Affecting factors in second language learning

Area of Science:

• Psycholinguistics
• Second Language Acquisition
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Understanding factors influencing second language (L2) performance is crucial for effective pedagogy.
• Individual differences in L2 learning, including sex and handedness, warrant further investigation.
• The role of academic faculty choice in L2 skill development remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of sex, handedness, L2 proficiency level, and faculty choice on L2 phonological, syntactical, and semantic task performance.
• To identify the primary factors affecting L2 performance among university students.
• To explore potential sex-based differences in L2 verbal task execution.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• Participants assessed on phonological, syntactical, and semantic tasks in their second language (L2).
• Statistical analysis to determine the influence of sex, handedness, L2 level, and faculty choice.

Main Results:

• L2 proficiency level and sex emerged as the most significant factors influencing L2 task performance.
• Higher L2 task scores were associated with strong second language aptitude and professional L2 qualifications.
• Females demonstrated superior performance in syntactical and semantic tasks compared to males.
• Handedness and faculty choice showed an impact, but primarily in conjunction with other variables.

Conclusions:

• L2 proficiency level and sex are key determinants of success in L2 phonological, syntactical, and semantic tasks.
• Observed female advantage in verbal L2 tasks may be linked to sex-based differences in hemispheric language specialization.
• While handedness and faculty choice play a role, their influence is often moderated by other factors.