The Role of Working Memory in Foreign Language Listening Comprehension Tasks
Keywords:
listening comprehension, working memory, phonological awareness, task type, language assessment, English as a foreign languageAbstract
In the study, working memory (WM), phonological awareness (PA), and exposure to EFL (English as a foreign language), as some of the factors affecting pupils’ achievements in listening comprehension tasks, were investigated. The sample included 100 Year 6 pupils aged 11, whose first foreign language was English. Results confirmed WM in EFL as a mediator between L1 WM, PA, EFL exposure, and two task types. The effect of exposure and of WM in L1 on the banked gap-fill tasks achievements was partly mediated by the EFL WM, while the same effects were fully mediated when predicting multiple-choice tasks achievements. The relevance of these findings for ensuring greater equality in knowledge testing is discussed.
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