Book contents
- Language Aptitude Theory and Practice
- The Cambridge Applied Linguistics Series
- Language Aptitude Theory and Practice
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Editors and Contributors
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- 1 Language Aptitude Research
- Part I Revisiting and Refining Aptitude Tests
- Part II Aptitude Testing of Diverse Groups
- Part III Innovative Perspectives and Paradigms
- 10 The Neurobiology of Language Aptitude, Musicality and Working Memory
- 11 The Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH) and L2 Learning
- 12 Variability of Language Aptitude and Working Memory in EFL Learners’ Listening Development
- 13 An Aptitude Model for Translating and Interpreting
- Part IV Aptitude–Treatment Interaction (ATI)
- Part V Final Commentaries
- Index
- References
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
- Language Aptitude Theory and Practice
- The Cambridge Applied Linguistics Series
- Language Aptitude Theory and Practice
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Editors and Contributors
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- 1 Language Aptitude Research
- Part I Revisiting and Refining Aptitude Tests
- Part II Aptitude Testing of Diverse Groups
- Part III Innovative Perspectives and Paradigms
- 10 The Neurobiology of Language Aptitude, Musicality and Working Memory
- 11 The Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH) and L2 Learning
- 12 Variability of Language Aptitude and Working Memory in EFL Learners’ Listening Development
- 13 An Aptitude Model for Translating and Interpreting
- Part IV Aptitude–Treatment Interaction (ATI)
- Part V Final Commentaries
- Index
- References
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.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Language Aptitude Theory and Practice , pp. 302 - 325Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023