Learner‐Based Factors in L2 Reading Comprehension and Processing Grammatical Form: Topic Familiarity and Working Memory

Abstract

This study examines how topic familiarity and working memory capacity affect beginning Spanish learners' reading comprehension and their processing of future tense morphology. Participants included 94 adult learners from an accelerated, beginning Spanish course. In addition to completing a computerized version of a reading span test as a measure of working memory capacity, all learners read texts about familiar or unfamiliar topics and completed recall protocols to measure passage comprehension. They also completed form recognition and tense identification tests to determine processing of future tense morphology. The results revealed consistent effects for topic familiarity on all tasks. Although differences in working memory capacity played some role in learners' comprehension and processing grammatical form, significant findings for working memory emerged depending on participants' previous knowledge about text topics.

Developing a Non-language Related Span Test for the Use in Language-specific and Cross-language Studies

“…This was consistent with the scoring method in recent studies (e.g., Alptekin & Erçetin, 2009). Then a composite working memory score was used as an indicator of the participants' working memory capacity (e.g., Lesser, 2007;Waters & Caplan, 1996). The composite working memory was obtained by adding the processing and recall z-scores.…”

“…5, No. 11;2012 1992; Lesser, 2007;Walter, 2004). Finally, the results of this study suggest that the newly developed test is reliable enough to be used in language-specific and cross language studies for the measurement of working memoy capacity.…”

“…It assessed two working memory components, processing and storage (e.g., Chun & Payne, 2004;Daneman & Carpenter, 1980;Harrington & Sawyer, 1992;Lesser, 2007;Waters & Caplan, 1996). The participants had to view each math problem, calculate the simple addition or subtraction problem and say their answer aloud while their answer was recorded.…”

The Effect of Topic Familiarity on L2 Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition in Reading—An Experimental Study Based on Path Analysis

“…Beta (= .324*) demonstrates that topic familiarity influences reading performances directly and significantly, which approves learner's familiarity of a topic is a significant cause of the performance of reading tasks (Leeser, 2007). Given this, it is necessary for teachers to help learners be familiar with related topic or information in their reading teaching and to trigger the content schema to help learners read and comprehend in their reading.…”

“…Reading is a complicated cognitive process. Schemata theory (Carrel, 1987) believed that reading is the process in which readers interact their existing knowledge and the text information to comprehend a passage; topic familiarity, a form of content schema, reflects the familiarity of a reader's specific background or knowledge in a topic; Leeser (2007) found topic familiarity is one factor that influences reading comprehension. Pulido (2003) and ZHU Lian-hong (2007) showed it has a significant influence on reading comprehension.…”