Abstract
This mixed-methodology pilot study aimed to examine the relationship between mental distress and language acquisition in vulnerable students, specifically those of immigrant and queer backgrounds. The study included participants (N=4) with a mean age of 29 years old (±4.7 years) who were learning Icelandic as a Second Language. To assess the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression and their impact on language acquisition, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and semi-structured interviews were utilized. Two competing theories with mediation models were tested. Model A explored whether language acquisition mediates the relationship between stressors experienced by immigrant or queer students and mental distress in a language class. Model B examined whether mental distress mediates the relationship between stressors related to participants' backgrounds and language acquisition. The results revealed a significantly high prevalence of mental distress among both groups of vulnerable students, irrespective of their proficiency level. The findings support Model B, indicating that mental distress mediates the relationship between stressors from students' backgrounds and language acquisition. The data were analyzed using mediation analysis (Chi-square test, Sobel’s first-order test, percentile bootstrap) and were further supported by the semi-structured interviews. This pilot study provides a foundational dataset for future comprehensive investigations and offers potential solutions to address the challenges faced by vulnerable students. The abstract is presented independently from the article and avoids references and non-standard abbreviations.
Author Information
Jeannette Jeffrey, University of Iceland, Iceland
Paper Information
Conference: ECLL2023
Stream: Assessment
This paper is part of the ECLL2023 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window
To cite this article:
Jeffrey J. (2023) The Utility of DASS-21 as a Research Method for Second Language Acquisition Studies for Vulnerable Learners ISSN: 2188-112X The European Conference on Language Learning 2023: Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-112X.2023.24
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-112X.2023.24
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress