AN INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND COGNITIVE ABILITY

Abstract

The current quantitative correlational study aimed at focusing on the association between English proficiency and cognitive aptitude among 150 respondents of 18-35 years of different linguistic backgrounds. The description of participants was carried out using purposive sampling in case of both native English speaker and different degrees of non-native speakers. The level of English as a foreign language was measured with the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT, assessing knowledge of reading, listening, writing, and speaking, and cognitive ability was measured with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV), which tests verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed indexes. Data was captured in a controlled environment of the university language center after six months and within two weeks of each other to capture consistency in time. Pearson correlation coefficients were found to be significant positive correlations between English proficiency scores and measures of cognitive ability. Linear regression analysis revealed that English proficiency was a strong predictor of cognitive performance even after the demographical factors, age, level of education and years of English exposure were included. The findings imply that better speech in the English language relates to better cognitive capabilities in a variety of fields, and this will have great input in educational policy and language attainment courses.