The Language Aptitude Outside the Classroom (LAOC) study investigates the factors that contribute to successful English-learning among newly arrived parent-child immigrants. Two types of factors are considered: cognitive abilities (aptitude measured with the LLAMA tests and working memory) and contextual-affective factors (exposure and anxiety). Participants are pairs of Spanish-speaking immigrants in the US. Each pair consists of a parent and their child aged 7–16. Their English proficiency is measured longitudinally during a one-year period using a listening comprehension test, a verbal fluency test, and an oral narrative (frog story). This contribution focuses on the lexical diversity of the oral narratives (Guiraud Index). Linear mixed models were run on the entire sample and on adults and children separately using time, aptitude, working memory, exposure to English, and anxiety as predictors of lexical diversity of the oral narratives (random effect = dyad, random slope = time). The results show that the development of lexical diversity over a one-year period is predicted by exposure to the language (and, for the children, anxiety). Two subtests of the LLAMA aptitude battery are also significant predictors when the entire sample is considered, but this effect nevertheless disappears for the adults when modeled separately from the children.

中文翻译：

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新来的亲子移民对的词汇多样性发展：能力、年龄、接触和焦虑

课堂外的语言能力（LAOC）研究调查了有助于新来的亲子移民成功英语学习的因素。考虑了两种类型的因素：认知能力（通过 LLAMA 测试和工作记忆测量的能力）和情境情感因素（暴露和焦虑）。参与者是一对在美国讲西班牙语的移民。每对由父母和他们 7​​ 至 16 岁的孩子组成。他们的英语水平在一年期间通过听力理解测试、语言流利度测试和口头叙述（青蛙故事）进行纵向测量。该贡献侧重于口头叙述的词汇多样性（Guiraud Index）。线性混合模型对整个样本以及成人和儿童分别使用时间、能力、工作记忆、接触英语和焦虑作为口头叙述词汇多样性的预测因子（随机效应 = 对，随机斜率 = 时间）。结果表明，一年内词汇多样性的发展可以通过接触语言来预测（对于孩子来说，焦虑）。当考虑整个样本时，LLAMA 能力倾向电池的两个子测试也是重要的预测因子，但是当将成人与儿童分开建模时，这种影响仍然消失。