Acquisition Order of English Relative Clauses: A Rasch Modeling Approach

Among the greatest challenges in language acquisition studies is addressing simultaneously a number of factors influencing target language learning. This study applied Rasch modeling, which accounts for both learner ability and item difficulty, to investigate the acquisition order of English relative clauses among Korean adolescents. Focusing on receptive skills using multiple-choice questions, this study tested four competing hypotheses: Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy, Perceptual Difficulty, Structural Distance, and SO Hierarchy. Data from 80 Korean male high school students were analyzed using Winsteps 3.68. The results confirmed that the acquisition order is primarily aligned with the Perceptual Difficulty Hypothesis and partially with the Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy Hypothesis. This finding is particularly noteworthy as it emerged while taking the students’ varying proficiency levels into account. An analysis of misfit items revealed that both high- and low-ability students found SO types challenging, likely due to their similarities with Korean word order. The findings suggest that Korean adolescents’ cognitive capacity, along with typological universals and the first language word order, significantly impacts their English relative clause acquisition. By emphasizing receptive skills and employing innovative Rasch modeling analysis, this study introduces methodological innovations that enhance our understanding of how Korean adolescents learn English relative clauses.