Executive functions and their relationship with English learning among students of a Peruvian public university
Keywords:
Executive functions, English learning, university studentsAbstract
Executive functions involve mental processes that coordinate actions to achieve personal goals and plans; they operate at the behavioral and cognitive levels. The objective was to analyze the relationship between executive functions and English language learning in university students studying foreign languages. The study used a quantitative, non-experimental, correlational design and involved 44 students. The instruments used were the EFECO Scale and the Cambridge Assessment English B1 Preliminary test. The results generally showed a slight positive correlation (Rho = 0.256, p = 0.094). On the other hand, a weak to moderate and significant correlation (Rho = 0.303, p = 0.045) was found between cognitive executive functions and English language learning, while behavioral executive functions did not show a significant relationship with English language learning (Rho=0.085, p=0.585), concluding that executive functions could contribute in a limited way to the achievement of English language learning.
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