Do native English speakers with different memory skills use different learning strategies to learn Chinese as a foreign language? Do traditional tests of foreign language aptitude adequately predict who will be successful in learning Chinese, or can we improve the tests' predictability by including a measure of memory? Or could it be that traditional measures of a student's aptitude for learning Chinese do not take into account his or her ability to effectively use strategies, which may heavily influence the student's ability to learn Chinese? While much linguistic research has explored the learning processes of native English speakers studying commonly-taught languages such as Spanish, French, and German, there has been little research into how English speakers learn Chinese, a language with a logographic writing system. Logographic systems, in which a word is represented as a whole in one pictogram, are learned mostly through memorization and are difficult for native English speakers to acquire. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Ms. Winke will conduct research aimed at understanding what strategies students use to learn Chinese and how students' choices in strategies may be affected by memory abilities. This project also investigates learners' motivations for taking Chinese, which also influence learning outcomes. Participants come from two institutions representing different purposes, curricula, and student populations: 60 undergraduates enrolled in beginning Chinese at Georgetown University and 200 military personnel at the Defense Language Institute. The research will be conducted by administering standardized tests of foreign language aptitude, two working memory tests, and motivation and strategy questionnaires. All participants will take part in focus-group interviews to provide additional insights into their strategies and motivations. A factorial (2-way) analysis of variance will be used to analyze the memory scores to group learners into four categories of memory ability. Memory, aptitude, and strategy and motivation profiles, along with Chinese proficiency test scores, will further be analyzed through correlations and multiple regressions to determine (a) if students with different memory abilities and motivations use strategies differently to learn Chinese, and (b) if memory test scores can improve Chinese aptitude testing. The research will demonstrate how differences in students' approaches to learning Chinese are influenced by their memory capacities and their reasons and motivations for learning.
The results of this study will inform teaching methods in second language acquisition and yield insights into the effects of working memory on foreign language learning, particularly for the learning of Chinese. Chinese is a language of national importance; however, it is considered to be difficult for native English speakers to acquire, and Chinese programs at universities tend to have low enrollments and high attrition rates. This project will inform educators on how to evaluate and diagnose students' difficulties in learning Chinese to aid in the retention of students and to improve learning. In addition, this project will assist Chinese curriculum developers in designing appropriate homework and classroom activities to promote the use of particular strategies by students with varying memory abilities.
