Language experience factors associated to self-reported proficiency by users of English as an additional language
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-4301.2017.2.26180Keywords:
Language experience, Self-reported proficiency, Language background questionnaireAbstract
Researchers suggest that learning additional languages and the experience of using them have an important role in the development of the linguistic competence of an individual (MARIAN,; BLUMENFELD, & KAUSHANSKAYA, 2007). The goal of this study was to investigate which language experience factors are associated with the self-reported proficiency of additional language users. For this purpose, we correlated language experience variables of 535 Brazilian participants, speakers of English as an additional language, with their self-reported proficiency on the Questionário de Experiência e Proficiência Linguística (QuExPLi). Results suggest that the factors related to age, time of immersion, and current use of the language are associated to participants’ self-reported proficiency.
Downloads
References
ADESOPE, O; LAVIN, T.; THOMPSON, T.; UNGERLEIDER, C. A Systematic review and Meta- Analysis of the Cognitive Correlates of Bilingualism. Review of Educational Research, v. 80, n. 2, p. 207-245, 2010. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654310368803
BIALYSTOK, Ellen. Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, and Cognition. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511605963
BIALYSTOK, E.; MARTIN, M. Attention and inhibition in bilingual children: Evidence from the dimensional change card sort task. Developmental Science, v. 7, p. 325-339, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2004.00351.x
BIALYSTOK, E.; CRAIK, F.; LUK, G. Bilingualism: consequences for mind and brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, v. 16, n. 4, p. 240-250, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2012.03.001
BRUIN, A.; TRECCANI, B.; DELLA SALA, S. Cognitive Advantage in Bilingualism: An Example of Publication Bias? Psychological Science, v. 26, n. 1, p. 99-107, 2015.
COSTA, A., HERNÁNDEZ, M., & SEBASTIÁN-GALLÉS, N. Bilingualism aids conflict resolution: Evidence from the ANT task. Cognition, v. 106, n. 1, p. 59-86, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2006.12.013
FLEGE, J.; LIU, S. The effect of experience on adults’ acquisition of a second language. SSLA, v. 23, p. 527-552, 2001.
GRANENA, G.; LONG, M. Introduction and overview. In: GRANEMA, G.; LONG, M. (Eds.). Sensitive periods, language aptitude, and ultimate L2 attainment. Language Learning & Language Teaching 35. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2013. p. ix-xiii. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.35.002int
GROSJEAN, F. Studying bilinguals: Methodological and conceptual issues. In: BHATIA, T.; RITCHIE, W. (Ed.). The handbook of bilingualism. Malden: Blackwell, 2006. p. 32-63. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470756997.ch2
GROSJEAN, F. Bilingualism: a short introduction. In: GROSJEAN, F.; LI, P. The Psycholinguistics of Bilingualism. Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. p. 5-21.
JOHNSON, J.; NEWPORT, E. Critical Period Effects in Second Language Learning: The Influence of Maturational State on the Acquisition of English as a second Language. Cognitive Psychology, v. 21, n. 1, p. 60-99, 1989. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(89)90003-0
LUK, G.; BIALYSTOK, E. Bilingualism is not a categorical variable: Interaction between language proficiency and usage. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, v. 25, n. 5, p. 605-621, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2013.795574
MARIAN, V., BLUMENFELD, H. K., & KAUSHANSKAYA, M. The Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q): Assessing language profiles in bilinguals and multilinguals. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v. 50, n. 4, p. 940-967, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2007/067)
MOYER, A. Formal and Informal Experiential Realms in German as a Foreign Language: A Preliminary Investigation. Foreign Language Annals, v. 38, n. 3, p. 377-387, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2005.tb02224.x
MUÑOZ, C.; SINGLETON, D. A critical review of age-related research on L2 ultimate attainment. Language Teaching, v. 44, n. 1, p. 1-35, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444810000327
PAAP, K.; GREENBERG, Z. There is no coherent evidence for a bilingual advantage in executive processing. Cognitive Psychology, v. 66, n. 2, p. 232-258, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogpsych.2012.12.002
PAAP, K.; LIU, Y. Conflict resolution in sentence processing is the same for bilinguals and monolinguals: The role of confirmation bias in testing for bilingual advantages. Journal of Neurolinguistics, v. 27, n. 1, p. 50-74, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneuroling.2013.09.002
POWERS, D. The Case for a Comprehensive, Four-Skills Assessment of English Language Proficiency. ETS: TOEIC Compendium, 2010.
SINGLETON, D. Critical Period or General Age Factor(s)? In: GARCÍA MAYO, M.; GARCIA LECUMBERRI, M. (Eds.). Age and the Acquisition of English as a Foreigner Language. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2003, p. 3-22.
SCHOLL, A. P.; FINGER, I. Elaboração de um questionário de histórico da linguagem para pesquisas com bilíngues. Nonada: Letras em Revista, v. 2, n. 21, 2013.
TREMBLAY, A. Proficiency assessment standards in second language acquisition research: “closing the gap”. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, v. 33, p. 339-372, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263111000015
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright
The submission of originals to Letrônica implies the transfer by the authors of the right for publication. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication. If the authors wish to include the same data into another publication, they must cite Letrônica as the site of original publication.
Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise specified, material published in this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which allows unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is correctly cited.
