TY - JOUR

T1 - Phonological short term-memory, working memory and foreign language performance in intensive language learning.

AU - Kormos, Judit

AU - Sáfár, Anna

N1 - http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=UHY The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Bilingualism : Language and Cognition, 11 (2), pp 261-271 2008, © 2008 Cambridge University Press.

PY - 2008/7

Y1 - 2008/7

N2 - In our research we addressed the question what the relationship is between phonological short-term and working memory capacity and performance in an end-of-year reading, writing, listening, speaking and use of English test. The participants of our study were 121 secondary school students aged 15–16 in the first intensive language training year of a bilingual education program in Hungary. The participants performed a non-word repetition test and took a Cambridge First Certificate Exam. Fifty students were also tested with a backward digit span test, measuring their working memory capacity. Our study indicates that phonological short-term memory capacity plays a different role in the case of beginners and pre-intermediate students in intensive language learning. The backward digit span test correlated very highly with the overall English language competence, as well as with reading, listening, speaking and use of English (vocabulary and grammar) test scores.

AB - In our research we addressed the question what the relationship is between phonological short-term and working memory capacity and performance in an end-of-year reading, writing, listening, speaking and use of English test. The participants of our study were 121 secondary school students aged 15–16 in the first intensive language training year of a bilingual education program in Hungary. The participants performed a non-word repetition test and took a Cambridge First Certificate Exam. Fifty students were also tested with a backward digit span test, measuring their working memory capacity. Our study indicates that phonological short-term memory capacity plays a different role in the case of beginners and pre-intermediate students in intensive language learning. The backward digit span test correlated very highly with the overall English language competence, as well as with reading, listening, speaking and use of English (vocabulary and grammar) test scores.

U2 - 10.1017/S1366728908003416

DO - 10.1017/S1366728908003416

M3 - Journal article

VL - 11

SP - 261

EP - 271

JO - Bilingualism: Language and Cognition

JF - Bilingualism: Language and Cognition

SN - 1469-1841

IS - 2

ER -