The relationship between working memory and L2 reading comprehension

Since  an  important  role  for  working  memory  has  been  found  in  the  first  language acquisition  (e.g.,  Daneman,  1991;  Daneman  &  Green,  1986;  Waters  &  Caplan,  1996), research  on  the  role  of  working  memory  is  emerging  as  an  area  of  concern  for  second language  acquisition  (e.g.,  Atkins  &  Baddeley,  1998;  Miyake  &  Freidman,  1998; Robinson,  1995,  2002,  2005).  The  present  study  focused  on  the  role  of  working  memory capacity  in  the  development  of  second  language  reading  ability.  55  L1  Persian  EFL learners  at  three  proficiency  levels  from  a  private  language  school  participated  in  this study.  They  completed  a  battery  of  reading  and  working  memory  measures.  Memory measures included phonological short-term memory, and reading span test (RST). Reading measures  included  two  expository  reading  comprehension  tests.  Multiple  regression analysis was applied to determine whether there are any significant relationships between working  memory  capacity  and  reading  measures.  Results  of  this  study  indicated  a significant  relationship  between  working  memory  capacity  (as  measured  by  RST)  and reading ability at lower levels of proficiency.