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Title:
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Phonological Working Memory : A developmental study of Quebec Fancophone children learning English
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Author:
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Leif French
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Email:
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click here to access email
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Degree Awarded:
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Université Laval
, Department of Languages, Linguistics, and Translation
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Degree Date:
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2003
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Linguistic Subfield(s):
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Psycholinguistics
Cognitive Science
Language Acquisition
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Subject Language(s):
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English
French
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Director(s):
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Elisabet Service
Kirsten Hummel
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Abstract:
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Research in cognitive psychology has shown a particularly strong association between phonological working memory—usually indexed by some version of a nonword repetition task—and both first language (L1) and second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition in children (e.g., Gathercole et al., 1991; Service, 1992). However, with the exception of Service(1992; Service & Kohonen, 1995), there has been little research on the role phonological memory plays in different aspects of children's L2 development. The present study investigated the developmental relation between phonological memory and L2 acquisition in grade 6 francophone children (n = 54; 11.2 years) enrolled in a 5-month intensive English program in Quebec's Saguenay Region. The main focus of the study was to analyze data collected on L2 skill (measures of receptive and productive vocabulary, listening comprehension, grammar) and phonological loop function (measures of Arabic nonword repetition accuracy) at two different points in time (month 1 and 5) in an attempt to examine whether contributions from phonological memory and L2 skill co-varied in children whose L2 proficiency advances from a near beginning level to that of a very functional level in a relatively short period of time. Partial cross-lagged correlations revealed that phonological memory skill appears to play a causal role in the subjects’ L2 development over time, providing preliminary evidence that, in children, the causal dynamic between phonological memory and L2 development is similar to that observed in L1 development and, in particular, L1 vocabulary development (e.g., Gathercole et al., 1992). Partial Pearson correlational analyses revealed that phonological memory skill was also highly predictive of new L2 learning in those subjects with low rather than high levels of L2 proficiency, suggesting that contributions from phonological memory to L2 learning may become less important as familiarity with the L2 increases. How these findings relate to theoretical accounts explaining the interaction between phonological memory ability and L2 learning are considered along with implications for classroom pedagogical practices and further L2 memory research.
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