Language learning aptitude as a predictor of late-life L2 learning at beginner level

Recent work in the field of second language (L2) learning and teaching has aimed for improved representativeness by including older adult participants. Findings to date suggest not only that it is perfectly possible to learn a new L2 late in life, but also that, compared with younger samples, third-age learners’ success may be less dependent on the nature of the instructional approach they are exposed to. Whereas the predictive power of language learning aptitude in young adults’ instructed L2 learning has been amply demonstrated, we know very little about language aptitude as a predictor of late-life learners’ L2 achievement. The present study addressed these issues by comparing the effectiveness of an explicit and an incidental instructional condition at the earliest stage of L2 learning. Volunteers ( n = 80) aged 60–83 completed the LLAMA aptitude battery and a serial reaction time task and participated in a suite of online language lessons targeting adjective-noun gender agreement in beginner-level Croatian. Our results show that the LLAMA tests significantly predicted L2 attainment. Aptitude components played a greater role in the incidental than in the explicit condition, indicating that the latter was cognitively less demanding. Nevertheless, participants were equally successful in the two conditions. The incidental group responded faster to posttest items throughout, and participants performed better on written than auditory items regardless of instructional condition. Taken together, these findings suggest that input modality may be more relevant for older adults than instructional approach. Participants’ occupational status (working vs. retired) and self-concepts, including their confidence in themselves and their knowledge, emerged as important factors, highlighting the link between (meta)cognitive and socioaffective variables in late-life learners.