Factors affecting the speed of word retrieval in children learning English as a foreign language

Book section

Vocabulary knowledge is not only about end products but also about the ability to access words efficiently. Within the context of foreign language learning, little is known about the influence of learners’ characteristics on the ease with which children access L2 words in spoken production. In order to address this gap, we assessed the predictive effects of a range of learner variables (e.g. vocabulary knowledge, language proficiency, and cognitive ability) on the speed of L2 word retrieval. Thirty-nine Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) completed a picture naming task in English and a Chinese-to-English translation task. The participants’ reaction times were analyzed using stepwise regression, the results of which demonstrated that L2 vocabulary size and learners’ L1 lexical accessibility were significantly predictive of both naming and translation latencies. These results were discussed with reference to previous studies examining the determinants of lexical accessibility, with pedagogical implications advanced for current conceptualizations of EFL education to young children.

Authors: Zhao, T; Murphy, V

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Not peer reviewed
• Publisher: Multilingual Matters
• Host title: Learning Foreign Languages in Primary School: Research Insights
• Pages: 1-21
• Series: Second Language Acquisition
• Publication date: 2017-06-16
• DOI: 10.21832/garcia8101
• ISBN: 9781783098101
• Keywords: SBTMR