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http://dx.doi.org/10.15207/JKCS.2021.12.12.365

A Relationship Between Korean EFL Learners' Working Memory Capacity, English Vocabulary Size, and Listening Competence  

Yi, Koeon (Graduate School of Education, Jeonju University)
Choi, Sunhee (Department of English Education, Jeonju University)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korea Convergence Society / v.12, no.12, 2021 , pp. 365-370 More about this Journal
Abstract
The current study aims to investigate the relationship between working memory capacity, vocabulary size, and listening competence of Korean EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners. 30 English education majors from a university in Korea were recruited. The backward digit span and the operation span tasks were used to measure the participants' working memory capacity, while the Listening Vocabulary Level Test (LVLT) and the Michigan English Test (MET) were employed to measure their vocabulary size and listening proficiency in English, respectively. The correlational analyses revealed that the bigger one's working memory storage was, the better the person processed incoming input. However, no statistically significant correlation was found between working memory capacity, English vocabulary size, and listening proficiency, possibly due to the small sample size and the homogeneous subjects.
Keywords
Working memory capacity; English vocabulary size; English listening competence; Second language learning; Correlational analysis;
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