Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/11198
Title: The Etiology of Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition in Australian School Students: A Behavior-Genetic Study
Contributor(s): Coventry, William L  (author)orcid ; Anton-Mendez, Ines  (author)orcid ; Ellis, Elizabeth M  (author); Levisen, Christina (author); Byrne, Brian J  (author)orcid ; van Daal, Victor H P (author); Ellis, Nick C (author)
Publication Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9922.2012.00718.x
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/11198
Abstract: We present one of the first behavior-genetic studies of individual differences in school students' levels of achievement in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA). We assessed these language abilities in Australian twin pairs (maximum N pairs = 251) by means of teacher ratings, class rankings, and self-ratings of proficiency, and used the classic twin design to estimate the relative influences of genes, shared (family/school) environment, and unique environment. Achievement in ISLA was more influenced by additive genetic effects (72%, 68%, and 38% for teacher ratings, class rankings, and twin self-ratings, respectively) than by shared environment effects, which were generally not substantial (20%, 07%, and 13%). Genetic effects distinct to speaking and listening, on the one hand, and reading and writing, on the other, were evident for the twin self-ratings. We discuss the limitations and implications of these findings and point to research questions that could profitably be addressed in future studies.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Language Learning, 62(3), p. 880-901
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Place of Publication: United States of America
ISSN: 1467-9922
0023-8333
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 170199 Psychology not elsewhere classified
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 520199 Applied and developmental psychology not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 970117 Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 280121 Expanding knowledge in psychology
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

Files in This Item:
2 files
File Description SizeFormat 
Show full item record

SCOPUSTM   
Citations

11
checked on Oct 19, 2024

Page view(s)

1,542
checked on Jan 7, 2024
Google Media

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.