Using Working Memory Measures to Assess Language Learning in South African School Beginners from Diverse Socioeconomic and Linguistic Backgrounds

This paper proposes that verbal working memory measures may be more appropriate measures of language learning than vocabulary tests for school beginners from diverse socioeconomic and linguistic backgrounds. Participants were 120 school beginners, divided into high and low socioeconomic groups, with equal numbers of English firstand second-language speakers in each group. All were being educated in English. Expectedly, the high socioeconomic group performed significantly better on the vocabulary tests relative to the low socioeconomic group, while there were no significant differences between the socioeconomic groups on all except one of the four working memory tests. While socioeconomic status (living standards, caregiver level of education and parental employment) accounted for much of the variability in the vocabulary scores, it only explained very small amounts of variability in the children’s performance on the verbal working memory measures. This suggests that the working memory measures were less influenced by the children’s socioeconomic status. Thus, working memory assessments appear to be less influenced by socioeconomic factors and may constitute fairer forms of evaluating language learning for children from differing socioeconomic and linguistic backgrounds.