Investigating the influence of working memory, language aptitude, and verbal reasoning as aspects of linguistic intelligence on foreign language learning

الملخص EN

This paper addresses some cognitive aspects of individual differences that influence foreign language learning.

The study explores the relationship between one type of intelligence that is referred to as linguistic intelligence and language learning achievement.

Three cognitive abilities were hypothesized to be factors of this capacity: working memory, language aptitude, and verbal reasoning.

In testing this hypothesis, a measure of each of the three aforementioned abilities was administered to sixty first year freshman students majoring in English as a Foreign Language in University of Constantine 1.

Correlations were made between the obtained scores in the three measures, and factor analysis was conducted to determine the final factors of linguistic intelligence.

Another correlational study was carried out between the overall linguistic intelligence as with its final factors and language learning achievement.

The results revealed a significant relationship between linguistic intelligence total score and language learning achievement as well as between this latter and two factors of the former ability: verbal reasoning, and grammatical ability, yet a low correlation between the third factor (working memory) and language learning achievement.