights can inform foreign language pedagogy, both with respect to shaping certain variables and adjusting instruction to individual learner profiles. The present paper is an attempt to shed light on the interface between research on individual difference factors and teaching practice, focusing upon variables which do not easily lend themselves to external manipulation, namely intelligence, foreign language aptitude, working memory and personality, with the role of the last of these in language learning being admittedly the least obvious. In each case, the main research findings will briefly be outlined, their potential for informing instruction will be considered, and, in the final part, the caveats concerning practical applications of research on the variables in question will be spelled out.

New conceptualizations of linguistic giftedness

This state-of-the art paper focuses on the issue of linguistic giftedness, somewhat neglected in the second language acquisition (SLA) literature, attempting to reconceptualize, expand and update this concept in response to latest developments in the fields of psychology, linguistics and neurology. It first discusses contemporary perspectives on foreign language aptitude, concentrating in particular on the models proposed by Skehan (1998), Robinson (2002) and Sternberg (2002). This is followed by a discussion of the definitions of talented individuals and the criteria for their selection, as well as an overview of empirical research on gifted language learners, divided into early studies with those focusing on the ultimate attainment of post-pubescent learners, and those dealing with super-learners of foreign languages. The subsequent sections touch upon such issues as the relationship between first language (L1) ability and second language (L2) aptitude, and linguistic giftedness and intelligence, memory, personality factors and language learning strategies, as well as neurolinguistic research on brain functioning in gifted learners. The paper closes with the discussion of the limitations of current research, its future directions and methodological considerations.