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Individual Differences in Adult Learners of English As a Foreign Language at Two Levels of Proficiency

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Individual Differences in Adult Learners of English As a Foreign Language at Two Levels of Proficiency Individual Differences in Adult Learners of English as a Foreign Language at Two Levels of Proficiency Gemma Artieda Gutiérrez ADVERTIMENT. La consulta d’aquesta tesi queda condicionada a l’acceptació de les següents condicions d'ús: La difusió d’aquesta tesi per mitjà del servei TDX (www.tdx.cat) i a través del Dipòsit Digital de la UB (diposit.ub.edu) ha estat autoritzada pels titulars dels drets de propietat intel·lectual únicament per a usos privats emmarcats en activitats d’investigació i docència. No s’autoritza la seva reproducció amb finalitats de lucre ni la seva difusió i posada a disposició des d’un lloc aliè al servei TDX ni al Dipòsit Digital de la UB. No s’autoritza la presentació del seu contingut en una finestra o marc aliè a TDX o al Dipòsit Digital de la UB (framing). Aquesta reserva de drets afecta tant al resum de presentació de la tesi com als seus continguts. En la utilització o cita de parts de la tesi és obligat indicar el nom de la persona autora. ADVERTENCIA. La consulta de esta tesis queda condicionada a la aceptación de las siguientes condiciones de uso: La difusión de esta tesis por medio del servicio TDR (www.tdx.cat) y a través del Repositorio Digital de la UB (diposit.ub.edu) ha sido autorizada por los titulares de los derechos de propiedad intelectual únicamente para usos privados enmarcados en actividades de investigación y docencia. No se autoriza su reproducción con finalidades de lucro ni su difusión y puesta a disposición desde un sitio ajeno al servicio TDR o al Repositorio Digital de la UB. No se autoriza la presentación de su contenido en una ventana o marco ajeno a TDR o al Repositorio Digital de la UB (framing). Esta reserva de derechos afecta tanto al resumen de presentación de la tesis como a sus contenidos. En la utilización o cita de partes de la tesis es obligado indicar el nombre de la persona autora. WARNING. On having consulted this thesis you’re accepting the following use conditions: Spreading this thesis by the TDX (www.tdx.cat) service and by the UB Digital Repository (diposit.ub.edu) has been authorized by the titular of the intellectual property rights only for private uses placed in investigation and teaching activities. Reproduction with lucrative aims is not authorized nor its spreading and availability from a site foreign to the TDX service or to the UB Digital Repository. Introducing its content in a window or frame foreign to the TDX service or to the UB Digital Repository is not authorized (framing). Those rights affect to the presentation summary of the thesis as well as to its contents. In the using or citation of parts of the thesis it’s obliged to indicate the name of the author. = = = = = = ____________________________________________________________= = = INDIVIDUALDIFFERENCES INADULTLEARNERSOFENGLISHASAFOREIGNLANGUAGE ATTWOLEVELSOFPROFICIENCY = ____________________________________________________________ = = = = = GemmaArtiedaiGutiérrez = = = Adissertationsubmittedasapartialrequirementforthedegree ofDoctorofPhilosophytothe= = DepartmentofEnglishStudies UniversityofBarcelona 2013 = = = = = Director:Dr.CarmeMuñozLahoz PhDProgramme:AppliedLinguistics = = = = = = = = = = = = ‘Liveasifyouweregoingtodietomorrow. Learnasifyouweregoingtoliveforever.’ = = MohandasGandhi i Declaration= = = = = I hereby declare that this thesis, which I= submit for assessment for the candidaturetothedegreeofPhilosophyDoctoratthe=University=ofBarcelona, isentirelymyownwork,andthatutmostcarehasbeentakentoproperlycite= and acknowledge the work of other authors. This dissertation has not been previouslysubmittedtoanyotheruniversityforadegree. = = = = = = = _______________________________________ Signed:GemmaArtiedaiGutiérrez Date:Barcelona,30thofSeptember,2013 = = = = = = = ©GemmaArtiedaiGutiérrez,2013 ii= Abstract= = In today’s globalised world it is becoming increasingly= common that adults need to learn new languages at any age. And whilethenumberofforeignlanguageadultlearnerskeepsgrowing, there is still a dearth of research aiming at elucidating what individualdifferencesexplainvariationinforeignlanguagelearning outcomesinstudentsplacedinschoolswhichdonothaveanyentry requirements. This study investigated which individual differences impactsecondlanguageacquisitionattwolevelsofproficiencyout of a= set of four IDs: language aptitude, L1 literacy, motivation and orientations,andage;witha=specialfocusonlanguage=aptitudeand L1 literacy. Finally, the study aimed at= explaining the possible= interactionsamongstthefourIDsunderscrutiny.