Identifying native language difficulties among foreign language learners in college: a "foreign" language learning...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Linguistics
• Second Language Acquisition

Background:

• College students often face challenges in foreign language learning.
• Identifying factors differentiating successful from unsuccessful learners is crucial for academic support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare successful and unsuccessful college foreign language learners.
• To identify specific cognitive and linguistic factors associated with foreign language learning success or difficulty.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of two groups: successful foreign language learners and unsuccessful learners (who petitioned to waive the requirement).
• Assessment of intelligence, foreign language aptitude (Modern Language Aptitude Test), native oral and written language skills (syntactic and phonological domains), and math abilities.
• Statistical analysis to identify significant differences between the groups.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in general intelligence or reading comprehension.
• Significant differences observed in foreign language aptitude, native language syntax and phonology, and math calculation.
• Unsuccessful learners demonstrated lower scores in these specific areas.

Conclusions:

• Foreign language learning difficulties may be linked to underlying native language deficits, particularly in syntax and phonology.
• Specific diagnostic approaches for identifying foreign language disabilities are recommended.
• Targeted interventions focusing on native language skills could benefit students struggling with foreign language acquisition.