Selective auditory attention and speech-in-noise perception in English second language learners

Abstract

Abstract Background: Selective auditory attention and speech-in-noise perception are key skills required by school-aged children for the development of academic skills that will ensure overall learning success in a school context. These skills are indispensable for English second language (ESL) learners to achieve successful academic learning, as their learning takes place through an additional language. Second language acquisition is influenced by several factors pertaining to auditory processing skills, such as age of onset of acquisition and age of exposure to an additional language. As yet no studies have investigated the selective auditory attention abilities and speech-in-noise perception of young ESL learners in a multilingual country such as South Africa. Aim: To determine the selective auditory attention abilities and speech-in-noise perception of seven-to-eight-year-old ESL learners in a multilingual country and compare their results to those of English first language (EFL) learners of the same age. Method: A quantitative, descriptive, comparative cross-sectional research design was used to determine the selective auditory attention abilities and speech-in-noise perception skills of 40 children with normal hearing in first or second grade (aged seven-to-eight-years). The control group comprised 20 EFL learners (mean age 7.35 years ± 0.49) and the research group included 20 second language learners (mean age 7.70 years ± 0.47). The researcher also compared the control and research groups with regard to the age of exposure to English through various sources. The Mann Whitney test was used for this comparison. Information regarding the age of exposure was gathered by means of a case history questionnaire which was completed by the parents/guardians of the participants. The Selective Auditory Attention Test (SAAT) and Digits-in-Noise (DIN) test were performed in one sitting. Results: No statistically significant differences between the EFL and ESL groups were found for the SAAT and DIN. However, a statistically significant difference was obtained between the SAAT lists 1 and 3 and the DIN: diotic listening condition for the ESL group only (rs= -0.623; p=0.003). The difference in the mean age of exposure to English between the EFL and ESL groups was statistically significant (p=0,019), with mean age of exposure to English in the ESL group (mean = 2.82 ± 0.53) being higher than the mean age of exposure in the EFL group (mean = 1.81 ± 1.53). However, the latter did not influence the results of the SAAT and DIN significantly. Conclusion: The main finding was that selective auditory attention and speech-in-noise perception were not significantly affected in the ESL learners who participated in the study – learners who were recruited from private schools located in an urban area and thus from higher socio-economic status (SES) households. This points to the possibility of additional or alternative factors that influence the acquisition of auditory processing skills of ESL learners in the multilingual South African context. There is a need for additional research with a larger sample size to determine the selective auditory attention abilities and speech-in-noise perception skills of ESL learners in government funded schools and from various socio-economic backgrounds.