The methodology of the research on language aptitude: A systematic review

IF 2.8 1区文学 0 LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS

Annual Review of Applied Linguistics Pub Date : 2021-03-01 DOI:10.1017/S0267190520000136

Shaofeng Li, Huijun Zhao

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引用次数: 9

Abstract

Abstract This article provides a comprehensive and critical synthesis of the methods utilized in studies investigating the role of language aptitude in second language acquisition (SLA). The synthesis is informed by sixty-five studies generated by a thorough search of the literature, three meta-analyses (Li, 2015, 2016, 2017), and a thematic issue of Studies in Second Language Acquisition (Li & DeKeyser, in press). The synthesis starts by identifying three categories of research investigating the role of aptitude in naturalistic learning, aptitude's associations with instructed learning, and the nature of aptitude pertaining to whether it increases with age and learning experience and how it is connected to other individual difference variables. The synthesis then presents an overview and critique of major measures of aptitude and discusses the construct validity of aptitude measures based on the principles of psychometric assessments. Specifically, the measures are scrutinized along the dimensions of reliability, content validity, divergent/convergent validity, and predictive validity. The content and measurement of implicit aptitude—a newly emerged construct in SLA—are highlighted. The synthesis proceeds to summarize and vet the measures of the outcome variable of aptitude research—L2 proficiency. Throughout the synthesis, methodological features are summarized, issues are identified, and remedies are proposed.

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语言天赋研究的方法论综述

摘要本文对语言能力倾向在第二语言习得中的作用的研究方法进行了全面和批判性的综合。本文综合了65项研究，这些研究是通过对文献的全面检索、三项荟萃分析(Li, 2015, 2016, 2017)和《第二语言习得研究》的专题问题(Li & DeKeyser，出版中)得出的。综合首先确定了三类研究，调查了天赋在自然学习中的作用，天赋与指导学习的关系，以及天赋的本质是否随着年龄和学习经验而增加，以及它如何与其他个体差异变量联系起来。然后，综合提出了主要的能力倾向测量的概述和批评，并讨论了基于心理测量评估原则的能力倾向测量的结构效度。具体而言，这些措施是沿着信度，内容效度，发散/收敛效度和预测效度的维度进行审查。本文重点介绍了内隐能力倾向的内容和测量方法。综合分析了能力倾向研究结果变量二语熟练度的测量方法。在整个综合中，总结了方法特征，确定了问题，并提出了补救措施。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Annual Review of Applied Linguistics Multiple-

CiteScore

6.70

自引率

5.40%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Annual Review of Applied Linguistics publishes research on key topics in the broad field of applied linguistics. Each issue is thematic, providing a variety of perspectives on the topic through research summaries, critical overviews, position papers and empirical studies. Being responsive to the field, some issues are tied to the theme of that year''s annual conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics. Also, at regular intervals an issue will take the approach of covering applied linguistics as a field more broadly, including coverage of critical or controversial topics. ARAL provides cutting-edge and timely articles on a wide number of areas, including language learning and pedagogy, second language acquisition, sociolinguistics, language policy and planning, language assessment, and research design and methodology, to name just a few.