The Relationship between working memory, English (L2) and academic achievement in12-14 year-old Turkish students : the effect of age and gender

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2013

Author

Çalışkanel, Gamze

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The aim of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between working memory, English as a second language and academic achievement of secondary school students between the ages of 12-14. The study also examines the effects of age and gender factors on working memory capacity and its relation with academic attainments. Data were collected from 12-14 year-old children (N=54) in two state secondary schools in Kırşehir, Turkey. Verbal working memory was assessed by a reading span (RS) test and a backward digit span (BDS) test. Academic achievement was determined by performance on basic secondary school courses which were English (foreign language), Turkish (mother tongue), Social Sciences, Mathematics and Science. The study examined the predictive role of working memory capacity on success on each course. The results revealed that verbal working memory tests significantly correlated with the tests of both general academic achievement (for RS: r=42, for BDS: r=43) and specific courses (.001≤ p <.01). The results also indicated that verbal working memory capacity had a far more predictive role on school success for females than males.

Subject Keywords

English language, Short-term memory., Academic achievement., Sex differences in education., Verbal learning.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12615726/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/22531

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

G. Çalışkanel, “The Relationship between working memory, English (L2) and academic achievement in12-14 year-old Turkish students : the effect of age and gender,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2013.