How does chronic stress relate to language learning and language ability?

The researchers in the project aim to examine how chronic stress relates to the learning of Swedish as a second language, with the goal of improving Swedish language programs for immigrants.

Good skills in Swedish as a second language are crucial for immigrant families, since language proficiency is central to both social integration and success in school and the labor market. However, second-language speakers’ language skills vary widely. Previous research has found several reasons for this, such as the age at which the second language was acquired, and the amount of exposure of said language. For example, learning at an early age and extensive exposure to the second language leads to more successful language acquisition. Research has also shown that the similarity between a learner’s native language and the second language influences language learning.

However, these known factors explain only a fraction of the significant variation in language skills among second-language learners. It is therefore essential to understand additional factors that contribute to this variation. The project focuses on one factor that has not yet been studied extensively - chronic stress.

Chronic stress occurs when an individual is exposed to prolonged and persistent stress without time to recover. Research has shown that chronic stress can negatively affect learning generally, and related cognitive functions such as self-regulation and memory. Yet surprisingly little is known about the relationship between chronic stress and the ability to learn a second language. This is surprising, given that newly arrived immigrants are particularly vulnerable to stress, since migration involves many different kinds of stress factors.

The researchers will fill this knowledge gap by relating validated linguistic assessments to rigorous measures of chronic stress. They will conduct a longitudinal study, monitoring participants’ language development over 18 months using standardized tests across three aspects of language: vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure. Chronic stress will be measured using questionnaires and concentrations of the hormone cortisol in hair samples. Subjective and objective measures of participants’ stress levels will thus be combined with detailed language measurements.

The participants will be 120 recently arrived Arabic-speaking children aged 6–8 and their parents. By comparing children and adults, the researchers will be able to examine how stress at different ages relates to second-language learning. Studying children and adults from the same family also enables the researchers to consider heredity and environment, which have not previously been studied in second-language acquisition research. Additionally, the researchers will monitor how much Swedish the participants are exposed to over time.

The project’s findings will be used to improve Swedish language programs for immigrants, thereby potentially increasing success in school and the workplace and facilitating successful integration into society. The study is also relevant to language learning in schools in general, as reports show that stress levels in Swedish primary and secondary schools are increasing, which research suggests may affect students’ ability to benefit from education.