The LLAMA tests and the underlying structure of language aptitude at two levels of foreign language proficiency

Artieda, Gemma; Muñoz, Carmen

doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2016.06.023

Cited by 26 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Taking the obtained correlations at face value, the four LLAMA subtests seemed to measure distinct constructs. This then corroborates, with a substantially larger sample size, previously reported interrelationships of the LLAMA subtests (Artieda & Muñoz, ; Granena, ). Here, the three‐component principal component analysis seems consistent with Skehan's () predicted dissociation between memory abilities (LLAMA B), analytical abilities (LLAMA F), and phonological abilities (LLAMA D).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…What is noteworthy, though, is that the two‐component principal component analysis identified LLAMA D as the odd one out in the LLAMA battery, as Artieda and Muñoz () and Granena () also showed. As Granena () proposed, this may be due to its tapping into implicit language learning aptitude unlike the other LLAMA subtests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Several studies used the LLAMA to examine the role of aptitude in ultimate L2 attainment in naturalistic settings (Abrahamsson & Hyltenstam, 2008;Forsberg-Lundell & Sandgren, 2013;Granena, 2014;Granena & Long, 2013) and showed that a high degree of aptitude is crucial in order for postadolescent learners to acquire a high level of L2 morphosyntactic proficiency. In the context of instructed language learning, performance on the LLAMA (either the entire battery or subtests thereof) has been shown to correlate with speech fluency and grammatical and lexical complexity (Saito, 2017(Saito, , 2019Saito & Hanzawa, 2016), grammatical knowledge (Yalcin & Spada, 2012; see also Hamrick, 2015), and global proficiency (Artieda & Muñoz, 2016;Larson-Hall & Dewey, 2012). Studies on bilingual development (Bylund, Abrahamsson, & Hyltenstam, 2012), heritage language acquisition (Bylund et al, 2010), and L1 attrition (Bylund & Ramirez-Galan, 2016) showed that LLAMA performance was positively correlated with L1 maintenance and development in a L2 context (but more so for childhood than adult language attriters).…”

Section: Language Aptitude and The Llama Test Batterymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rogers et al. () noticed that formal educational level (associated with explicit learning) was an advantage on LLAMA B, E, and F, but not on LLAMA D. A principal component analysis conducted by Artieda and Muñoz () produced a component structure similar to that in Granena (), with LLAMA D loading on a component separate from the other LLAMA subtests. In instructional settings, the effects of explicit feedback have been found to be mediated by scores on the presumably explicit parts of the LLAMA, such that explicit feedback resulted in higher language learning gains on immediate posttests among learners who scored high on LLAMA B, E, and F, although such an effect was not detected among low aptitude participants (Yilmaz, ; Yilmaz & Granena, ; Yilmaz, Granena, & Meyer, ; Yilmaz & Koylu, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Probing the Internal Validity of the LLAMA Language Aptitude Tests

Bokander

Bylund

2019

Language Learning

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Over the past decade, the LLAMA language aptitude test battery has come to play an increasingly important role as an instrument in research on individual differences in language development. However, a potentially serious problem that has been pointed out by several scholars is that the LLAMA has not yet been carefully validated. We addressed this issue by examining the internal validity of this test battery. We collected LLAMA data from 350 participants and assessed these data using classical item analysis, Rasch analysis, and principal component analysis within a framework of best practices in educational and psychological test validation. The results show that only one out of the four subtests (LLAMA B) produced scores that fit a latent trait model with sufficient accuracy. This suggests that researchers using the LLAMA battery must treat their results with appropriate carefulness and also that there is potential for refining the LLAMA further.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Language Aptitude and The Llama Test Batterymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Probing the Internal Validity of the LLAMA Language Aptitude Tests

Bokander

Bylund

2019

Language Learning

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“…Still other studies demonstrated that the power of LA to predict L2 learning depends on L2 learning stages and language instruction methods (Li 2015), and that different LA components showed different predictive powers for different aspects of L2 learning (Li 2016). For example, phonemic coding ability, as measured by the LLAMA-D test, especially impacted learners at the early stages of L2 learning (Artieda and Muñoz 2016). In the same vein, Li's (2015) meta-analysis showed that LA, as measured by traditional aptitude tests such as MLAT, was more relevant to initial stages of explicit L2 learning.…”

Section: The Effect Of La and Wm On Language Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of second- and third-language learning on language aptitude and working memory

Huang

Loerts²,

Steinkrauss³

2020

International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism

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An increasing number of adults learn more than one foreign language simultaneously. While the cognitive benefits of using multiple languages from birth have been studied extensively, little is known about possible cognitive benefits of learning multiple languages simultaneously in adulthood. Among the cognitive abilities which play a role in language learning, language aptitude (LA) and working memory (WM) are argued to be crucial. Traditionally considered relatively stable, recently they are advocated to be changeable. For example, one could imagine that learning new sounds, words, and structures in a language might both enhance the ability to temporarily hold and manage information (WM) and improve the ease with which subsequent languages are learnt (LA). Therefore, this study investigates whether LA and WM change while learning languages, and whether language learning intensity, i.e. learning one versus two foreign languages simultaneously, modulates this effect. Participants consisted of first-year and second-year Chinese university students majoring in English or English & Japanese/Russian. Data were collected twice with an interval of one academic year. The results show that all learners improved in certain aspects of LA and WM, and that among the first-year students, the two-foreign-languages learners outperformed their counterparts in WM improvement. The implications are discussed.

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Sex/Gender

Griffiths¹,

Soruç²

2020

Individual Differences in Language Learning

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The LLAMA tests and the underlying structure of language aptitude at two levels of foreign language proficiency

Cited by 26 publications

References 18 publications

Probing the Internal Validity of the LLAMA Language Aptitude Tests

Probing the Internal Validity of the LLAMA Language Aptitude Tests

The impact of second- and third-language learning on language aptitude and working memory

Sex/Gender

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