Longitudinal Effects of Phonological Short-Term Memory and Working Memory Capacity on L2 Grammar Knowledge

Abstract

Working memory (WM) has been found to play a major role in learning L2 grammar (Li et al., 2019). However, there is little research into the longitudinal effects of phonological short-term memory and WM capacity on L2 grammar knowledge development (Sagarra, 2017). The current longitudinal study investigated the relationship between phonological short-term memory, WM capacity, and the development of L2 grammar knowledge over the period of two years. This report is part of an ongoing larger-scale study including the components of reading, writing, and speaking. Participants were 107 Year 1, 2, and 3 Polish university students majoring in English as an L2. The measurements included two phonological short-term memory capacity tests, two WM capacity tests, and four tests of grammar knowledge. The results indicated that grammar tests correlated with nonword, listening, and reading spans. However, latent growth models showed that only WM capacity positively predicted changes in L2 grammar knowledge over time.