Socio-Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Second Language Achievement: A Systematic Review

Abstract

There is a considerable amount of research investigating the impact of variables such as age, gender, and cognitive ability on second language acquisition. In second language acquisition, besides such individual variables, equal importance should be given to the social demographic variables. Therefore, it is crucial to direct this focus towards socio-demographic and psychological factors because, after the critical period, the difficulties faced by the students due to such variables are profound (Krashen, 1981). Even though research frameworks encompassing previous literature exist, a recent theoretical framework to study the socio-demographic variables and SLA relationship in higher education is still missing. This systematic literature review was undertaken to propose a theoretical model comprising socio-demographic and psychological factors and their impact on SLA. Four electronic databases—ERIC, ProQuest, SAGE Journals, and Science Direct, were used to locate relevant articles to the topic. Thereafter, a thematic analysis of the literature from 2014 to 2021 was performed. Out of 1021 studies, 45 research papers were systematically analyzed. The study offers recommendations for English language teaching and learning, which include focusing on individuals, their social and cultural background as well as their state of mind.