Prediction on English-Speaking Children’s Chinese Spoken-Word Learning: Contributions of Phonological Working Memory

• In Event: Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: Bilingualism/English as a Second Language

Abstract

The role of phonological working memory in foreign-language learning has been well-established. However, previous research has involved related pairs of languages. This study chose Mandarin Chinese, a language phonologically distinct from English, as the target language and American children who had no previous exposure to Chinese as participants. A battery of measures was administered to test 33 fourth-grade children’s phonological working memory and Chinese learning ability. The results confirmed that children’s phonological working memory could independently predict their Chinese spoken word learning, but also provide a new insight in curricula design and instructional practices for teaching Chinese.

Authors

• Junli Wei, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Richard C. Anderson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign