The Social and Cognitive Factors Affecting Second Language Acquisition in children from Grade 8.

The present research study has been designed to check the factors which may affect second language acquisition of the students in grade 8. In previous studies many factors like gender, medium of instruction, parental/guardian’s SES (socio-economic status), residence, and out of school coaching are reported to determine students’ academic performance and language learning (e.g. Shoukat, Haider, Khan & Ahmed, 2013; Graetz, 1995). A central English examination score for 120, 13 years old, students (55 girls and 65 boys), was collected. The students were randomly selected from four different public sector schools, (2 boys, and two girls’ schools), from a district in central Punjab, Pakistan. Relationship of certain factors like gender, medium of instruction (Urdu or English), socio-economic status (SES), residential area, and out of school coaching with Second language acquisition was estimated with the help of comparing L2 scores through t-tests. Results showed that scores in English examination were significantly different for gender, different SES, and residential area (rural or Urban). Out of school coaching and medium of instruction could not make a significant difference in L2 learning. Unexpectedly, Urdu medium public sector schools’ children performed a little better than English medium schools’ children in English examination, like the children who were receiving out of school coaching for English. On the basis of these results the study concluded that the factors like gender, out of school coaching, and SES could be predictors to language learning. Therefore, government authorities and syllabus designers could work to reduce the differences of literacy skills by adopting better policies.