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Revisiting the effects of phonological short-term memory on second language vocabulary acquisition

A meta-analysis

ORCiD logo with link | Tohoku University
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with Tohoku University.

Published online: 20 January 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/itl.25009.kur
Abstract
The present study provided the first meta-analysis of the relationship between phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and auditory L2 vocabulary acquisition while incorporating important moderator variables (e.g., age) and recent scholarly interests (e.g., vocabulary learning context). Results based on 52 effect sizes from 18 studies revealed a small-to-medium effect of PSTM (r = .31). PSTM test type was identified as a significant moderator, indicating that PSTM assessed through nonword/word repetition tasks shows a stronger association than digit span tasks. Vocabulary learning context approached statistical significance, suggesting that PSTM may exert a greater influence in intentional vocabulary learning settings compared to incidental, contextual learning ones. These findings reinforce the role of PSTM in L2 vocabulary development and highlight its relevance for L2 teaching practices.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Literature review
    • Phonological short-term memory: The overview and its relationship with vocabulary learning
    • The role of PSTM in L2 vocabulary acquisition
    • Factors modulating the relationship between PSTM and L2 vocabulary acquisition
    • PSTM-related variables
      • PSTM test type
      • Learner Age and L2 proficiency
    • Vocabulary-related variables
      • Vocabulary learning context
      • Vocabulary form learning modality
      • Vocabulary test type
  • The study
  • Method
    • Literature search
    • Selection criteria
    • Coding
    • Analysis
  • Results
    • Summary effect size
    • Moderator analysis
  • Discussion
    • The association strength between PSTM and L2 vocabulary learning (RQ1)
    • Potential moderators of the PSTM-vocabulary correlation
      • PSTM-related variables (RQ2)
      • Vocabulary-related variables (RQ3)
        • Considerations into PSTM test type
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Declaration of AI Use
  • Note
  • References
References (78)
References
References marked with an asterisk (*) are studies included in the meta-analysis.
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