How limited working memory accounts for listening comprehension problems of L2 Finnish learners
Keywords:
Finnish as a second language, listening comprehension, second language learning, stimulated recall, working memoryAbstract
In this article, I will examine the connection between the constraints of working memory and the comprehension problems of L2 Finnish listeners by exploring the learners' listening task performance and the following stimulated recalls. Additionally, I will discuss what kind of memory functions make understanding easier and compensate for the limitations of working memory. The participants were 12 Arabic speaking adult Finnish learners of elementary and basic levels of proficiency, and the data consists of video recordings of their listening tasks and stimulated recalls.
The limitations of working memory affected participants' comprehension problems particularly when focusing on one word or phrase resulted in forgetting the preceding or following words, and when the length of the speech unit to remember exceeded the participant's working memory capacity. The participants improved their own understanding and compensated for the constraints of working memory via top down processing – by filling the gaps in the text with the help of experiences and knowledge of the world from their long-term memory.