= Two groups of adult EFL learners at two different levels of proficiency(beginners,n===52,andupperintermediatelearners,n== 88), were tested on a number= of variables composing the four constructs, and on five L2 language dimensions. It has been= speculated that different IDs may have different impacts at two levels of proficiency; in terms of language aptitude, it has been hypothesised that for lowproficiency students, the faster learning studentswillexhibithigherlevelsofauditoryability,=whileanalytic= abilityisexpectedtocontributeinasimilarmanneratbeginnerand advanced levels (Skehan, 1989). Concerning L1 literacy,= the hypothesis is that at beginner levels L1 literacy will play a= much moreprominentrolethanforadvancedlearners,providingsupport for the threshold hypothesis (Cummins,= 1979a), and the linguistic coding differences hypothesis (Sparks, 1995; Sparks &= Ganschow, 1991,1993,1995). Findings did not confirm a= differential impact of language= aptitudeinL2learningattwolevelsofproficiencywhenlookingata= globallanguageaptitudescore;however,whenlookingatlanguage aptitudecomponents,resultsconfirmedthehypothesisedprominent= roleofauditoryabilityforbeginnersandaroleforanalyticabilityat the two proficiency levels, although the= impact of the latter was= largerintheupperintermediatelearners’group.ForL1literacy,the hypothesisthatL1literacywouldplaya=keyroleforbeginnersand notforupperintermediatelearnerswasconfirmed.Thisisconsistent iii= with the main tenet of the linguistic coding differences hypothesis thatL1skillsserveasthefoundationforL2learning,=aswellasfor= thepurportedexistenceofathresholdofL1literacywhichlearners need to attain for crosslinguistic transfer to occur. Results for= motivation and orientations were also different for the= two proficiency groups: while professional orientations explained varianceinthebeginnergroup,intheupperintermediatelearners’ groupmotivationwas=thevariablethatcorrelatedwithL2learning. Finally,ageattestingwasthevariableexertingthelargestimpacton L2 development in the beginner group, while it did not have any= impactontheupperintermediatelearnergroup.However,whenL2 development scores where disaggregated in five L2 dimensions,= findingswereasymmetric:whileageattestingimpactedfourout=of five dimensions for beginners, there was only one skill which was strongly impacted in the= upper intermediate learner group: L2 listening.= Thestudyalsoinvestigatedtheinteractions=amongstvariables byapplyingmultipleregressionanalysisandPLSmodelling.Inthe= modelobtainedforbeginners,onlythreevariableswerepredictive: academic development, L1= literacy, and age at testing. Conversely, thepredictivevariablesinthemodelforupperintermediatelearners weremotivation,languageaptitude,andreadinghabits. Asa=conclusion,findingssuggestedthatdifferentIDsimpact L2learningdifferentlyattwolevelsofproficiencyforthisparticipant sample.Inaddition,thestudyprovidedinsightsastowhichwerethe= language aptitude components having an influence at each stage,= and what L2 language dimensions were impacted by language aptitude and L1 literacy. Finally, and to the best of the author’s= knowledge,thisisthe=firststudyinsecond languageacquisitionto= use PLSSEM to explore complex relationships amongst latent= constructs. iv Resum = Enelmónglobalitzatqueensenvoltaéscadacopméscomú queelsadultsnecessitinaprendre=idiomesa=qualsevoledat.I=mentre el nombred’adults que estudiacontinua creixent, hi ha una manca derecercaqueinvestiguiquinesdiferènciesindividuals=expliquenla variació en els resultats d’adquisició de llengües estrangeres dels alumnesqueestudienencentresonnohihacaprequisitacadèmic d’admissió. Aquest estudi investiga quines són les diferències individuals=quetenenimpacteen=l’adquisiciódesegonesllengüesen= dosnivellsdellenguaestrangera,d’unconjuntdequatrediferències individuals:aptitudlingüística,nivelldeprimerallengua,motivació= iorientacions,i=edat;ambuninterèsespecialenelpaperdel’aptitud lingüísticai=delnivelldeprimerallengua.Finalment,l’estuditécom a objectiu explicar les possibles interaccions entre les quatre diferènciesindividualsinvestigades. Els participants són dos grups d’estudiants adults d’anglès com a= llengua estrangera, situats en dos nivells diferents (nivell= inicial,n===52;nivellintermedialt,n===88).Elssubjectesvanprendre= partentestsquemesuravenelsquatreconstructesinvestigatsi=cinc dimensions lingüístiques de la segona llengua. S’ha especulat que diversesdiferènciesindividuals=podentenirunimpactediferenten funció del nivell de llengua estrangera. Pel que fa a aptitud lingüística,= la hipòtesi planteja que, en nivells inicials, els alumnes queprogressenmésràpidamentsónaquellsquetenenunnivellmés alt d’aptitud auditiva, mentre que la capacitat analítica és igual d’important a= tots els= nivells (Skehan, 1989). Respecte al nivell de primera llengua, la hipòtesi suggereix que pot tenir un paper fonamentalenelsnivellsinicials.Aixòseriacoherentamblahipòtesi del llindar (Cummins, 1979a), i= la hipòtesi de les diferències en= la= codificaciólingüística(Sparks,1995;Sparks&=Ganschow,1991,1993,
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