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12 - Variability of Language Aptitude and Working Memory in EFL Learners’ Listening Development

from Part III - Innovative Perspectives and Paradigms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2023

By
Pengyun Chang  and
Lawrence Jun Zhang
Edited by
Zhisheng (Edward) Wen ,
Peter Skehan  and
Richard L. Sparks
Zhisheng (Edward) Wen
Affiliation:
Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Peter Skehan
Affiliation:
Institute of Education, University of London
Richard L. Sparks
Affiliation:
Mount St Joseph University
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Summary

Variability is a typical and inherent property of complex and dynamic systems. As a follow-up to Chang and Zhang’s (2021) study on inter- and intra-individual variability in EFL learners’ listening development, the present longitudinal study focused on exploring the variability of participants’ language aptitude and working memory, two prominent cognitive variables of learner individual differences (LIDs). Three EFL learners participated in 10 observations spanning 43 months and were requested to complete the IELTS, LLAMA, and a listening span test (LST). Time-series data of learners’ language aptitude and working memory were analyzed through CDST techniques such as moving min–max graphs and Monte Carlo Analysis. In our study, considerable and significant variability in language aptitude and working memory were identified not only between different learners but also within each learner’s dynamic learning process at different levels. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the importance of researching L2 learners’ inter- and intra-variability in understanding the dynamic nature of language aptitude and working memory from the CDST perspective.

Keywords

Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST)variabilitylanguage aptitudeworking memory
Type
Chapter
Information
Language Aptitude Theory and Practice , pp. 302 - 325
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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