Testing Young Foreign Language Learners' Reading Comprehension: Exploring the Effects of Working Memory, Grade Level, and Reading Task

Autor/inn/en	Brunfaut, Tineke; Kormos, Judit; Michel, Marije; Ratajczak, Michael
Titel	Testing Young Foreign Language Learners' Reading Comprehension: Exploring the Effects of Working Memory, Grade Level, and Reading Task
Quelle	In: Language Testing, 38 (2021) 3, S.356-377 (22 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Brunfaut, Tineke) ORCID (Kormos, Judit) ORCID (Michel, Marije) ORCID (Ratajczak, Michael)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0265-5322
DOI	10.1177/0265532221991480
Schlagwörter	Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Reading Comprehension; Accuracy; Short Term Memory; Native Language; Age Groups; English (Second Language); Language Tests; Reading Tests; Grade 6; Grade 7; Foreign Countries; Cognitive Development; Prediction; Correlation; Task Analysis; Hungarian; Elementary School Students; Hungary (Budapest); Test of English as a Foreign Language + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Leseverstehen; Kurzzeitgedächtnis; Age grop; Altersgruppe; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Language test; Sprachtest; Lesetest; School year 06; 6. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 06; School year 07; 7. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 07; Ausland; Kognitive Entwicklung; Vorhersage; Korrelation; Aufgabenanalyse; Ungar; Ungarisch
Abstract	Extensive research has demonstrated the impact of working memory (WM) on first language (L1) reading comprehension across age groups (Peng et al., 2018), and on foreign language (FL) reading comprehension of adults and older adolescents (Linck et al., 2014). Comparatively little is known about the effect of WM on young FL readers' comprehension, and even less within testing contexts. Young FL readers are still developing their L1 reading skills and general cognitive skills (e.g., attentional regulation abilities). Completing FL reading tests might be particularly taxing on their WM, and differences in WM capacity -- as well as other learner and task characteristics -- might create construct-irrelevant variance in test performance. In this study, we investigate the effects of WM, grade level, and reading task on young learners' FL reading test performances. Ninety-four young English language learners (Grades 6-7) in Hungary completed the TOEFL® Junior™ Comprehensive's reading test and a WM test battery. Our mixed-effects model predicted significantly higher comprehension accuracy among learners with higher WM capacity, and among learners in Grade 7 compared to learners in Grade 6. Reading task differences were not associated with significant comprehension accuracy differences. We discuss the implications of our findings for testing young learners' FL reading comprehension. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01