One Size Fits All?: Learning Conditions and Working Memory Capacity in Ab Initio Language Development

Cristina Sanz ^[1] ; Hui-Ju Lin ^[2] ; Beatriz Lado ^[3] ; Catherine A. Stafford ^[4] ; Harriet W. Bowden ^[5]
1. [1] Georgetown University
  
  Georgetown University
  
  Estados Unidos
2. [2] Chung Yuan Christian University
  
  Chung Yuan Christian University
  
  Taoyuan District, Taiwán
3. [3] Lehman College
  
  Lehman College
  
  Estados Unidos
4. [4] University of Wisconsin–Madison
  
  University of Wisconsin–Madison
  
  City of Madison, Estados Unidos
5. [5] University of Tennessee-Knoxville, USA
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Localización: Applied linguistics, ISSN 0142-6001, Vol. 37, Nº 5, 2016, págs. 669-692
Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
- The article summarizes results from two experimental studies (N = 23, N = 21) investigating the extent to which working memory capacity (WMC) intervenes in ab initio language development under two pedagogical conditions [ ± grammar lesson + input-based practice + explicit feedback]. The linguistic target is the use of morphosyntax to assign semantic functions in Latin. Results suggest that with the more traditional pedagogical approach [+ grammar lesson], WMC does not predict learner outcomes. In contrast, in an approach that immediately immerses learners in meaning-focused practice with the same explicit feedback, WMC predicts gains on interpreting aural and written input. Thus, it appears that pre-practice grammar explanation ‘levels the field’ for learners of varying WMC, while WMC may play more of a role when metalinguistic information is limited to reactive feedback. These results extend previous research (Robinson 2002, 2005b; Erlam 2005; Goo 2012; Li 2013; Sagarra and Abbuhl 2013a, 2013b; Tagarelli et al. 2014), and further call attention to the importance of interactions between pedagogical tools and individual differences in explaining language development.