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    Predicting language learners' grades in the L1, L2, L3 and L4: the effect of some psychological and sociocognitive variables

    Dewaele, Jean-Marc (2007) Predicting language learners' grades in the L1, L2, L3 and L4: the effect of some psychological and sociocognitive variables. International Journal of Multilingualism 4 (3), pp. 169-197. ISSN 1479-0718.

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    Abstract

    This study of 89 Flemish high-school students' grades for L1 (Dutch), L2 (French), L3 (English) and L4 (German) investigates the effects of three higher-level personality dimensions (psychoticism, extraversion, neuroticism), one lower-level personality dimension (foreign language anxiety) and sociobiographical variables (gender, social class) on the participants' language grades. Analyses of variance revealed no significant effects of the higher-level personality dimensions on grades. Participants with high levels of foreign language anxiety obtained significantly lower grades in the L2 and L3. Gender and social class had no effect. Strong positive correlations between grades in the different languages could point to an underlying sociocognitive dimension. The implications of these findings are discussed.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, foreign language anxiety, language grades
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
    Depositing User: Administrator
    Date Deposited: 06 Aug 2007
    Last Modified: 09 Aug 2023 12:29
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/531

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